Why I didn't participate in the Plot Synopsis Project

[ksmith]

I've never written one, at least not one that I would be comfortable calling a synopsis.

I have written outlines, because they were required by my contracts. Very long outlines. 60-75 manuscript pages, of which my former agent used to say that all I had to do was add dialogue and I'd have the book. Except sometimes I did add dialogue. None of that dialogue ever wound up in the final books, that I recall.

My synopsis for the latest book is the closest I have come to something reasonable. 25 manuscript pages or so, with not a line of dialogue to be seen. I can't post it, of course, 'cause the book ain't writ yet.

My first book, CODE, was shopped as a completed manuscript. For the two other books in that contract, RULES and LAW, I wrote one paragraph mini-synopses along the lines of "Jani shows up. Weapons fire. The End." Not much detail, and not a lot of help with regards compressing a plot of a novel into a few pages.

So, follow the links and read these synopses by folks who wrote them, and wrote them well.

Comments

[kiviuq.livejournal.com]

Oh the dreaded synopsis. It's a lot of what I've been writing for the past 3 years, trying to find the right next project to work on or get approved. I've run the gamut from 10-15 page synopses to half a page ones. It's so difficult to write but I've learned to appreciate them for giving a nice broad roadmap, which I discovered I needed before working on a novel.

I honestly can't fathom a 60 page outline, so I take off my hat to you!

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I honestly can't fathom a 60 page outline, so I take off my hat to you!

They were never worth much, though, as far as resemblance to the finished book. My editor learned to pretty much disregard them and wait for the finished draft.

[kiviuq.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think they must know that when it's actually written, things likely change. We need playroom!

[thecurlyboy.livejournal.com]

Good lord! A 25 page synopsis? Ouch. I'm used to abstracts written for scientific journals and symposiums.

I know it's not a synopsis the way you're talking about it, but one of my old bosses used to give me the "elevator prep speech": Imagine running into a VP in the elevator who asks what you do - you have 30 seconds to explain your current project before they get off the elevator. For books I've paraphrased that speech: If I can't tell my best friend what a book is about in under 2 minutes, he'll lose interest and start talking about something else. So if my synopsis of a book takes more than 2 minutes to say, it's too long.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

That works for a pitch/verbal synopsis. For something written, that you will want to use to persuade a publisher to give you $$? Might need to be a little longer.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks Kristine! My writing group and I were just discussing what did and didn't go into a synopsis, so these will help.

Adrianne

Hello

[(Anonymous)]

I'm new here, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.