Today I want to discuss writing a synopsis for literary agents and editors. A synopsis is a summary of the story’s plot, like an outline but more concise and in paragraph form instead of bullet points. This will probably be harder for you than writing your book. I know it was for me. Yet it is something we have to do in order to give other professionals in our field a clear idea of our stories from start to finish.
Standard Format
Depending on who you are sending your synopsis to, they may have their own set of rules for formatting the document. You need to pay attention to those guidelines above all else. However, if your agent or editor doesn’t have a format specified, these are the commonly accepted criteria.
Regardless of how you wrote your book, a synopsis should be written in third person and using present tense verbs. The document should be a standard font like Times New Roman, size 12 point, and single-spaced. It should only by one page (roughly 500 words). I know that seems impossible, but, if I can summarize my 250,000 words novel in one page, you can do it.
The Correct Mindset For Writing A Synopsis
The number one thing to remember when writing a synopsis is: tell, don’t show. I know, it’s so wrong. You’ve spent months chanting “show, don’t tell” as you wrote your book, but now it’s the opposite. We want an overview, which means it’s a bunch of telling through narrative summary. However, that doesn’t mean you can leave out the character’s emotions and reactions. The agent or editor needs to see you have an internal arc as well as a plot arc in your book. So, make sure you mention where your main characters are at psychologically as well as physically. The best way to do this is to use the formula: incident + reaction = decision. State something happens, mention how your character responded, and then tell what they did as a result.
Another thing to remember for the synopsis is that this is NOT a chapter-by chapter outline of your book. I mentioned that the synopsis is similar to an outline, but more concise. You need to only write about the big events and the main characters. If something or someone isn’t needed to make the ending of the book make sense, leave it out of the synopsis.
Lastly, make sure you write the synopsis in whatever tone or voice you used for the book. If you focus on humor, make sure that shows up in your summary. If you use dark imagery, carry that over to the synopsis. Give the agent or editor a taste of what to expect from the book’s prose.
Nine Parts Of A Synopsis
A synopsis comes down to the story structure of your book. You want to walk the agent or editor through the main points of your story. Below are the big sections you need to cover. Each one can be its own paragraph, but I sometimes combine two points into one paragraph if it flows well together.
1. Logline
For those of you unfamiliar with screenwriter terms, a logline is a single sentence that conveys the central conflict of your story in an intriguing way. It’s an attention-grabber.
When man and wife assassins discover they are working for rival agencies, they have to decide whether to put love ahead of business.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
A logline must state the protagonist (not a name but a descriptor like “small town doctor”), conflict, goal, and stakes for the story. You start off with this in your synopsis so there is a clear understanding of the premise and also a hook to make them want to read more.
2. Setup
Once you write your hook, you jump into the story summary. The first task is to introduce your protagonist(s). You can introduce the antagonist here as well, if it fits, or you can introduce her later when she appears in the story. The key is to only name the biggest characters in your story. If you can summarize your story and only use a character’s name once, then you don’t need to use their name in the synopsis. You can just use a descriptor like you did in your longline.
The characters you do need to name should be written in all CAPS the first time you use the name, and you should put their age in parenthesis after the name. For instance, DENNY (53). Once you introduce a character’s name, you don’t have to write it in all capital letters again.
The second part of the setup paragraph is establishing the status quo for the protagonist. What is their current situation? Define their normalcy and any current conflict they face. This is mainly so the reader can easily see how the protagonist’s life changes once the inciting incident occurs.
3. Inciting Incident and Goal
Next, you should state the inciting incident and how your protagonist reacts to the event. Remember, you want to chart the character’s internal arc as well as the external plot. Then lay out what the protagonist’s new goal is and what stakes come with it.
4. First Plot Turn
About a quarter of the way through your story, you should have a big event that leads to a plot turn. Something happens to shake up the character’s goal and either push him closer to or farther from his goal. Depending on the story structure you use, everyone has a different name for it, but they all mean it’s a plot turn. In your synopsis, you want to state what happened, how the protagonist reacts to it, and what plan he makes to move forward.
5. Midpoint
Now it’s time to share the midpoint of your story. This should be the point that your character’s path changes, and he starts being more proactive about reaching his goal. You’ll want to explain what obstacle he comes against, his feelings about it, and how his strategy for reaching his goal has changed. If there is any new information he learns that is necessary to understand the ending, you need to put that in your synopsis as well.
6. Third Plot Turn
There should be one more giant plot turn in the last quarter of your book, and you need to write about it next. You probably can guess the formula by now. Give us the plot turn’s obstacle, how the protagonist reacts to it, and what he decides to do next.
7. Black Moment
Now you need to dig deep into the protagonist’s internal arc. At this point, you should be at the peak of his internal arc. This is the moment when the protagonist feels at his lowest, but then he finally learns the lesson he’s needed to head into the climax of the book.
8. Climax
The climax is the peak of the external plot arc. I put the Black Moment and the Climax sections together into one paragraph because they are typically interwoven. If it’s a happy ending, the protagonist should come against the antagonist, conquer his last obstacle, and achieve his goal. If the ending is a tragedy, then you still need to address those three topics, but the results will be different.
9. Resolution
Lastly, you need to give a sentence or two about how life has changed for the protagonist. What is his new normal? If there is a sequel, you’ll want to put in a sentence about how the story leads into the next book.
Three Things To Avoid
There are a few things to avoid when writing your story’s summary. Below are three major things to not do so you have your best chance at a successful synopsis.
1. No Teasers
A synopsis is not the place to put teasers and mysteries. This is a summary of the book so you need to list any plot reveals or twists. The agent or editor isn’t interested in being surprised. They want to help you sell your book. In order to do that, you have to let them know what they are getting into with your book.
2. No Explanations
The synopsis does not need any explanations of things like themes, backstories, or worldbuilding. These are all descriptions that are not necessary to understand the plot’s summary. Remember, the synopsis is just the bones, not the whole body.
3. No Subplots
When writing your synopsis, make sure you stick to the major plot points. You may have other subplots, but those don’t need to be outlined in this summary. Relationship arcs with smaller characters also don’t need to be mentioned in the synopsis unless they are essential to the protagonist’s story ending.
Final Thoughts
After spending so long perfecting every detail of your book, it’s hard to strip all that away. It’s against your instincts to skip subplots, ignore side characters, reveal plot twists, and lose all those lovely descriptions. But it’s necessary. You need to let the agent or editor know what they have to work with going forward. Don’t worry, they can enjoy all those details when they read the full book.
Thanks for reading!
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