Writing a Synopsis
A few tips for this tricky document
When you submit your first three chapters (or equivalent) to a prospective agent, you also need to include a synopsis. Some writers struggle with this so I thought it might be helpful to include a few tips – although I wouldn’t claim to be an expert – but this is what I have gleaned from advice on synopsis writing over the years:
1. A synopsis should be around a page of A4. It is essentially a summary of your story.
2. Use the present tense – even if your novel is in the past.
3. Put character names in capitals when first introduced, with their ages in brackets afterwards.
4. Write the bones of the story out chronologically. If you switch viewpoints in the novel, it is useful to signal this with phrases such as ‘meanwhile, Katie is ….’
5. A synopsis is not a blurb, written to entice the reader, so you need to include spoilers not hint at them. An agent/editor will want to know the whole story, including the ending.
6. A good formula to follow is to start by establishing the status quo:
‘Mary and her husband George have been happily married for ten years.’
Then mention the inciting incident:
‘When George has a terrible accident and is taken to hospital, Mary is distraught.’
Then describe the developments. ‘To keep herself from worrying about her husband, Mary starts to tidy his study, and that’s when she comes across some old letters.’
Then describe the crisis:
‘The letters cause Mary to think George might have been having an affair.’
Finally, the resolution:
It transpires George did have an affair early in the marriage but ended it, realising Mary meant too much to him to risk losing all they had. And George’s accident has caused Mary to realise how easily she could have lost him too.’
Obviously your real life synopsis will be more complicated and have a number of plots and subplots, but that’s about the gist of it.
You need to avoid excessive detail: just focus on the story elements, but try not to make it too dry. It’s fine to use emotive language such as ‘distraught’, ‘helpless’, ‘furious’ etc to give the synopsis an edge. I also think it’s quite helpful to start with an overview of the genre, themes, USP etc of your book.