Synopsis

The synopsis has always been my biggest struggle. The first drafts of my stories tend to become overly complicated, with too many story threads, which makes it impossible to summarize it all in a single page.

This also means I had a lot to learn from writing synopses. Every time I did, I found a few simple ways to improve at my overall writing ability. That’s why I highly recommend writing a one-page synopsis for each book, even if you don’t intend to send it to (traditional) publishers.

What’s the purpose?

To give the full plot of your book, including the ending and spoilers. And to do so without subjectivity or value judgments.

The agent should be able to read your synopsis and understand your book without actually reading the full manuscript. They should know it has a satisfying ending and that the main questions are resolved in a good way. (You really don’t have the space to also discuss minor details or mysteries in the novel.)

Funnily enough, I once received feedback on my synopsis saying: “The point is to uncover the full plot, Tiamo, not just the highlights.” My story had so much plot … that the editors thought I’d purposely hidden a lot of it. While in reality, I did my best to reveal the whole plot in detail, but it just didn’t fit.

Usually, the synopsis is kept to one page. The common formatting is Times New Roman, 12pt, single-spaced. A more precise threshold is 400–500 words.

They are generally in third person and simple present.

How to approach it

You start a synopsis … by writing a synopsis that’s way too long.

The first step is simply to write down a summarized version of your plot, however many words it takes. It might be 10 pages, it might 5, it doesn’t matter. Now you have the full plot of your story in a condensed version.

Then you start cutting. Remove the least relevant bits. Rephrase things to be more concise. Remove that whole paragraph about the fun scene that isn’t that important in the overall scheme of things. Remove that paragraph with backstory of a minor character.

Every time you shorten the synopsis, leave it for one or two days. The next time you come back, you probably have new insights into what actually matters. I usually take three or four tries to get a one-page synopsis. Every draft I think “I really don’t see how this can be shorter!”, but then I come back the next day and realize what needs to be done.

If you really can’t achieve this … your story is too complicated. I’ve had this happen for one of my earliest books. Simply impossible to get a synopsis in one page without leaving out major events. This highlighted just how much plot I tried to put in a 80,000 word novel and that I should streamline it.

That’s the other benefit of the synopsis. It reveals a more streamlined version of your story. You can use it to find improvements to the actual story—not just as a marketing tool.

For example, maybe you need to remove one whole paragraph with a subplot. How? Well, by inventing some change that would allow you to cut that subplot from the book! If it’s not in the book, it doesn’t need to be in the synopsis, obviously. After making the change, your book is simpler and more focused, and your synopsis less than one page.

Mistake: subjectivity

The synopsis is not the place to praise your own plot twist. (“Then an amazing plot twist is revealed: Mary is actually the Ghost!”)

It’s also not the place to tell the reader what you think about these plot events. (“Then, in a well-written display of badassery, she slays the dragon!”)

No, just give the plot. Give the sequence of events, from start to finish, as it’s written in the book. Nothing more, nothing less.

Adding subjectivity doubles the word count and muddles the actual message.

In a synopsis? Tell, don’t show. Forget nuance or figurative language. Make it dry, direct, and clear.

Mistake: growing on verbs

Similarly, due to uncertainty or a desire to be as complete as possible, we write sentences that grow on verbs.

• “Her mother seems a vampire.”
• “Sarah realizes that her mother is a vampire.”
• “Then James tries to persuade Sarah that her mother is a vampire.”
• “Our heroes learn that vampires seem to have a special kind of magic.”

In a synopsis, we just need to know that something happened or that information was revealed. It doesn’t (usually) matter who or when or how (exactly). You can also often shorten sentences by revealing certain information through adjectives or a smarter phrasing.

Mistake: giving only a partial arc

If you’re going to mention a character or subplot, make sure you mention it fully.

• Its start (character motivation + obstacle in the way)
• Its progress along the way
• And its resolution

In fact, those three sentences above are a good template. Most arcs can be succinctly communicated that way.

Nothing is more frustrating than introducing a character in the synopsis, but failing to mention how their arc resolves at the end. Or saying something like “and Mark finally found his true love”, without ever actually setting up that this was Mark’s goal in the first place!

When you cut from the synopsis, either keep the entire arc, or cut the entire arc. Don’t try to superficially shorten the synopsis by removing a part of arcs. That’s just confusing and destroys the purpose of the parts you do leave in.

Tip: summarize general arcs if possible

Yes, you want to be specific and show every plot event. Every story, however, has general arcs in which things slowly develop. For example,

• In every scene our main character gets a bit more confident.
• In every scene, a tiny bit of progress is made on building a spaceship.

If you were to write every step as its own sentence, you’d have that 10-page synopsis.

Prefer summarizing smaller arcs in one simple sentence, if possible. If the arc is central to the story, the events that progress it should be major events anyway, and can be explained in detail.

This is another great question to ask yourself: “which arcs are central to my story, and which are minor storylines?” The major ones should progress through major events, which are written in detail in the synopsis. The minor ones can always be summarized in a single sentence.

Tip: balance

Continuing on that last topic, try to find a balance.

• Balance concrete details with abstract general statements
• Balance character work with plot work
• Balance cold, efficient language with more moving prose

The synopsis should be an efficient summary, but it still shouldn’t read like a grocery list. It should still contain a nice flow, sentences of varying length, hints of more depth and emotion.

Like before, choose to spend a few sentences on the character and emotional moments for the main characters. (Side characters can be relegated to mere mentions in plot events.)

Find a unique or beautiful phrasing near the start and end of the synopsis. There should be a little bit of intrigue, a little hook and personal writing style. But not so much that it takes too many words and delays the actual plot.

In a way, the synopsis is a snapshot of your full book. A good story, usually, also has a balance and variety. Fast-paced scenes mixed with slower-paced scenes. Character-focused scenes mixed with action-focused scenes. The synopsis should reflect that in the right proportions.

Otherwise it’s just a … lie. A broken promise. The synopsis is all action, action action, but then the agent reads the book, and it turns out to be much slower with half the word count dedicated to character work.

Tip: you can lie (a little)

A little bit of lying, though? Probably necessary.

In a book, given enough time, a sequence of events makes sense. Similarly, it might take time for somebody to realize something or get somewhere. A set of minor details might have played a role in this happening.

In the synopsis, you can usually cut a lot of words by changing the order or forgetting some details (such as travel time). Those details are not important in the larger whole.

This is probably how it happens in the book: the chapters alternate between Sarah and James. But for a synopsis? It’s easier to switch the order so the synopsis can focus one storyline at a time. The details are also not so important.

Similarly, you might be able to shorten sentences considerably by leaving out some details or lying about some small thing. It sounds really weird—and you obviously want to be truthful 99% of the time—but it’s fine. The synopsis doesn’t pretend to be the same as the actual plot. It’s a summary designed to intrigue an agent and promise you know how to progress/end a story in a satisfying way.

Tip: shorten names and references

A very silly tip, but more effective than you think.

A lot of words are wasted (in the synopsis) on referencing things. Using names. Referencing a subject mentioned in a previous sentence.

This is partially resolved with the previous tip: by changing the order of events, you can combine events with the same characters into one paragraph. You only need to name somebody once, then refer back to it with a pronoun (he/she/it/they).

Partially this just means you need short, clear names for important parts of your story. Yes, “The School of Magic” is a fine name, but it’s also four words. Give that school a name, like “Deerdrop”, or just shorten it to “School”.

This also clears up the actual story. In a 100,000 word novel, changing every “School of Magic” with “Deerdrop” might save thousands of words.

Conclusion

In a synopsis, spill all the beans. If it doesn’t fit, your story is too complicated (or perhaps unfocused).

Start by summarizing the novel as best you can, then cut and rephrase until the synopsis is a single page. (At most two pages, if it really has to be.)

Be efficient with your language. Don’t grow on verbs, don’t be uncertain, don’t add subjectivity. Summarize whole minor arcs with general statements. Explain the major events involving the major characters in most detail, step by step.

Find a balance between character and plot. Between style and substance.

The synopsis, to you, should be boring. It gives away all the secrets. It’s a dry overview of your whole book—all those 100,000 words or months of work. When summarized, instead of immersed and experiencing it, any story is mediocre or predictable. If it reads like an exciting new chapter, you probably did it wrong.

If you find a more streamlined version of your novel, because of your work on the synopsis, don’t be afraid to edit your novel to match.

In the end, never forget why you wrote the book:

• Use a few sentences to relate the events to the theme or (emotional) core of the book. (But remember this is not a marketing blurb or a hook. Keep it short and related to conveying the plot.)
• Highlight the unique thing about your book (a plot twist, unique magic being used, whatever)—even if that comes at the expense of other plot elements.