I’m writing a synopsis for another novel. I don’t like this bit because how do I sum up a 100,000 word story in 2 page? In a lot of ways for me it’s even more difficult than a query or a pitch. In a query I can pick the very, very core of the story and build some information around it.

In a synopsis though, I have to cover plot points. Climax. Denoument. Conclusion…

Both times I’ve done this, I tried to start with a bullet point list of my story. An outline of what happens in each chapter and the significance of it to the story. I don’t know why I tried this a second time because it didn’t work the first time.

So, here’s my synopsis writing process. It won’t work for everyone, but if you’re stuck for a place to start, this is my 3-step (sort of) suggestion.

1. Without looking at the manuscipt, I write a summary of the story. I should know it well enough to get an overview. I write whatever comes to mind and don’t worry about length, formatting, or clarity. (As an aside, this is about 4 pages double spaced for me. That seems to be a consistent number in my case)
2. Read through again. Look for repeated information and missing information. Delete and add where appropriate. Once again, I don’t worry about length.
3. Now the real clarification and trimming begins. Read it through and look for more threads that can be cut without muddling the main story. Cut excessive and/or repetative information as needed. Repeat until you’re down to about 2 pages, double spaced.

I walk away when I can’t see any more places to cut and/or clarify. If it’s not short enough yet, I come back in a couple of hours. Things will be more clear then. If I like the length, then I hand it over to critique partners.

In my novels, I always have to add word count when I’m done. I write short first drafts. I frequently wish I wrote long drafts, because I think it’s a lot easier to cut than to add information. That’s why I don’t start with my query and try and turn that into a synopsis. I’ve already trimmed my query to be succinct and snappy. Adding to it again, even for another purpose, tweaks my brain.

I have about half a page left to cut from this current synopsis before I hand it over to someone else for feedback. It’s taken me about 2 hours to get this far, which is fast compared to the week I spent griping about how much it was going to suck to do. I’ll probably also wait for them to finish the story so I don’t spoil the ending 😉

How do you approach the daunting task of a synopsis?