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Hi I'm Suzie Carr. Thanks for tuning in to my Writing Insights video series.
In this video, I'm going to talk about how to write a synopsis.
Whether you are submitting your manuscript to an agent or a traditional publisher or
self-publishing, a synopsis is an important tool to selling your book. Even if you go
the self-publishing route, writing a compelling synopsis is critical. This will serve you
in book interviews, in writing jacket copy, in writing sales information on your author
page, and in offering that all important tight nugget statement readers often ask of their
favorite authors prior to a book release.
To many aspiring writers, writing a synopsis can be harder than writing the actual novel!
The reason is because it's concise. Just as when faced with any arduous task, it's often
best to chunk it down into steps.
That being said, writing a synopsis can be broken down into three steps:
Write a nugget statement: This is your hook... your one sentence summary that is best kept
to no longer than 40 words. The purpose is to tell your story idea in as concise a way
as possible. Imagine you are telling your best friend your novel idea and trying to
explain in as little time as possible the main idea and conflict of your story and why
she'd want to read it. Here's an example of mine from my latest novel Staying True:
A free-spirited masseuse falls in love with her married client.
From here, grow this statement to an entire page.
Here's how: • Write the synopsis using the same tone
and style of your novel. If your novel is funny, make your synopsis funny.
• Write the synopsis in the present tense, third person. Always.
• Introduce your antagonist, protagonist, supporting characters and describe what makes
them tick. • Describe your main plot line by telling
the most pivotal scenes of your novel. A pivotal scene is any that changes the direction, increases
the tension, and forces a character to act.
If you found this video helpful... I have 19 others videos in this free writing series
as well. To get more go to authorinsightsbysuzie.com.
Thank you for listening. And please feel free to comment below to let me know how you made
out. Good luck!