Synopsis:
- Written in present tense
- Written in third person
- Three pages, double spaced
- TELL rather than SHOW-synopsis is an explanation of character arcs, not in chronological order.
- Proper MS format-First time you mention a characters name, CAP the whole name. Put POV in parenthesis after the name.
- May editorialize in synopsis. Use the first line to intro main character, issues, age, time period etc.
- Weighting-most important gets more space, usually the protagonist.
- Don't vamp-don't dramatize
- Tell the ending
Pretend like your tell your MS to a divorce lawyer...
5 comments:
hahaha! Strangely, I really like writing the synopsis. I know, I'm strange!
I think synopsis is easier than query! Which reminds me I'd better go write mine :)
True, the synopsis is better than the query ;)
Synopsises, queries, et al, are a little bit terrifying to me. I really like this advice, although I have to mention one thing - I gave a synopsis to Stacy Whitman last year and she marked where I had all-capped the character's names and said that it's amateurish and really only used in screenwriting. Not sure if all agents and editors feel that way, I just thought I'd throw it out there. :o) Good luck with yours!!
Thanks Jenn! That's advice to watch for!
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