FOR THE SYNOPICALLY CHALLENGED

By Rosalyn Alsobrook

Just what is a synopsis?

A synopsis is that horrible-to-face condensation that tells your story to an editor in as few pages as possible. Keep it to a preferable 3-15 pages, depending on whether you plan a 280 or a 600 page manuscript. For EMERALD STORM, a historical romance saga which ended up being 770 manuscript pages, I wrote a 26 page synopsis. For "The Gift", a time-travel written in anthology form, the synopsis was barely 2 pages.

Synopses are always written so they can stand alone, but have a better "impact" if sent with sample chapters. By sample chapters I mean the first two or three--not the first, third, and tenth. Always start where the book itself starts and always give the ending. Editor's don't play guessing games. They don't have time.

In my synopses, I sometimes list the main characters and offer a very brief verbal sketch about each one, telling what relationship they have to the story. That keeps me from having to stop in the middle of the action to explain that this character is the evil-twin of the hero's ex-mother-in-law's older brother, or whatever. By including character sketches, I keep that sort of information easy-to-find at the front of the synopsis and don't have to repeat it in the text itself.

Many times, for extremely complicated stories, I also include a simple time-line to help simplify what pertinent events happened prior to the opening of the story, usually starting with the birthdates for hero and heroine and any main events pertinent to the story. That not only helps the editor in on the order of things, it helps ME keep "on track". And believe me, that is important to someone like me who is so easily "derailed".

I usually place the time line either directly after the very brief character sketches or at the very end of the synopsis. Placement depends on how important the information is in understanding the synopsis.

Quick and important warnings:
Don't bog your synopsis with a lot of unnecessary detail. You might want to make a "working synopsis" for yourself and in it you can store all those clever little ideas that occur while you work out the plot so you don't lose them, but keep the main synopsis, the one you mail to the editor, down to the bare essentials.

Use present tense. And use dialogue only when doing so will be shorter than explaining what was said and how and why. The whole concept is to be as brief as possible and if using dialogue cuts down on the wordage, use it, though sparingly.

Double space unless otherwise told. A few years ago line spacing didn't really matter but these days more and more editors are asking for double spaced synopses.

Proportional fonts are okay for synopses as long as they are easy to read, but I hear standard Courier is still the best choice for the manuscript itself.

Be sure that somewhere in that synopsis you have listed your heroine's goals and what in her life motivates her toward those goals. Same for the hero. Your two protagonists always have set goals and clear reasons for those goals. Neither the heroine nor the hero should be simply bumbling her or his way through life. Even the antagonist should have definite goals and motivations detailed in the synopsis. Also be clear in what ways the characters are changed by your story. All main characters should be changed in some way by the end. Even the antagonist, if you story has one, should change in some way--whether for the better or worse.

Make sure all the conflicts and complications are covered, especially the main conflict, that one main thing that stands directly in the way of your main characters reaching their goals. Don't forget to mention why the setting you've chosen is vital to your story. This is especially important if you write historical romance or historical time-travel.

You may indicate suspenseful or humorous scenes by labeling them just that: "In a short, humorous scene, the heroine enters the kitchen just as the hero is about to...."

When writing a synopsis for any romance, be clear as to the level of all sensual/sexual activity: "That kiss leads to a very sensual lovescene that is interrupted just as the hero...."
If you have a clever hook for the story, use it in the synopsis if possible.

Always keep in mind that your synopsis is a selling tool. Make it the very "best" selling tool it can be.