All writers who deal with fiction must buckle down and come up with a synopsis they hope will inspire an agent to ask for more. So how do you do that? Today, I will give links to many different sites that hopefully will answer that question. I will also post my synopsis to be ripped apart. Anyone who would like to work on their synopsis for next Wednesday, simply email it to us. We will post it and offer critique. Anyone willing may critique, and maybe, we can improve our synopsis skills together.

How to Write a Synopsis

Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up

Let’s try to break it down. Some authors can outline, take that and write a query and synopsis, and then write their novel. I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. I tried to do that, and had no clue where the story would go. Why? I didn’t know my characters. I am not a planner. I am a doer. I don’t hold well to schedules, (my poor kids) or to following a plan of action. Maybe because things never worked out how I planned, so I stopped planning. So those methods don’t work for me. They may for you.

The point? Find what works for you. Experiment.

Okay, back to the synopsis. After the manuscript is complete, (that’s the only way I can do it) and you’re ready to either have beta’s read it, or you’re wrapping up edits, but before you query (I discuss why in a minute), you want to write that outline. (And yes. I did this in school. Wrote the paper, then the outline. If the outline was due on Wednesday and the paper on Friday, the paper had to be finished before Wednesday.) Go through each chapter and pick out the most important plot elements.

Now that you have these, at least one for each chapter, you can start weaving them together. This is the first draft of your synopsis.

Put that aside and set your timer for five minutes. Write, without stopping, what your book is about, who your characters are, and what you’d tell a friend if they asked. When the timer goes off, stop writing.

Compare the two. How close are they. The first time I did this, they weren’t even on the same playing field. LOL You want them to find common ground. If it’s not there, set the timer again, and write for another five minutes.

Merge the two, and this is your second draft.

Now that you have gotten this far, a few more basics can be found here.

These steps will help you reach your goal of writing a great synopsis.

We look forward to reading your synopsis next week.

Here is mine. Feel free to shred it.

Synopsis:

When seventeen-year-old SAMANTHA SANDERS’ parents are killed in a car accident, she is forced to move half way across the country to live with the blind Cherokee grandfather she hardly knows. After a dream where she finds herself inside the mind of a killer, she’s sure she doesn’t want to stay in Oklahoma.

A week after her parents’ death, Sam and her grandfather eat dinner with twenty-one-year old hottie, Deputy ANDREW CLEARWATER, and his mother. During the meal, Sam breaks down and Andrew consoles her, almost kissing her, and she instantly falls for him. But his behavior over the next few weeks becomes erratic and standoffish, so Sam finds solace in her math tutor, JAMES PETERSON. Unfortunately, she’s looking for a friend while he’s looking for a girlfriend.

During a backyard game of football, Andrew tackles Sam, pinning her to the ground. But before he can kiss her, her mind is overcome by a presence that doesn’t feel human. The game ends when Andrew’s cousins rush her inside. Darkness takes over, and Sam experiences a strange ability to see through the eyes of a monster who wants to destroy Andrew and his uncle. A searing pain shoots through her body, ending her vision. Frantic and scared, Sam demands explanations but quickly realizes they are not easy to swallow.

Andrew pulls Samantha aside and explains the Cherokee Protector legend. They both come from a long line of Cherokees with special gifts and talents that aid them in destroying Flesh Eaters, monsters in human form. She realizes her recurring nightmares are more than just bad dreams. They are a window into the mind of the monster, leaving her with a lust for blood—and for the Flesh Eater.

Andrew and Sam’s attraction continues to grow and they begin secretly dating. As she struggles with the advances of James, another admirer emerges from the shadows—COLIN, the all-too-real monster from her dreams.

Although Colin is bound by his kind to kill her, he becomes obsessed with Sam and manipulates her thoughts and dreams. When he eventually shows himself, he speaks only in her thoughts, and vows to watch over her. Sam hates herself for the calming affect he has on her. The attraction she feels doesn’t help either.

When Colin allows Sam to live, it angers the other Flesh Eaters, and Colin’s long time lover, Jasmine, takes it upon herself to destroy the Protector. Andrew shows up in time to keep Jasmine from killing Sam, but when Colin steps out of the woods, Andrew feels death for them is certain. In the end, Colin saves Sam by murdering Jasmine.

After the near-death experience, Andrew breaks up with Sam, telling her he thinks his attraction is just physical. Heartbroken, but determined to stay strong, Sam turns to James, who’s more than willing to comfort her. Sam doesn’t realize Andrew’s true reasons for leaving her: her grandfather’s visions have revealed that if Andrew doesn’t stay away from Sam, together they could destroy the balance of the Protectors. Sam struggles to make sense of her life, but it’s nothing compared to the hell Andrew is living through each day trying to keep up the lie.

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