So, for us aspiring novelists, here's the challenge involving my personal least favorite part of the process--the synopsis.
Write a synopsis (if you don't have one already) for your novel. It can be a novel that you've finished and are ready to start querying, or one you're working on, or even one you're just thinking about writing. The only requirement is that it be no more than 1500 words.
Here's how it will work (I think):
This is yet another area in which I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. But I'm willing to give it a try.
[This message has been edited by Meredith (edited June 24, 2010).]
[This message has been edited by Owasm (edited June 23, 2010).]
VALDA & THE VALKYRIES, YA Fantasy
suggest shorter word length limit. Shouldn't most synopses be one page or less? In double-space land that would be 250 words. We could be generous and go with 500 words, but I think it's perhaps normally a lot shorter, no? Someone who's done this before should probably comment as I'm just guessing here, (query letter perhaps is what I'm thinking of, and maybe those are really two separate beasts?)
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suggest shorter word length limit. Shouldn't most synopses be one page or less? In double-space land that would be 250 words. We could be generous and go with 500 words, but I think it's perhaps normally a lot shorter, no? Someone who's done this before should probably comment as I'm just guessing here, (query letter perhaps is what I'm thinking of, and maybe those are really two separate beasts?)
I thought of going a little shorter. Most agents will accept a two page synopsis. The synopsis does not have to be double-spaced, any more than the query letter is double-spaced. It's not something that will be edited. 1500 words would be more like three pages. Trust me, that's hard enough.
However, you can certainly take length into account as part of your voting criteria.
[This message has been edited by Meredith (edited June 23, 2010).]
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but put an asterisk by my name because I'll be traveling during some of the voting part and might end up dropping out due to no time for crits. However, this is precisely what I need right now so I hope to not bail.
I can cut a bit of slack for hardships. I allowed ten days for critiques and voting so that it wouldn't be too stressful for anyone. Let's not borrow trouble, but if it becomes a problem, let me know at the time and we'll see what we can do.
)
AGENTS OF THE FOURTH WIND - SF
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Thanks for doing this, Meredith.
[This message has been edited by Rhaythe (edited June 30, 2010).]
Truth and Dissent - Modern/Future SF
For the Gods, Quest Fantasy.
Name is working title. I am considering a whole bunch of other options but for now, that is what I am going with.
ETA- maybe soon you'll do a query challenge, force me to work on that.
http://www.annemini.com/?cat=328
Here's a link to author! author!'s synopsis advice. From what I have read, you can be asked for a 1,2.3 or 5 page synopsis. Nathan Bransford says shoot for 2-3 pages double spaced, but it admits that the standard is pretty nebulous:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html
I might spend a bit too much time reading blogs, not enough writing.
Oh, funny thing, if you read the comments, Nathan replies to someone that they should shoot for 3-4 pages for the synopsis (in post he says 2-3). So apparently, he hasn't decided exactly how long he would want it either.
[This message has been edited by TamesonYip (edited June 26, 2010).]
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Some writers find that writing a synopsis is a painful process. How do you condense your entire story down to three or so short pages? That's a problem if you write the synopsis after you've written the story. However, some writers get around this problem by writing the synopsis first, as a kind of an outline, then altering it if the story changes as they write. This allows the writer to see the "bigger picture," the entire novel at once, and is a good composing device, as it helps keep your plot on track as you work.
Here's the source of that quote
Hope that makes a difference to a few others, too.
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KNIGHTS VALOR - Fantasy
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Some writers find that writing a synopsis is a painful process. How do you condense your entire story down to three or so short pages?
One class I took at Pennwriters mentioned trying to capture the utter core of your story in 20 words... then 10... 5... As few as possible. One of the classic examples they gave was for the movie 'Alien':
"Jaws in space"
They also went on to mention that most agents love a good synopsis because, just like writers, they know they have never seen one before. It's a necessary evil.
(I offered "Brigadoon in Space" as a "pitch" to an editor once, and he said, "It sounds too derivative." 
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So I'd recommend that after you distill it down to a few words, then you start building it back up with the words that will make your "Jaws in Space" clearly different from any other "Jaws in Space" that anyone else might come up with. Also, change your keywords "Jaws in Space" (or whatever) to something else, so there are no "derivative" keywords at all in your core description.
[This message has been edited by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (edited June 28, 2010).]
I have found it very useful to do a 'treatment' of the novel before I start. It really helps get the big picture down. I've done it three times and its something you can give a reader to comment on. However, be prepared for comments you wouldn't expect.
*Facepalm*
Time to kill my darlings
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Oh my god...my first synopsis *ever* came out to 3200 words
Don't feel all alone. I did say this wasn't going to be easy, didn't I?
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I just finished mine with 779 words. Is that enough?
Congratulations!
There is no lower limit, so long as you're happy with the result.
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Do you put character's names in all caps?
I don't think you have to, and if you don't have to, don't.
Current draft is 1471 words. It hurts- no mention of a whole love interest, a minor (but significant) betrayal, travel through various cities, various character development moments, et.
But a lot of things tend not to have any better reason than "that's the way it's done," and writers can do some fun things playing with other ways of doing them. (Manuscript format is the way it is for the Very Good Reason that publishers and editors still use typesetters and typesetters need manuscripts to be that way so they can efficiently typeset the manuscript.)
OSC has said before that everything in a story should be able to fight for the right to be included in the story, and I think that can apply to other things we do as writers as well. If it doesn't have to be done that way (the writers guidelines don't specify it, for example), and you don't have a Very Good Reason for doing it that way yourself, don't do it.
Just be sure you know when something has a Very Good Reason.
...which means there's probably something seriously wrong with it.
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[This message has been edited by Tiergan (edited July 14, 2010).]
Cheers everyone.
W.
But I thought I'd come in and say thanks for posting this because before reading this challenge I didn't even know about synopsises. (Synopsees?)
I feel I must now echo what I've read many times while researching this... It's tough.
Axe
It did help me with my plotting, so thanks for doing this. I think it's a great idea. Maybe next time I wont suck so much.
~Sheena
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Here's a question, I'm not far enough along yet to write one of these, but I wouldn't mind reading and commenting. I think this might be a good exercise for me to learn. So the offer is there if you want to take me up on it.
I think that's a fine idea. If anyone objects, let me know. I can delete your synopsis from the file for non-entrants.
Oh, and by the way, it's often easier to start writing the synopsis before the novel is finished. You can polish it up and refine it after. But it's often easier to see the broad sweep of the story arc when you haven't all those details and subplots. At least, so I'm told. I'm planning to try it with MAGE STORM and find out for myself.
Is it ok that this synopsis is only the first part of four to my story? It will be approximately four books to complete.
Just another thought, do we have to write about our own? Because I get a bit self critical.
[This message has been edited by MikeL (edited July 16, 2010).]
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Just another thought, do we have to write about our own? Because I get a bit self critical.
If you mean critique, no. You're not expected to critique your own--or vote for it.