My writing day usually begins with a cup of coffee and visits to my favorite blogs (see previous post on The Blogsphere for a detailed list). After that I settle in with my cat curled up on the desk beside me and write. Since I completed my latest revision of The Virtuous Courtesan, I’ve been working on Courting Scandal, the second book in what I hope will one day become a series.
Recently, I set aside a few mornings to rework my synopsis for The Virtuous Courtesan. And I think I’ve discovered why some romance writer groups offer sessions entitled: The Dreaded Synopsis. Writing a full-length novel pales in comparison to writing the one to four page summary of said novel, at least in my humble opinion. Thus, I’ve been scouring the web and various print resources for help. I found a few sites that offered advice here and there, but I’m sure there must be more. And I also believe my fellow writers might have a word or two of advice to share.
Do you have a particular online resource you turn to when writing a synopsis? Do you have any sage words of advice to share with your fellow writers?
Hi Sarah! I so feel your pain! I absolutely hate writing synopses. I spent a lot of time in the last few years googling “how-to-write-synopsis” in hopes of finding someone with the magic key that would make all the pain go away. Alas, that never happened, so I sadly have no magical links to send you to. LOL! If you want to know how I write mine, that I can do.
For a long one (the 5-10 pagers), I take my outline and use it to help me summarize each scene of the book. Then I give the rough draft to my crit partners and tell them to fix it
For the short ones (2-3 pages), it’s a little simpler – I try to pretend I’m telling a friend what the book is about it, omitting pretty much all subplots and focusing mainly on the love story. Then I give the rough draft to my crit partners and tell them to fix it
(Are you seeing a pattern here? LOL!)
I don’t know if I’m any help at all, but I wish you the best of luck in your synopsis writing and with your submissions!
I love your advice for the short ones! I think my best synopsis thus far has come from the “pretend you’re telling a friend” approach combined with “what would the book jacket say.”
And I too send very drafts off for the “fix it” round:)
Thanks for stopping by!
I didn’t know where to leave a comment about the first chapter I read of the Virtuous Courtesan. So I’ll leave it here. I just wanted to say that it looks very interesting and a reader like me would definately buy it were to be published.
Regards,
June