Advice on Writing the Synopsis?

So, I am in the process of writing a synopsis for Novel the First.

Anyone have any advice? Doing this so far is like, as Bruce McCullough would say, taking Lassie to the desert, pulling out all of her teeth one by one, and leaving her there to fend for herself.

Also, the general specs I have are that you are supposed to write a blow by blow in the first person as well as a blurb that explains the whole thing for the query letter.

Does that sound right?

As an experienced and well know author I have learned there is one thing and only one thing you need to sell your book. Quotes from famous people. That's all it takes. Like this fabulous quote I got from Jamie Lee Curtis today.

"I'm too busy to read your book and if I wasn't I'm sure I'd hate it."
-Jamie Lee Curtis.


I'm tellin ya nothin' sells a book like famous people.

Ja
_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

gracie wrote:

oooohhhhhhhhhhhh, sell her letter on E-bay. that'll teach her.

Letter? I didn't get a letter. I just asked here for it when she came in. She asked to read it but I told her she was missing the point. She really is the sweetest lady.

Ja
_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Last edited by jaandlu on Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

Sorry for the thread jack Regina.


Ja
_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

The writers market says this Reg

1 Write it in the present tense
2 It tells the whole story and not what you submitted for the sample chapters and it does not withhold anything
3 It should not be too long. The basic rule is to have one pg of synopsis for every 25 pages of manuscript.
4 to achieve this write as clean and concise as you can. Focus on the essential details.
5 do not divide it into chapters. Write one unified account of your story.

The keys to a successful one (according to Writers Market)
Follow correct manuscript format
Tell entire story with events in same order as novel
Aim for a length of 1 synopsis pg for 25 pgs of manuscript
Focus on story essentials
Start with problem and story goal hook
Include characters’ motivations and emotions
Don’t let story mechanics show.

It sounds good and all but I got a wonderful response and near buy from a place in England for my book. That was just before I decided to re write the thing which you have read some of. I mention my book because I had no clue about the synopsis because, although having the Writers Market book, I only used it to try and find publishers, and most of what they list are in the states so I guess you could say that I broke most of the rules for the synopsis when sees as I couldn’t find a place I wanted to submit to here and had to try overseas. I may not be making sense to you but if you think about it I might be and then again I may not. What mine got by on was the query letters. And REMEMBER don’t forget the return postage and envelope.

Ta,
_________________
I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes. -HST

lol thanks FL

from the different specs I've seen, that sounds right. What I'm trying to do is have an entire package ready which would be
a one page synopsis,
a five page synopsis,
and the more detailed lengthy treatment you've just described.

Ouch.

I did get a bite based on a query a while back, and a synopsis was not requested, so my guess is in publishing like everywhere else, different strokes...

My whole thing is to get the synopsises (synopsi?) prepared so that I can just send them as requested.

How did you go about getting it done?



Gracie, JA is just kidding around

Regina wrote:

lol thanks FL from the different specs I've seen, that sounds right. What I'm trying to do is have an entire package ready which would be a one page synopsis, a five page synopsis, and the more detailed lengthy treatment you've just described. Gracie, JA is just kidding around

Regina,

First off let me say...No I wasn't. It's her qoute, I wrote it down as she gave it to me.

Second I have been rereading my epic and thinking about this synopsis thingy and I've decided to write one myself according to your guidelines. Originaly I was going to use Ferrit Leggings guidelines but yours sounded easier. Ok I've been working on this all day. I did one for each book.

ehmm, plot warning thingy,



























Virtaul Classroom (the long one)This guy has has a class and it's virtual. Somebody makes a joke. A lot of people make jokes. The guy leaves and misses the punchline. Pie.

Virtaul Classroom (The medium one) A virtual class makes a virtual joke about pie.

Virtaul Classroom (The short one) Pie.



VC 1.1 (The long one) Y is a student at a Virtual University. Y is a pie lover. She buys a Virtual Student off a weird kid and it takes her personality. Y goes out to find pie. The Virtual Student makes a joke about pie.

VC 1.1 (The medium one) A Virtual Student makes a joke about pie.

VC 1.1 (The short one) Pie.



VC 1.2 (The long one) The world was researching. Reg was a writer for the University. She had a Virtual Student. Her friend Y had one too. Reg and Y's Virtual Students make a joke about Pie.

VC 1.2 (The medium one) Two Virtual students make a joke about pie.

VC 1.2 (The short one) Pie.

VC 1.3 (The long one) All the not special people got to be special. Jaandlu makes pie. Jaandlu see's Y and they talk about Virtual Students. Y thinks she's cool when she's not and Jaandlu fixes the joke about pie.

VC 1.3 (The medium one) Jaandlu fixes a pie joke.

VC 1.3 (The short one) Pie's done! Any one want some.


Whew, that was a tough assignment you guys. I don't have anyone to turn it in to so you guys are it. Thank you for reading my synopsis.

Ja
_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Regina wrote:

How did you go about getting it done?

Reg,

I just sat and wrote it, just teasing. No what I did was try to take the main points of each chapter and break it all down into something small. As you know with my writing it is difficult because sometimes what I am trying to say is masked but I thought it came through all right. It ended up sounding more like a seventh grade book report but it did what it was supposed to do. What I thought was that the query letter and the sample chapters would make a better point of what my book was about.

The reason I rewrote it was because it sounded like a whinging English guy living in NY with his kid who had no real troubles at all. It needed some more conflict, I guess, and I wanted his relationship with his child to be more at the centre and not the death. It was interesting the way I revealed the death of his wife in the story. What I did was drop hints throughout the whole book and had the third to last chapter be where it was made known.

Do you realise that no one here knows what we are talking about when I mentioned my book? It is kind of like doing sign language at a convention for the blind. Kind of fun isn’t it?

Ta,
_________________
I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes. -HST

tee hee

I feel like secret squirrel!

Hate...

Writing...

Synopsi...

Need...

More...

ellipses....

Regina wrote:

Hate... Writing... Synopsi... Need... More... ellipses....

I'm sorry you hate it so much but I'm sure yours will turn out much better than mine Plus then you'll actually be selling your book. How cool is that! I'll tell you how cool...real cool. You rock Regina, don't give up. Waiting for the final book. You know I'll be the first to buy it if I can help it.


Ja


BTW here are some ellipses for you. Free of charge.
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_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Thanks ja!

Now, can I get some zzz's please?


Gotta love that sleep deprivation...

I hope this doesn't come to late. I was busy today.

Again free of charge.


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Night Regina

Ja
_________________
I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Re: Advice on Writing the Synopsis?

Regina wrote:

Also, the general specs I have are that you are supposed to write a blow by blow in the first person as well as a blurb that explains the whole thing for the query letter. Does that sound right?

I read that too, but "1st person"? I don't get that part.

lol i think that was a brain fart- i meant present tense