A synopsis is where any work of art should start, it is a concentrated presentation of the plot, characters and motives of the heroes, the quintessence of your idea, the very salt. Stephen King calls the synopsis the first step towards creating a novel.
Instructions
Step 1
The preliminary synopsis of the novel - your first dialogue with yourself about what the intended work will be - can take as little as two pages or all twenty. Here you, as the author, are given complete freedom, here your imagination is a free bird, and nothing has the right to restrain its flight. You write the preliminary synopsis for yourself, and here every detail of the author's history, every movement of creative thought is important.
Step 2
The fate of the first version of the synopsis has two scenarios. In the first case, it turns into a full-fledged work by adding new details, paragraphs and whole chapters to the text. In the second case, the plan retains the original purpose, and the author simply checks with it in the process of working on the main text of the book.
Step 3
The final synopsis, which you have to send to the publisher along with the manuscript, is best done anew, using the draft only as a guide. Describe the main storyline and key events of your story, following the logic of the narrative: hero - set - development - climax - denouement. Strive for the utmost brevity and conciseness of presentation. Resist the temptation to describe each character in detail. Observe the chronology of the novel in the synopsis. Then re-read and remove all unnecessary, decisively get rid of adverbs and emotionally charged phrases. Set the text aside for a while, forget about it for a couple of days, so that afterwards you can re-read it with a fresh eye and make new edits.
Here, at the final stage of writing a synopsis, you should use the second perceptual position - look at the text through the eyes of a potential publisher and editor, ask yourself, would you be interested in such a plot? Would you find the story fascinating and eager to read the manuscript?
Step 4
Unless otherwise stated, synopsis should not exceed three pages in length, but some publishers have individual requirements. Therefore, before starting cooperation, you must carefully study the information on the website of the publishing house with which you plan to work. Knowledge of the rules of the game is the key to success in any activity.
