9 of 16

Write now Article Tools

Congratulations! The mere fact that you are reading this article suggests that you have finished writing the manuscript for your fiction / non-fiction, children's book or short story. Or that you have almost finished writing it. Or, maybe that you are thinking about writing it1 Regardless, you deserve to be congratulated! Entering into the literary world can be a very daunting, challenging and frustrating experience but well worth the journey. And you should be applauded for taking the plunge!

Right, back to the focus of this article, namely, how to write a synopsis for your completed manuscript. This is never an easy task, especially for those of you who like to use long, meandering sentences and descriptive words. A successful synopsis should be succinct, structured and surprise-free! Follow these five simple steps and take the pain out of summarizing your writing!

Step 1 Know your manuscript

This sounds simple enough, but you'll be amazed at how easy it is to forget elements of your own work particularly if you have been writing your manuscript over a long period of time, or if it includes several complicated storylines. So before you set about writing a synopsis of your work you must re-read the manuscript in its entirety; make sure you know your words intimately!

Step 2 Draft a prcis

Once you are confident that you know the characters, storyline and language of your manuscript inside out, you can start to draft a summary of your book. Allow the same proportion of words for your synopsis as you have for each section of your manuscript the introductory sentences and closing section of the synopsis should be shorter than the main body.

Step 3 Now halve it!

I can almost guarantee that the first draft of your synopsis will be far too long! A well written prcis should be approximately 300 words, certainly no longer! So the next thing you need to do is edit your synopsis and slim it down! Your final synopsis must focus on the primary story line, don't get bogged down in trying to discuss any secondary storylines unless they are pivotal to the book. At the same time, don't forget to state how the book ends. The synopsis of your manuscript should be a complete reflection of the main storyline and that includes the ending. Publishers do not like surprises!

Step 4 Every word counts don't be too descriptive!

When self-editing your synopsis, remember to review every word! 300 words is a tiny amount of text to play with, especially if you are trying to summarize a 100,000 word

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How to write a good synopsis?
We want to hear your view. Write now!