How I Write a Synopis

Just to be clear, this is about how I figured out how to write a synopsis. If any of this proves to be helpful to others, that would be very nice, but I don't expect it. I'm just sharing here.

I've read many articles about how to write a synopsis of a fiction novel. Some of the articles were good, some were bad, and most were just plain useless. The fact is, it just depends on the story. I realized, after reading so many articles, that no one could tell me how to write a synopsis, because it's my story, and mine alone.

I've also seen a lot of comments from writers saying how hard writing a synopsis can be. I don't claim to know any secrets, but I will share a few tricks and lessons I've learned for myself, that allowed me to finish writing the synopsis. In terms of the difficulty, I would be lying if I said this was easy. But I didn't find the intensity of the work to be any greater than writing a full novel. I do feel that if you can write a full novel, you can write a synopsis.

First and foremost, always write it using the same style as the manuscript. I've seen that advice in numerous articles but never understood what that meant before. A synopsis is just the abridged version of the manuscript. It's not essay writing, it's not journalism, it's not anything else but a shorter version of a fiction manuscript. It's still fiction, you see, just with less writing space than a full novel, that's all. And that's writing in the same style as the manuscript.

Second, decide what is needed in the synopsis and what isn't. I'm fortunate that my writing style focuses on making a complete circle, not only for the whole story, but also for each chapter. This allowed me to take the first and last sentence, then combine it in a simple paragraph. No more than one paragraph per chapter in the synopsis, and that worked out well for me.

Third, write from memory, not from the manuscript. This is a little trick I discovered by accident. As you know, my laptop died and I'm working on a desktop. I have a lot of files to transfer to the desktop, including the manuscript. I was eager to at least start the synopsis, so I wrote a rough draft from memory. I've since transferred the manuscript and made adjustments, but I found relying on memory only helped a lot to decide what wasn't needed - it was the stuff I couldn't remember off the top of my head ;)

Fourth, go back to the original outline. And some people will say outlines are useless, ha! If it weren't for the fact I wrote an outline in paragraph format before I ever wrote a word of the manuscript, I wouldn't know how to begin the synopsis. Since I already had the experience of summing up the content in simple paragraphs, this helped me greatly to start the synopsis.

So there you have it, how I learned to write a synopsis :)

Organizing Forehead Slaps

Too many people don't realize how much work happens for an author behind the scenes. This is a long overdue post, not because I haven't been doing anything, quite the opposite. I've been doing too much!

First, a brief recap of the last 2 months. The Mid-Winter Contest went well and I'm very happy that so many received their prizes. My laptop died (RIP) so I've had to go back to using an old desktop. I'm looking into getting a new notebook, or maybe a netbook, we'll see how that goes. The manuscript of my next book was entered in a contest, alas, it didn't win, though I'm not really surprised. It was a long shot as it was and focused on getting a foot in the door with traditional publishing. Eden Fell has been chosen for a group discussion on Good Reads and I'm meeting with people to sell them copies of the book. I'm looking forward to that discussion.

Now on to the new stuff...

I'm working on two major things. One, getting my next book published, which I've been working on for 9 months, and two, writing a paranormal romance under a pen name I hope to sell to a major publisher. The latter is still in the works, I'll let you know how that goes.

Getting my book published is another matter. I had long since decided to take things to the next level. I strongly feel this book deserves more than just an ebook. As viable as ebooks have become, ebook companies are still catching up and it'll be awhile before the become full publishing houses. No offense to anyone, but they're just not for the time being. I need more help than that for this book.

Silly me, I thought that going for traditional publishing and seeking agents would be the next step. I've learned a lot in the past 9 months. First and foremost, times have changed... a lot. These days, trying to get involved with traditional publishing is like beating a dead horse. It's a dying industry and it just can't provide much more than the average ebook company anymore. Traditional publishing just isn't what it used to be - a safe haven for authors with sincere intentions. Agents are now eating each other alive, scrambling to get out of a dying industry. Sad, but true.

So, I had decided that Traditional publishing, due to the sad state of the industry and my own limited resources, just isn't going to work out for me. Maybe someday, maybe things will change, but for now, it's just not a viable avenue.

Not all is lost! I commited myself to searching through various e-companies for possible publications of my book. I stumbled upon Independent Presses, and I swear I saw a major shining light. I have two massive tomes of writing market listings, highly reputable books, and I quickly looked through. Lo and behold, a huge section on Independent Presses I just didn't see before! Many of these companies have full capabilities for international distribution and more importantly, don't require authors to have agents.

I have been saved!

So, I renewed my efforts and researched Independent Presses exclusively. One thing that I found fascinating, is each press will give preference to local authors. A real community effort. It's lovely to see that. For example, a press based in Maine, will give preference to authors who reside in Maine. But wait, it gets better! Canadian Independent Presses!

I feel like I've discovered Atlantis...

I have found several companies, but the one I'm liking the most is ECW Press. They're based in Toronto (only a 2 hour plan trip away from me and I wouldn't need a freaking passport to get there if I wanted to visit). They focus especially on emerging Canadian authors who write controversial themes. That's me!!!

This is a huge relief. There are a lot of Independent Presses in Canada, so if one doesn't work out, there are plenty of others to choose from. I feel confident for the first time about publishing my book. For 9 months I dealt with so many worries that really wasn't good for my health. What if agents hate the fact I'm a little different? (Which they do, as I've learned). What if it takes years and years, to the point I'm too sick to continue pursuing traditional publishing? (Screw them all, I'm going with Independent Presses :P:P:P) What if they reject the controversial, albeit tasteful, content? (Which they have, so again, screw them all).

With an independent company like ECW press, I'm happy to say I will finally get somewhere, instead of spinning my wheels. Truth be told, I was feeling overwhelmed by everything and losing hope. I have more than my hope back, I'm downright excited! I'll keep everyone updated and refresh my online self, get back to putting out newsletters, contests, etc.

Watch out world, Lily is taking over ;)

P.S. Big, BIG, thanks to my friends for holding my hand during these past rough couple of months. Love you all!

Done

I've finished editing and polishing the manuscript. All done. It's as clean and professional as I can make it.

Manuscript specs:

25 chapters, including prologue and epilogue.

Word count estimate (after editing) is 72, 000.

Satisfaction on a job well done, to the best of my ability, priceless.

And now, query letter writing...