slaying that dreaded synopsis 💅

or rather, tackling it with an artistic, non-violent approach

After mentoring in three writing programs, and with six agent offers and a book deal now under my belt, I want to share what I’ve learned about writing that dreaded synopsis, which is actually my favorite thing to write in the query package, because it helps me reflect on what kind of story I’m really writing. I’m hoping this will be helpful for future mentors, querying writers, as well as seasoned writers drafting proposals for new books! In no particular order:

1. Generally, the synopsis should be 1 page, single-spaced. Most agents will ask for this much and not more. This is not a lot of room to regurgitate everything that happens in your novel—and that’s not what the synopsis is supposed to be, anyway.

2. The synopsis is best when it charts the emotional journey of your main character through significant plot points. Not the other way around.

   1. For example, “Peeta almost gets killed” is a fine plot point to include in your synopsis, but what’s even stronger? “Peeta almost gets killed, and Katniss finds herself strangely distressed by his injuries. After all, aren’t they just an allies out of convenience? She shakes the feeling off for the time being.” That’s so much stronger! Because it gets at Katniss’s emotional journey (the elusive “so what” that English teachers talk about, myself included) through what happens, rather than simply summarizing what happens.

3. Because you’ll be expanding on the emotional impacts of selected plot points, these plot points must be carefully selected. You’ll have to relegate minor twists and turns and plot detours to the margins (or for the agent reading to find out themselves when they read your full! :) ). You’ll also have to relegate minor characters who don’t make a direct impact on the plot. This is OKAY. This is PREFERRED. Again, the synopsis is a trick question: it’s not asking for the full plot for the full-scale cast list. It’s asking for, really, the MC’s emotional journey through significant, selected plot points.

4. At the end, you can include a one-sentence pitch of the novel to sort of sum up the whole thing. This might seem like a repetition of part of your query letter, but that’s okay! You want to remind the agent/mentor/reader, who’s probably reading hundreds of submissions that week, what your book is doing.

So what’s the agent/mentor/reader of your synopsis really looking for? They’re skimming the synopsis for what to expect ahead of the first sample pages. They want to know if this is something they’d still be interested in past the first 10. They’re thinking of the market for the book so they can envision a future in which they’re pitching it to editors. They’re seeing if the book is “complete” as a draft. They’re asking themselves if they have an “editorial vision” so that they can represent the book and be helpful to you.

They’re not looking to know everything that happens. They want a simply charted course of the emotional journey the MC will take. They’re okay with being surprised by minor details and characters (so long as those things aren’t triggers that should be definitely included in the content notes). They want to know the growth arc of the MC.

Think of it like a job cover letter for your MC, in a way. You don’t need to tell the agent about every single professional thing the MC has ever done: you’re talking here about relevant, selected experience.

With that, good luck and happy writing!! <3