With the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction winner announced tonight and the lovely comments I received after I told you how to write a book, I thought I’d share some more of what I’ve learnt in the process from idea to book deal as it could help some of you budding writers out there.
I remember when I first decided I had to write this story that was bubbling away inside of me I was like this crazy obsessed lady buying and reading as many how-to guides I could grab in my sweaty arms. I wanted to drink up every last grain of knowledge of the publishing industry, the craft of writing a whole book from start to finish and then how to ‘sell’ my book baby.
But a lot of what I learnt was through trial and error, through making mistakes and then fixing them did I realise how I could find my voice (one that happens to be a lot swearier than I am in real life … I think!).
One area that I spent a lot of time researching was how to write a kick ass synopsis. I’ve now written four of these bad boys for my editor and although they may not be perfect they do get easier each time I write one as I understand the formula that suits me.
That doesn’t mean I write one draft and it’s done, I still have to spend time figuring out how to streamline and clarify what it is I’m trying to say and then say it in the best and most interesting way.
For some reason Synopsis seems to be the dreaded word in the publishing world. A word that can bring accomplished and seasoned authors to their knees, quivering in the corner of their decked out writing room.
A synopsis is basically a short outline of your completed novel or at least what you plan to write about. Some people write their synopsis before they even type Chapter 1 so they have a full idea of the important scenes, characters and plot points, others write the novel and then do the synopsis depending if an agent or editor is waiting for it.
For agents and editors, synopses act as a sort of breakdown of what they can expect from the novel without reading every single bloody page. They can see where you have created and managed tension, internal and external emotion and that inciting incidents happen at the right time and in the best way. They also show where the author is planning on heading with the story before they write it, flagging up any potential issues and avoiding wasting months or even years of hard work if they feel the author is going off track slightly. Better to iron out the details at the start before diving in and then deleting huge chunks – nothing more demoralising than that, trust me.
In the most traditional sense an unpublished writer would finish their manuscript, write a detailed synopsis tailored for the agent/editor and then send both parts out (usually with a covering letter or even a CV). However, as there are more and more routes to get into being published – digital, self-published, fan fiction, crowdfunding etc - you may find that once you have an agent or indeed a book deal, then you will write the synopsis before you write a word of your second and subsequent novels.
I don’t know of any agent or publisher who would accept your manuscript without an accompanying synopsis. Because of this, the short (often 1-3 page) document is actually pretty important. But how do you sum up your wonderful, gripping and exciting 100,000 word novel in just three sheets of paper?
Here are my top tips:
Don’t overthink it – Don’t act like a show-off, overly witty or too clever, just write it as you would tell a friend and get the main points across! I’ve heard of people who have written a synopsis the style of their main character, who have printed it on glittery perfumed paper, and even, who have sent in props with their story idea scrawled on to their potential agents- if you feel the need to overcompensate with these bells and whistles then your novel is probably not good enough to send out. Sorry to be blunt.
Choose your style – If your manuscript is written in a light, fun and chatty style then don’t write your synopsis in a dry, formal and sterile manner. That’s just weird.
Imagine your novel is a film – This tip has always really helped me. When you’ve watched a really cool film you don’t remember every single blooming detail, only the major plot parts, the main characters and how it made you feel. If you can see your novel as a film then pick out the key parts and jot them down.
Break it down – I like to write the acts into my synopsis and I usually follow a four act structure. I took this example from this popular book on screenplays that I was recommended to read when I was here. The basic premise is you break your novel down to four parts and something needs to happen at the end of each of these sections that drives the story forward, simple really!
Research – There are so many websites, blog posts and articles that can help shape your synopsis - and indeed your writing overall - just don’t spend ages reading everything you can get your hands on that you keep putting off writing the damn thing!
Let it sit – Like when writing a book, you need to finish the synopsis then lock it away for as long as possible until you can re-read it with fresh eyes and a clearer mind. Never write a synopsis or a novel and hit send as you will be amazed at how when you return to your work just what changes need to be made.
If you want some inspiration then check out the work of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and just remember that all these incredible women on the shortlist once had an empty Word document, a blank page to fill and a synopsis to write. If that doesn’t help you to think that you can do it too then I don’t know what will.
Good luck! (Cue cheesy photo of me spurring you on!)
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