How to Write a Synopsis

If you're interested in pursuing traditional publishing and securing a literary agent, after composing a query letter for your completed manuscript (see my query how-to here), there's one more thing you'll need...a synopsis.

Yes, the dreaded synopsis. It's practically a 4-letter word in the writing world. They're notoriously difficult and writers everywhere balk at the idea of having to condense their beautiful novels into a few paragraphs of factual prose that give away the ending. Tell us authors we have to write one and we'll go all April Ludgate on you.

As much as you may hate the prospect of writing one, if you're serious about getting published, you're going to need a synopsis sooner or later. Confession: when I first started querying, I was so overwhelmed and terrified at the thought of crafting a synopsis that I actually avoided querying agents that requested one as part of their submission guidelines. Don't be like me. Bite the bullet and take the time to figure it out and just do it. Not only will it expand your querying options, but writing a synopsis can also help you spot potential problems in your story and give you the opportunity to fix or strengthen those areas before you send it out into the world.

But why do some agents request a synopsis?

Agents get hundreds of submissions in their inboxes every week. Your sample pages are going to give an agent a glimpse at your main character, voice, and writing prowess (and hopefully hook them with all those things), but a synopsis gives them a more detailed view of your story, plot, and character arc before they commit to reading through your entire manuscript. Not all agents request them, but it's better to have one and not need it, than be scrambling to write one once it's requested, or to limit your querying options to only those agents who don't specifically list them in their submission guidelines.

How long should my synopsis be?

The answer—it completely depends on the agent you're querying. The general rule of thumb is 1-3 pages. My suggestion? Create a one-page synopsis and only go longer if the agent's guidelines state they want a longer version. Now, before you panic about the prospect of having to write two different synopses, it's important to remember that when writing a one-page synopsis, it should be single-spaced, but when you move to multiple pages, it should be double spaced. The synopsis for my 50,000-word middle-grade novel was one full page (just under 600 words) single-spaced. When expanded to double-spaced, it becomes two pages. So if an agency specifically asks that your synopsis be no less than 3 pages, chances are you'll only need to add one more page, or 300 words or so.

What should my synopsis include?

Your main character, sidekick/love interest, antagonist, inciting incident, main plot points, climax, resolution and ending, with your MC's emotions, reactions, and character development sprinkled throughout. The general rule of thumb is to name no more than 3 characters, and to identify everyone else by their role (mother, co-worker, teacher, etc.). Now, I freely admit I broke this rule and named 5 characters in my synopsis. But as with all writing "rules" I learned the rule first, then made sure I had a firm reason for breaking it: It was important that agents knew who my MC's mother was, and my MC's mother and brother play a crucial role in my story's climax and I hated how wordy and cumbersome it was to keep repeating "her mother" and "her brother" throughout the last paragraph. 

What are some basic tips for writing a good synopsis?

A synopsis should always be in third person present tense, even if your story is written differently. Leave out backstory and subplots. Be sure to use active voice, and avoid wordiness and unimportant facts. Strip your language down to only the most essential details. For example, instead of saying... 

On a hot and sunny afternoon, Marge goes to the beach to relax and take a swim, and while there she witnesses an argument between two strangers. Later that night, while watching the evening news, Marge is horrified to see one of the strangers' faces appear on the screen beneath the scrolling words "DEAD BODY FOUND WASHED UP ON SHORE."

...pare it down to the bare essentials:

Marge goes to the beach and witnesses an argument between two strangers. Later that night, she discovers one of them has washed up dead on the shore.

And remember, a synopsis isn't meant to be flashy or oozing with voice. It's meant to give the basic facts and show the story arc. Wow agents with your sample pages and stick with the basics when it comes to your synopsis. 

What's the magic formula for actually writing this thing?

Here's the deal...I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, I'm going to direct you to my absolute favorite synopsis-writing formula of all time: How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis over at Pub(lishing) Crawl. There may not be one magic formula to rule them all, but in my opinion, this one comes pretty dang close. Not only does it take you step-by-step through creating your synopsis by using question prompts, in bonus nerdy brilliance it uses Star Wars as an example.

Now that you're ready to tackle the dreaded synopsis, take a deep breath. You can do this. And you're totally entitled to celebrate with pie/chocolate/wine when you're finished.

How to Write a Query Letter

Preface: This post is written with the assumption that if you've found your way here, you're most likely an author interested in either entering a writing contest, and/or pursuing publishing and hoping to secure a literary agent's interest. Once you have a completed novel (that you've hopefully edited and polished and had critiqued by other writers, making sure you've done your homework regarding good writing and plotting practices and appropriate word-counts for your intended audience), the next step is crafting a query letter. There are lots of different opinions about what makes a great query letter and in what exact order you should present the information it contains. This is what worked for me. The most important thing is to always follow the agent's/agency's/contest's submission guidelines. After that, it's a matter of learning and applying the basic rules of a strong query...and then not stressing out too much over a vague definition of perfection. 

First the basics: what is a query letter?

A query is a cover letter for your manuscript. It tells literary agents what your book is about, your book's basic information (age group, genre, and length), and a little bit about you, the author. All of this should be contained to one page, single spaced (typically 3-5 paragraphs), formatted with no indentations and double spaced between paragraphs (like this blog post).

Now let's take a closer look...

The Salutation

Always personalize your greeting. Seriously, this is SO important. I see agents mention ALL THE TIME that they would much rather receive a query addressed directly to them than an impersonal "Dear Agent" or even worse, "To Whom It May Concern." When querying, you should be researching each agent, looking at their wishlists and bios and submitting to those you feel would be a good fit for your manuscript. Never query an agent without first making sure they represent your age group and genre. Addressing your query to a specific agent helps show that you've taken this step. Also, triple check to make sure you've spelled their name properly before you hit send.

In cases of contests (or the occasional literary agency) where you submit one query to a group of people, rather than one specific person, you can still personalize your greeting with something like "Dear [Name of Contest] Team/Mentor/Readers" or "Dear [Name of Agency] Team."

Opening Paragraph

I always preferred to start my queries in one of two ways:

Option 1: Tell the agent why you're querying them specifically. But start with this ONLY if you have a specific reason that goes beyond "You represent my age group and genre and you seem like a super cool person." For example:

• You've met them at a conference
• They recently tweeted "I'd love to see [insert exact description of your book here] in my inbox."
• You have a referral from one of their clients. 

If you don't have a super specific reason, or you're subbing to a contest, then it's best not to waste any time. Instead go with...

Option 2: Jump right into your book's summary. 

Summary

This is where you showcase your story. Think of it as the back-of-the-book blurb. A good formula is to introduce your main character, place them in the setting, add the inciting incident that thrusts your MC into their journey, the obstacle in their way, the role the sidekick/love interest/antagonist plays, a pivotal moment when the conflict increases, and what is at stake if your MC can't overcome the obstacle.

I preferred to limit my summaries to two paragraphs, but sometimes you may need three. If your summary is longer than three paragraphs, you're probably including too much information. Keep it short and punchy! The first sentence or two should hook the reader and pique their interest, enticing them to read on. (Pro tip: Don't start your query with a question. An immediate introduction to your main character/plot will almost always be stronger than a rhetorical question.)

Here's my successful query for my MG fantasy, Follow Me, showing how I included the points mentioned above: 

Twelve-year-old Alivia Hart [MC] knows what no one else would ever believe: The woods took her mother. Now the forest [SETTING] is calling to Alivia with two words whispered on the wind..."Follow me." Alivia tells herself the voice is only in her imagination. But when a letter arrives from the Rose Grove School for Girls, [INCITING INCIDENT] Alivia must decide which she's more afraid of—a dull life of proper education, or the mysterious wood?

Deep within the trees, cats can talk, white rabbits wear waistcoats, and the tea is sweet [SETTING]. But Alivia soon encounters a darkness seeping through the moss and golden leaves. [OBSTACLE] A darkness laced with family secrets and controlled by a woman intent on continuing a bloodthirsty reign. [ANTAGONIST] As Alivia battles the evil that threatens to destroy both her and the forest itself, [INCREASED CONFLICT] it becomes clear victory will not be won within the wood. In order to rescue her mother [STAKES], Alivia will have to travel to the land beneath the Wondertree and fight not just for her family, but for a crown.

The most important component of your summary is stakes, stakes, stakes! Agents want to know who your MC is, what they want, what stands in the way of what they want, and what will happen if they can't overcome that obstacle. Also, don't give away your ending! The whole point is to entice the reader into wanting more — in this case, you want the agent/mentor to be intrigued by your premise and move on to your sample pages.

The Facts

In the paragraph following your summary, include your book's title, word count, age group, genre, and (if you have them) comp titles. 

Example: [TITLE] is a [#]-word [age group] [genre] that will appeal to fans of [COMP TITLES]. 

If you have other specifics about the book that you want to highlight (for instance, if it's inspired by your own cultural experiences, is a retelling of a certain folktale, or immerses the reader in a specific topic, like STEM) you could include that in this paragraph as well. 

A note regarding comp titles: You don't have to include these. If you do, try to use recent titles published in the last 2-3 years and resist the temptation to compare your novel to blockbuster hits like Harry Potter or the Hunger Games. Also, don't call your book "the next" anything.

Your Bio

This should come at the end of your query and, like comp titles, is completely optional. Don't feel like you have to come up with qualifications or interesting things to say about yourself. 

If you do choose to add a bio, it can include:

• Publication credits (And no, you don't have to call yourself "unpublished" if you don't have any, or state that this is your first novel.)
• Education (But probably only if you have a writing-related degree, or one that is relevant to your story.)
• Career (Again, probably only if it's writing-related or pertains to your story.)
• Professional writing organizations you belong to (like SCBWI)
• Contests/awards you've won

But keep it short and sweet; don't end up with a bio that's longer than your summary — always make sure you talk more about your book than about yourself. 

Now for my personal opinion on bios: Sometimes this part of your query can feel like the most difficult, especially if you don't have a writing degree or previous publications but you really want to include something. Or maybe the agency you're querying specifically asks for a bio to be included with your submission. What then? 

Some will say that if you don't have some sort of credentials don't include a bio at all unless you can say something relevant to your book. However, I feel that it's perfectly acceptable to include a short one- or two-sentence snippet that gives a glimpse of your personality (something I think is nice to include even if you do have credentials to list). 

For example, my query bio opened with "Mom by day and writer by night, I am a firm believer in the restorative power of tea and baked goods." So I say go ahead and include a bit about yourself, or mention what inspired your story, like a trip to a certain location, or a personal experience. When it comes down to it, it's highly unlikely an agent that is interested in your book based on the rest of your query is going to get to your bio and say, "This person isn't an award-winning English professor from Harvard? REJECT!" 

Closing

Finally, I think it's nice to close your queries with a simple expression of appreciation, such as "Thank you for your time and consideration." Then you can sign off and include your contact info (mailing address, phone number, email) underneath your name.

Once you've finished writing your query, it's a good idea to pass it along to a critique partner for further edit suggestions or even just a friend for proofreading. Another pair of eyes is always a plus before you hit send!

A Final Note

It's easy to stress over your query letter. Boiling the essence of your story down to two or three paragraphs can make you want to tear your hair out. But agents aren't looking for perfection. They do want to see that you've taken the time to learn the basics of what should go in your query, but what really matters is your manuscript. Do your best, focus on making sure that your MC's stakes are clear, and from there hook 'em with the writing and voice in your sample pages. 

And with that, I leave you with a message from Motivational Fox.

My Pitch Wars Inspiration Story

When the Pitch Wars mentor picks went live, I was sitting on my couch frantically refreshing my browser along with the rest of the mentee hopefuls who had (naturally) broken Brenda's site the moment she hinted at posting the list. My husband very calmly asked me what the website was and proceeded to look it up on his iPad.

Me: "C'MON! LOAD!"
Husband: "Honey, I've got the list."
Me: "I've almost got it! It's loading!"
Husband: "HONEY, I'VE GOT THE LIST."

As soon as I looked up and saw his face, I knew what he was going to say next. (Although it took me a whole heck of a lot longer to really believe it.)

"Your name is on it!"

And thus began two of the coolest, craziest months ever. They've gone something like this...

I've learned so much from my mentor, Kara Seal. (Seriously, you guys, she's the BEST EVER.) And I've gained the most incredible community of writers, ready and willing to lend encouragement and support every step of the way. This experience is something I will never forget, and I know I will continue to reap the benefits of what I've learned and the people I've connected with for years to come. 

On Tuesday (which, by the way, also happens to be my 30th birthday) all our super-shiny, newly polished novels will get their first peek at the world when our pitches and excerpts go live on Brenda's blog. To distract ourselves from the looming agent-round jitters, some of us mentees are doing a blog-hop to share our experiences and the inspirations behind our novels. In my middle grade novel, FOLLOW ME, twelve-year-old Alivia Hart searches the woods for her missing mother and finds a family tree full of secrets that lead to a place called Wonderland. And here's how it started...

The idea for FOLLOW ME began with a setting. I had just finished watching the movie EPIC with my kids and as the credits rolled, I couldn't stop thinking about the magical world inside the forest, where good battled evil and a darkness threatened to destroy everything from the inside out. I knew I wanted to write a book with a setting like that--dark and mysterious, with just a bit of creepiness around the edges. When I'm planning a novel, flashes of scenes play in my mind, like clips from a movie trailer. I kept picturing a girl, standing in front of an open window, shivering in the cold while she waited for something...

A wind from the woods. 

Carrying a voice. 

A mother's voice. Whispering, "Follow me..."

When I first started plotting the book, I had no intention of connecting my story to Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. But then I had an idea for a scene that required my main character, Alivia, to have the same first initial as her mother. The first A name that popped into my head was Alice. And then I thought...

"What if her mother is THE Alice?"

I love Alice's adventures--they were the start of my classic children's books phase as a preteen--so it was easy to get excited about the direction that idea took me. And the rest of the pieces fell into place from there! (Okay, so there was a lot of hard work and crying and pleading and it felt more like forcefully jamming the pieces into place at times, but it's all good now and if I've gone a little mad in the process it's okay, because all the best people are, right?) 

So that's the story behind my story! You can find links to some of the other mentees' posts here. 

To all my fellow mentees: You guys are an amazing group of crazy talented people and I can't wait to have a whole bookcase full of your stories! I'll be cheering on each and every one of you in the agent round!

More Pitch Wars:

Why I Heart Pitch Wars

My Pitch Wars Mentor/Mentee Spotlight

Don't Give Up (Or, Why I Heart Pitch Wars)

I've noticed a common theme among the mentor's Pitch Wars tweets this year: DON'T GIVE UP. Now, I know it's sometimes hard to hear that from another writer when they've already got the finished book, the agent, AND the book deal. If we're being honest, we've all thought it at some point...

Easy for you to say.

Well, as a hopeful, yet-to-be-published Pitch Wars submitter, I'd like to echo the "keep at it" sentiments. (Also, you shouldn't compare your journey to someone else's, but I already wrote a post about that here.)

Last year I submitted to Pitch Wars right after receiving a pretty heartbreaking rejection. It went something like this:

Start querying first MG novel.
Get a bunch of rejections.
Get a full request! Huzzah!
Have phone call with agent. Double huzzah!
Be told book is awesome, but too quiet to sell as debut. Huzzah?
"Do you have any other books?"
Scramble to finish WIP and send to agent, hoping it's enough to tip the scales.
Email notification dings. Heart leaps. Open email...
Heart sinks.

Let me just say, this agent was over-the-moon wonderful and encouraging and supportive, and I could not have had a more lovely interaction with her. But the very nice, very complimentary no was still a no, and of course I was disappointed. So I had some Ben and Jerry's...

...decided it wasn't meant to be, determined I wouldn't let it get me down, and that very night I submitted my manuscript to Pitch Wars.

I didn't get any requests for additional pages.
I didn't get picked as a mentee.

I did get feedback. (Thank you Michelle Hauck and Joy McCullough!) And wouldn't you know it, they both said the same thing: lovely voice, hard to market the story. But they also had some really great advice on what they felt could be improved. Because of them, and tweets from some of the other mentors, I at least knew what I had done wrong in my query and I'd grown as a writer. I knew it was time to move on to the next book.

So I didn't give up, and I kept going, and it was all rainbows and unicorns from there, right?

Um, yeah, no.

About six months (and a slew of rejections) later, I'm in the midst of waffling between two WIPs, and feeling like this...

It had been FOREVER since I'd made any real progress, and I was desperate to just FINISH SOMETHING, DAMMIT. I had three-quarters of a novel--why was the last bit SO FRIGGIN' HARD? I felt like a complete failure. Like maybe I should just give up on this whole writing thing.

I felt like all I would ever be was an almost.

Almost good enough.

Almost represented.

Almost published.

It was really, really hard to write. I ignored my manuscript(s) for weeks. But eventually I admitted it felt worse to NOT write. So I limped along. Some nights I think I managed to add one decent paragraph to my almost finished novel. Then, after borrowing Write Your Novel From the Middle by James Scott Bell from a dear friend/CP, I had a plot breakthrough. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could do this. 

I gave myself a deadline: Pitch Wars 2015. I started to feel the excitement of possibility again. Several sleep-deprived weeks later...

The Pitch Wars Mentor Blog Hop went live and I sat down to make a list of the mentors I wanted to submit my FINISHED manuscript to. 

Would I love to sit at the feet of a mentor for the next two months? Of course. But whether we get picked or not, or whether our manuscripts are all shiny and ready for the world or a hot mess that needs way more work, we'll have to remind ourselves to keep going. There's always more to be learned, more stories to write, more ways to improve. There will always be super awesome 2,000-word days and really, really crappy one-sentence days. If there's one thing I've learned thus far, it's that this writing thing takes a lot of working and waiting...and then working and waiting some more. I happen to think it's worth it.

So for those of you in the Pitch Wars trenches (or the querying trenches, or the WIP trenches), let me be that annoying person who says it for the one hundredth time: DON'T GIVE UP.

And THANK YOU Brenda Drake, and Pitch Wars mentors. Whether I get picked or not, I have a novel. I've gained invaluable advice from the mentor's tweets and blog posts, not to mention connections with other writers. I've remembered what it feels like to be passionate about telling stories. To be hopeful and positive and excited about my writing journey. This year's contest has seriously been so encouraging and helped me so, so much. It's been exactly what I needed. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Pitch Wars twitter stalking...

My Pitch Wars Mentee Bio!

(If you're reading this and wondering what on earth Pitch Wars is, go here to find out.)

Hi, I'm Ashley and I'm a night owl with a caffeine intolerance.

Seriously, there should be a support group for this.

I'm also a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of two--one girl and one boy, ages (almost) 10 and 7, respectively. Now that I think about it, a support group for that would be handy, too.

I write middle grade--a.k.a. the best age category--and my Pitch Wars submission is a fantasy novel titled FOLLOW ME. (Fun fact: The first draft of FOLLOW ME was written during NaNoWriMo 2013.)

When all the other kids still wanted to be zookeepers and astronauts, I wanted to be a writer. Sure, the elephants and giraffes tempted me on occasion, but books always had my heart.

When I'd get in trouble as a kid, my mom didn't take away my allowance, she gave it to me--and then banned me from the bookstore for a week.

I was a very obedient child.

Some of my favorite books (I'll keep it to 10, though it pains me to list so few):
THE MEANING OF MAGGIE by Megan Jean Sovern
The Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley
THE VERY NEARLY HONORABLE LEAGUE OF PIRATES by Caroline Carlson
UNFORTUNATELY, THE MILK by Neil Gaiman
THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak
And just to prove that I do occasionally read adult fiction:
THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE by Laurie King
MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan
THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

It's always been my dream to be a published author and over the last few years I've stopped just dreaming and started hustling. It's been a challenging road paved with my fair share of rejection letters, but I have no plans of quitting. So...

Why should you pick me?

1. I'm a hard worker, ready and eager to scrub, wax, spit-shine, and otherwise polish my manuscript.

2. I can take feedback, edits, and constructive criticism with gratitude and grace. Confession: When I was taking courses with the Institute of Children's Literature, my very first assignment came back covered in red ink because I'd managed to type "it's" instead of "its" through my entire short story. If that doesn't humble you as a writer (and make you an obsessive compulsive editor), I don't know what will. Also, I swear I passed the second grade.

3. I'm an INFJ, which means you can brag to your fellow mentors that your mentee is the scarcest form of introvert, rarely seen in the wild.

Which means I have even more time to work on my manuscript.

Thanks for stalking stopping by! And thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my words with you. Best of luck to all my fellow Pitch Wars hopefuls! (Feel free to visit some of their mentee bios via the handy list here.)