The WIP Report: That Darn Synopsis
Another missive from the edges of sanity—it's WIP Report time! Recently, I've been whittling away at that most dastardly of documents: the synopsis.
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The WIP Report: That Darn Synopsis
I've been working on my synopsis for some time now. Or rather, synopses—because you need two! One that's two pages and one that's one page. Why do you ask? That's a good question. Because different agents have different preferences. There is no "industry standard."
I've been working on these wonderful documents for a while because you need to put as much effort into the query and synopses as writing the damn book! Somehow you need to capture all the trials and tribulations, the nuances of characters, and the twists of the plot in a document that's about 500 to 1,000 words.
The 2-page synopsis ain't so bad. But that 1-pager is a doosie. It's monumentally difficult to characterize characters and detail the plot while making the writing halfway dramatic. For that 1-pager, I was forced to leave out two major characters, which was, to say the least, a difficult pill to swallow. However, I'm finding that while writing synopses, as with much of the craft, the bitterest pills are usually the best medicine.
Fortunately, I started banging away at the synopses whilst still drafting the Vampire Dragon WIP. This went extraordinarily well. I'm much further along on these documents than I would be otherwise, and I'm certain my submissions will be better for it. I've discovered that writing a synopsis is no longer as daunting as it once was—everything becomes easier with experience, typically, right—but it's still one of the least enjoyable aspects of writing.
My main takeaway is this. Knocking out the synopsis as early in the novel-writing process as possible pays dividends, especially compared with the slog of writing one at the very end. I suspect working on the synopsis while drafting the novel let me tap into a wellspring of creativity that wasn't exhausted and in need of replenishment. So bang out that synopsis sooner rather than later. You might be pleased by the results.
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