The Six-Paragraph Synopsis

For the past week, I've had my head down in queries and synopses. Recently, I read on an agent's weblog that you should really try to nail your synopsis in six paragraphs. Since my current synopsis was six double-spaced pages, I decided to give it a try.

While at work (bad Tia), I took out my notebook and numbered a page from one to six. I gave myself three lines for each numbered point. (That's all the notebook had room for.) Then I wrote brief phrases that would describe what goes in each paragraph. Larges chunks of my novel didn't make the cut, such as the entire failed romance storyline.

I was surprised at how easy it was. The first numbered point described Abriel; the last point described the final conflict and the outcome, and the four points in the middle described how she got from point 1 to point 6. It took about five minutes.

On Saturday, I sat down and took my six bullet points and wrote a six paragraph synopsis. I only deviated from my outline with one paragraph. It took less than an hour. The final product doesn't even take a full page. Before, I used to have to fight to get a one-page synopsis. Now I have three or four blank lines at the bottom.

* * *

For this week, I think my goals will be:

• Finish the first draft of "Fairest", my Snow White story. It's turning out to be surprisingly action-packed. Right now, I have my characters in such a bad situation that I have no idea how they are going to get out of it. In my experience, that's a good thing as a writer. If I don't know how they're going to get out of it, then a reader certainly won't either.
• For Starcaster, I am stymied. I had problems with the opening and with a major character, who may get reduced to a bit part. As therapy, I've been working on a scene that is in Tory's background. It may never make it into the novel. However, it's tense and suspense-filled, and I think it would make a great opening. So I'm going to cogitate on that one.