The Synopsis, Pinnacle of All Evil

Cower in fear, people. Cower in fear. It's usually what I do when confronted with the task of writing a *shudder* synopsis. We thought query letters were bad. But, it's okay. Sylar says:


The synopsis is uber-frustrating, partially because it's kind of hard to find concrete info on the internet about it. Some people say 1 pg. Some say 3-5. Some say 1 for every, like, 30 pages. (Don't do that.) For our purposes, we're gonna go with the 1 pager. Cause if you can write a 1 pg synopsis, you can write the higher page ones. I always just assume 1 to 2. Sooooo, the guidelines.

1) When I say 1 pg, I mean single spaced. Double spaced between paragraphs.
2) No indenting anywhere.
3) Include your contact info and the manuscript title on there, too. Those are important things.

Got that?



Next. Some more pointers.

1) Synopses should ALWAYS be written in 3rd person present tense.(Example of that to follow.)
2) You wanna hit all your main plot points. (If you're not sure what those are, go to Larry Brooks' website. He shall inform you.) So yeah. Main stuff. You gotta cover all the big twists. AND THE ENDING.


No. I'm not. ALWAYS PUT THE ENDING IN YOUR SYNOPSIS. Or it's not a synopsis.

3) Introduce your main characters. We don't need all your side characters, just the ones who play a major role in your story. And the first time (only the first) that you introduce them, put the name in ALL CAPS. Like that.

4) Put some voice into it. As much as you can reasonably.

Sooooo, without further ado, here is an example. It's a synopsis I wrote of A New Hope. It's a little less than a page. (If you haven't watched Star Wars, get off my blog and watch Star Wars. Cause this synopsis, like all synopses, gives away the ending.


STAR WARS EXAMPLE SYNOPSIS

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Nineteen year old LUKE SKYWALKER has never been concerned with saving the galaxy. Living on a backwater planet in the middle of nowhere, he is much more concerned with his Uncle’s farm than he is with intergalactic politics. But, he spends his days dreaming, hoping for something more.

He gets more than he wished for when a crazy old hermit shows up and claims that Luke is the key to saving not only a beautiful princess, but the galaxy itself. And he cannot help but be intrigued. And when the evil ruler of the Empire murders his family, he has nothing left to lose, and follows the hermit into space.

The hermit, named OBI WAN KENOBI, reveals to him that he is a Jedi, a powerful mystic warrior. Not only is Obi Wan a Jedi, so is Luke. Though Luke has a hard time believing it, he begins to train anyway, and discovers powers he never thought he had. On their way to the princess’s home planet, they pick up the jaded and cynical HAN SOLO, a renowned smuggler and pilot, who charts their course through the galaxy.

Upon reaching the princess’s planet, they discover it has been destroyed by the Empire, the same agency who was responsible for the deaths of Luke’s family. So, they change course and board The Death Star, where the princess is being held captive by the ruthless leader of the Empire, DARTH VADER.

Disguising themselves as members of The Death Star’s crew, they sneak aboard, intending to rescue PRINCESS LEIA from certain death. But, their plans go awry when they are discovered, and Darth Vader challenges Obi Wan Kenobi in battle. Obi Wan fends off Darth Vader, and when he sees that Luke, Princess Leia, and Han Solo are on their way back to the ship, he sacrifices himself to save their lives.

Safely on board the ship, but mourning the loss of Obi Wan, Luke knows that he must truly embrace the teachings of the Jedi and fulfill his destiny: to destroy the Empire. So, he, as well as Princess Leia, convince the Rebels, a band of people not allied with the Empire, that they must fight.

On the eve of the planned attack, Han Solo decides to leave. But, his loyalty to Luke and growing feelings for Princess Leia compel him to cast off his cynical shell and join with the Rebels to fight against the Empire.

The attack is successful and Luke, with aid from Obi Wan from beyond the grave, deals the final blow, exploding the Death Star, and ensuring freedom throughout the galaxy.

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There ya have it. We had to leave some favorite characters out, and some plot stuff in the middle, BUT, we got the major players, main point, plot, and a little voice.

You can DO IT.

 

And now, because I'm proud of you for writing your fantabulous synopsis, and a lot because I just really wanted an excuse to look up shirtless Ian Somerhalder gifs, a present for you. (Unless you are a straight male, in which case, this will do nothing for you. Apologies.)

 

The End.

 

Next Big Thing

So0o0o0o, I've decided to do one of these cool "Next Big Thing" posts because the fantabulous Dan Malossi tagged me. (His book, The Fisherman sounds crazy awesome. Go check it out!)


Onward to the interview!

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

 

 

1. What is the working title of your book?

 

It's called NEVER, NEVER.

 

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

 

I was hangin' out on Twitter in September (as I often do) and I saw this tweet from an agent who said that she would love to see a fairy tale retelling from the villain's POV. I was like, "That's brilliant!" And went through all the fairy tales and classics I could think of. I know Peter Pan isn' really a fairy tale, but it IS a classic. And I loooove Peter Pan. But I love Hook even more. Thus, the idea for writing a Peter Pan retelling from Hook's POV was born. (And seriously, if anyone has read the original Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie...that's some crazy dark stuff. Like, Peter's half a villain already. Just sayin'.)

3. What genre does your book fall under?

 

Adult Upmarket Retelling

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 

So, I've been really excited to get to this question!

 

James Hook: Ian Somerhaulder.When in doubt, ALWAYS pick Ian Somerhaulder.

 

 

 

Tiger Lily: Roseanne Supernault. (No idea how her acting ability is, because she's pretty new/ unknown. But she looks just like Tiger Lily in mah head.)

 

 

 

Last but not least, Peter Pan: Paul Butcher. Look how cute that kid is. But also, in this book, he's not so nice...so...like...evil cute.

 

 

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
 

 

Ummmm...Imma cheat, mmkay? 3 sentences. Just 3 little sentences...

 

As a boy, James Hook is enticed away to Neverland by Peter Pan, who reneges on his promise to take James back home, and who, when James starts to grow up, (which is against the rules) tries to kill him. James is forced to run to the pirates, stepping naturally into the role of their Captain, and he falls in love with Tiger Lily, a woman who cannot deny her attraction to him, but whose heart belongs to the boy who took James' hand, his family, and his life. He struggles not to let hatred and anger overtake him, and to be a man in a world that hates men
 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

 

I'm determined to go the agent route. Kudos to all you self-pubbers out there! But, agency is the path for me (Hopefully!)  ^_^

 

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

 

I edit as I draft, so by the end of all that, it took me around 10 weeks.
 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

 

I'd say Wicked (except that the writing style is completely different) because of the villain aspect, and with a whisper of Lord of the Flies.

 

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

 

See the answer to number two...but also, I love the idea of villain backstories, knowing where they came from and what introduced that darkness into their lives. No one is wholly good or wholly evil, and I love the struggle between right and wrong, and the idea that the villain has a life and hopes and struggles and love, too. 

 

 

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

 

Hmmmm, well, you'll certainly see an angle of James Hook you've never seen before, as well as the darker side of Neverland. I tired to stay as true to JM Barrie's original story as possible, just bringing out the dark bits of Peter that he already introduced. There's also a very central romance in the story, one that ends up being a catalyst for a lot of the changes in Hook. (Gotta love the hot, sexy bad boy love story, right?)

 

Below is a sample from the book. This is a scene involving Tiger Lily (who is of age..no Disney Tiger Lilies here, peeps.) and the Captain...

 

 

 

“You’re a fool, James Hook.”

            James held his hand out to her, then brought it back. He was at an absolute loss, and found that he was in something of a panic.

            “Tiger Lily, I am truly sorry,” he said, the deepest kind of fear washing over his face.

            She did not turn, and he stood, breaths shallow, staring at her back in the clearing. This was ridiculous. Managing a crew of pirates, he did with ease. But managing a woman was something else entirely.

            “Where have you been?”

            James blew out a breath. He would not lie to her.

            “Keelhaul.”

            Jealousy flashed across Tiger Lily’s face. She unfolded her arms and walked toward him.

            “Keelhaul?”

            “Indeed.”

            Her voice lowered and she stared up at him, eyes wide and unblinking and pensive.

            “You’ve finally done it, then.”

            “Done what?”

            “Become a pirate.”

            He paused.

            “I have always been a pirate.”

            Tiger Lily suddenly turned away from him and cocked her head. She was staring at something through the trees, something that James could not see.

            “Do you hear that?” she whispered.

            “Hear what?”

            She did not answer. She simply walked toward the sound that James couldn’t hear, and he could do nothing but follow her. It wasn’t long before James picked it up as well. The sound was haunting and beautiful, like nothing he had ever heard. He knew in a beat that it was the mermaids.

            The lagoon was quite a ways away, too far away for their voices to reasonably carry, but mermaids had a way of doing impossible things, James found. Their voices were ethereal and smooth, like they came from the spirits of bells. He wondered if Tiger Lily was even aware of his presence anymore. She walked slowly and sat in the eaves, wrapping her arms around her knees. Then, she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sky, entranced and smiling softly. His breath caught when her saw her that way, and he stopped walking.

            James stared at her, the music encasing him. But, he did not fall under the sirens’ spell; he was too mesmerized by the woman before him. The moons had just risen, bringing a soft glow to her face, silhouetting her body. James was pulled toward her, and when he reached her, he held out his hand. It trembled just slightly as he waited for her.

            She opened her eyes and stared up into his. The coldness was gone, replaced with a sort of enchantment. And she gave him her small hand. He pulled her up and drew her to him, heart racing as he pressed her body to his. He slid his hand down to her waist and to the small of her back. Then, gaze never breaking hers, he drew her arm gently out and encircled her hand with his hook. She did not shrink away from the cold metal; she just wrapped her fingers around it.

            James stared into her eyes and stepped. She stumbled a bit and he smiled. Then, he stepped again, and she followed. They spun in slow circles around the clearing, moons illuminating everything. James lifted his hook and spun her once, then brought her to his chest, closer than she’d been before. He could feel her heart beating against his, and he was at once petrified and at peace.

            It was a dark waltz, made of haunting voices and forbidden touches and hidden desire. James pressed his fingers into her back, and led her in the dance. Then, he brought his face against her cheek, intoxicated by her nearness, relishing the sweet scent of her. His long hair fell into hers, and they tangled together.  James did not know why this pleased him so.

            “Your hair is longer,” Tiger Lily said, and her voice was hoarse.

            “Long hair is the mark of a pirate and a fiend,” he whispered low into her ear. “Both of which I am.”

 

 Thus far, those tagged next arrrrrre:
Tabitha Martin- YA Fantasy- Song of the Phoenix

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged! Thanks for reading!