I have to admit; I don't like writing a synopsis. I have writing friend who love it and find it exacting. Not me. They scare me - partially because of what a synopsis can reveal about my work. The harder it is to write a synopsis, the more lesson there might be in it. A synopsis can point the way to a weak plot or limp characterization - and who wants to find that in their manuscript?

DEFINITION: SYNOPSIS

Synopsis must be one of the most under-explained issues in children's writing. From a tall stack of writing books, I found nearly nothing on writing the synopsis. Finally, I spotted a definition in Book Markets for Children's Writers 2006: "A clear, brief description of the fiction or nonfiction project proposed, conveying the essence of the entire idea. A synopsis may be one or several paragraphs on the entire books, or it may be written in chapter-by-chapter format. Synopses should also convey a sense of your writing style without getting wordy."

That probably conveyed all that I needed to know, but it didn't leave me feeling ready to tackle one of these things. I needed more advice. I needed someone to hold my hand. I needed chocolate!! But then I recovered and sought out more help. I cruised websites, writing discussion boards, mailing lists, blogs - and I began to suspect something. There seemed to be a lot of different ways to do this synopsis thing.

In some ways that was comforting since it meant an agent or editor wouldn't immediately freak out if my synopsis was a little odd, but I still needed guidelines. I wanted to know what sorts of things absolutely, positively had to be in a synopsis. I wanted to know how long to make it. I wanted to know what format to write it in. I wanted to know what the thing was supposed to be for!

THE PURPOSE OF A SYNOPSIS ON THE READER'S SIDE

The undercover agent who blogs as Miss Snark says the purpose of the synopsis for an agent is to let her know if the aliens arrive at some point in the book. What does that mean? It means the agent is checking to see if your plot is going to make sense from beginning to end.

Most synopses are sent with sample pages from the actual manuscript. The greatest weight goes to the sample pages - that is where the agent or editor will see if you know how to write. That is where an agent or editor will see if you grab the reader right away. If the sample pages fail - many agents and editors won't bother to read the synopsis.

But, if the sample pages are good - then the synopsis lets an agent or editor get an idea of whether your story structure holds tight from beginning to end. It shows whether your ending seems to grow logically from what has come before. It shows if you have a story filled with action that precipitates character change, or one where characters spend a lot of time just "coming to realize" they need to change.

A synopsis also tends to show whether you can be concise and direct - and whether you can write clearly under pressure, because a synopsis is pressure.

THE PURPOSE OF A SYSNOPSIS ON THE WRITER'S SIDE

Writers use synopses to capture attention and give the flavor of their work. For the writer, it's a promotional tool. That's why studying the blurbs on the backs of novels and on the inside jacket flaps can be a big help in creating a good synopsis. These blurbs make a novel sound exciting in 300 words or less - you want to do that too.

But a synopsis differs from flap copy because a synopsis must be less showy and more down-to-earth. Jacket copy does a lot of horn-blowing - telling a reader that a story is exciting or compelling or terrifying. Synopsis doesn't get to do this because editors and agents don't like it. They don't want to be told how they will react to your story. So a synopsis must be short like jacket-copy, it must focus on the most exciting things about your story like jacket copy, but it must do it while sounding less like a commercial and more like a really really short story.

So, is it getting easier yet?

THE FORMAT OF A SYNOPSIS

Everyone agrees that less is more. The shorter you can make your synopsis while still covering the important points, the more successful you've been in the synopsis process. Many writing books say a synosis can be written single-spaced just like the query letters, though some writers seem to prefer doing them double-spaced. If you go with single-spaced format, you must keep your synopsis very short since the tight format can make the synopsis appear dark and text-heavy on the page.

Some books on adult writing advocate producing synopsis of 10 - 20 pages. Children's writers simply don't get that kind of leisure. If you're synopsis is two pages - you're doing fantastic. If three pages - you're probably okay. If four - you're probably pushing the envelope. But how can you possibly cover everything in a couple pages? You don't have to. There are only a few things you have to do.

COMMON ADVICE

Among the many folks giving advice, some points seemed to be part of nearly all synopsis writing. It seemed nearly everyone agreed that a synopsis must…

… give us a sense of voice, show us what the main characters are like, tell what the pivotal moments of the story are, and reveal what the characters learn or fail to learn.

…introduce the main characters but not every character. If there are any characters you can leave out and still capture the plot in logical, crisp prose - then leave them out.

…tie the characters into the basic plot of the book. Though you have to hit the major points of the plot, you don't need to follow every incident in the chronology of the book. Just hit the highlights of what happens and what's at stake.

…be written in present tense. Most are written in third person, but increasing numbers of young adult writers are scoring sales with synopses writing in first person when the manuscript is in first person because they can better show voice.

…avoid clichés and flowery language - keep the writing brisk, tight, and direct. Save your metaphors and similes for the manuscript. Don't try to be artistic - try to be clear. The synopsis gives a hint of your writing voice but is not a reproduction of the manuscript. Books have room to spread out - synopses don't.

… reveal action and conflict.

STILL FEEL SCARED?