As part of #AvengersOfColour2020, I got to read a lot of synopses and am presently laboring in my own synopsis hell, so I want to lend a hand (or a few tweets). So here's a thread on why a synopsis is important and how to nail one fairly quickly. #writingcommunity 1/15

Synopses are a PAIN to write, because how can you condense this glorious, complex idea that spans tens of thousands of words and hundreds of pages into a 1-2 page document??? It does suuuck, but I have some tips to decrease the suckage . 2/15

Synopses are important, because they help agents and editors quickly determine if you understand proper story structure and plot and character development. For AOC20, I was able to read a synopsis in a few min and determine if a story might need heavy developmental edits. 3/15

There are, obvi, exceptions to this rule, but for querying purposes, your synopsis should be no more than 2 pages and focus on the main plot, or the A story, no matter how interesting your B/C stories might be. 4/15

Here's my process, which works very well for *me* (disclaimer: this is not the only way to do this)

An easy way to kick this off is to split your story into your 3-4 acts, then add a bulleted list of major chronological events of your A story in that occur in each act. 5/15

Then take a second pass through that list to make sure that for each act, you're clearly telling how your major characters are developing along their arc in the story e.g., what do they want? how does that change? what are their challenges to achieving those goals? 6/15

Remember, it's not just important to see how the plot develops, but we also need to see how your characters are progressing along their developmental arcs for this story. 7/15

Re: your lists, remember this rule: "Just the facts!" Everyone in publishing has been pummeling "show, don't tell!" into your brains ad nauseam, but for the synopsis, you must forget all that & tell, tell, tell--NO flowery language is required (which I find to be a relief). 8/15

Also re: lists, don't withhold critical info to the main plot. That's right, we need to know all your major plot twists when they happen, as well as how the story ends. Don't worry, this won't spoil your story. 9/15

Once you have completed lists of major events and character development, rewrite them as paragraphs (don't just copy and paste, actually retype). Don't worry about word count or number of pages just yet. 10/15

After you've converted bullets into paragraphs, then do a read through to see where you can cut or condense unnecessary info and words. Remember: JUST THE FACTS! 11/15

Lastly, a few notes re: formatting, the first time a new character is introduced in the synopsis, their name should be in ALL CAPS, which makes it easier to see when characters enter the story. Be cognizant of introducing too many (>3 or 4 max) new characters in a paragraph 12/15

A good rule of thumb re: formatting: 12pt font, Times New Roman, single-space, 6pt break between similar paragraphs, 1" margins all the way around, Last Name / Project Title / Page# right justified in the header, Page# center justified in the footer. 13/15

Susan Dennard's website is a literal treasure trove of resources for new writers, so do yourself a favor & check that out & also sign up for her newsletter where she also provides advice on craft. Please feel free to share this thread with addt'l resources if you know any! 14/15

Best of luck to everyone digging into the query trenches or those who've been hunkered down for a while. Keep pushing forward, the world needs your stories. 15/15