While I'm waiting for my #RevPit subs to come in, how about a thread on the dreaded synopsis. I think a lot of the concern over the synopsis comes from the fact that a lot of authors don't really know how it's used. It's hard to write when you don't understand your objective.

In general, the synopsis is used to catch the big red flags without having to read the entire manuscript. So while you can't fit everything into your synopsis, choose the details that give a complete enough picture that the reader can see the big picture. Some things I look for:

1. Genre expectations. If you're writing something pitched as a rom com and it ends with the love interest dying tragically, I can catch that much quicker from a synopsis than from reading the whole thing and realizing the ending is irredeemably not what I want.

2. Cliché. All stories use recurring tropes and no trope is ever completely dead. However, if I read the entire synopsis and it all feels really familiar, I may be less interested in the manuscript.

3. Problematic content. Sometimes you can spot problematic content from a query, but the synopsis makes it a little easier to spot a trope or plot point that's racist, sexist, ableist, anti-queer, transphobic, etc.

4. Is there enough meat to the story? Does the story have enough plot to merit a full book? Sometimes books need fleshing out, even if they're in the appropriate word count range for their genre, and often you can tell from the synopsis.

5. Pacing. We're getting into stuff that's a little trickier, but experienced synopsis readers can also get a sense of pacing. Is there a lot of transition stuff between clear scenes of conflict? Is 90% of the book just getting characters into position? Etc.

6. Character agency. Is the main character driving or affecting the plot? If most of the synopsis is just things happening to the character, I'm concerned that the MC is a puppet or otherwise not an active participant in their own story.

7. Plot holes. Should have listed this first, probably. But most importantly, does the plot make sense. Is the ending impossible based on the magic system you've created? Did a character die and inexplicably show up later to save the day?

There are other things, but those are the ones I most commonly notice. I can't catch all the issues a book may have from the synopsis, but as you can see, this allows me a peak at a lot of more structural issues and is a lot faster than reading the whole manuscript.

I'll add, at least for me, the synopsis isn't really about "pitching" the book. If I'm reading a synopsis it's usually because the query already has me interested in the premise and I'm not looking more for craft elements.