| How to Write a Character- Based Synopsis |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
Copyright April 2005, Meredith Bond
| Key points: 1. Start with a short catchy paragraph to pull your reader in. 2. Write one paragraph describing each the hero and heroine. 3. Generally explain the key turning points in your plot and how they affect the hero and heroine. 4. Don’t forget the romance! |
to write a synopsis of their work. Either the
work is not yet written and you are writing about
what you think will happen, or it is finished and
you’ve got to compress 75,000 words or more
into five pages. Either way, it is something
every writer struggles with, and yet every writer,
published or not, must write synopses.
So where does one begin? How is it done?
I began to answer this question for myself by
reading articles that other people had written
on how to write a synopsis. But as a writer of
character-based romance novels, I must admit
that I did not find these too helpful. There were some which gave me good
general guidelines and some which I could not relate to my writing at all.
So here I have attempted to write a general “how-to” using a synopsis I wrote
as a precursor to writing my second novel, tentatively titled “Wooing Miss
Whately”. I put this forward not as an example of a perfect synopsis (it is far
from that), but one that provides many of the key elements I feel are
necessary for a good synopsis.
I should add that I use the writing of my synopses as part of my pre-writing
exercises. It helps me to put my thoughts together on the novel that I will
write and the characters who will people it.
I always try to keep my synopses to five pages. Some editors will accept
them as long as twice that length, while others only want two or three pages.
I have found five to be ideal, not too long that too much detail goes into it or
that my reader will be bored, but not too short that I have to leave out any key
points.
To begin with, you want a general short catchy paragraph that will pull your
reader in right away.
SARA WHATELY would be the first to admit that she is too
outspoken and probably should learn to control her quick
temper. But then, the dangerously handsome and
disconcertingly witty LORD REATH probably shouldn't provoke
her as much as he does.
Then I have one paragraph for each of the main characters, my hero and
heroine.
Sara’s life has never been easy. She has devoted the last
fourteen years to caring for her loving yet impractical
widower father in Philadelphia. With little and sometimes
no money at all, she has had to struggle to make ends meet.
Yet Sara, forthright and practical, has never realized that
there is anything missing from her life, other than
financial security. Until, that is, she comes to England
on a quest, and is distracted by the devilish and debonair
Lord Reath.
Sinclair Stratton, the Viscount of Reath, has had his life
handed to him on a silver platter. As a dashing young man-
about-town, and then as a diplomat traveling throughout
India, he has never had to think of anyone other than
himself. Even women have been too easy to come by. The
problem for ‘Sin’ is more a matter of fending them off
rather than having to attract them. Until now.
As you will notice, I included some backstory here, just so that my reader can
get a really quick general idea of who these two people are. There is also a
touch of the romance element that is vital to my book – it is, after all, a
romance.
I have also included one of each of their conflicts. As every writer knows, a
key element in any good story is conflict. I have given a hint of what these
character’s conflicts will be.
This, then, is the first page of my synopsis.
Now, the whole point of the character-driven romance is how the heroine and
hero feel about each other and grow as characters. What makes them grow
and come together as a couple is the plot. So, you could say that the plot is
secondary to the characters and the romance. That is why in your synopsis
you need to focus on the characters and not the plot.
While you need to give a general description of the plot, try and stay away
from “this happened and then this happened”. It should read more like “this
is how he felt when she did this, and this is how she felt after she did it and
he reacted in this way”. This is what makes the character-driven romance
synopsis different from any other synopsis you could write.
The rest of the synopsis will be the major turning points of the book, and not
even all of them. You don’t need to include every ball and soiree the hero
and heroine attend, only those that cause the character to change or grow or
makes a significant change in the developing romance. And don’t forget to
tell not only what happened, but how it affected the hero and/or heroine or
their romance.
I have included enough a general description of the plot and backstory so
that reader gets an idea of how these two characters fall in love and why.
Also included are the events that make the characters grow, tear them apart
and then bring them back together again. Each of these plot elements
should be inspired by and consistent with the character’s assets, flaws and
goals.
Another thing you might notice as you read through the rest of my synopsis is
POV. I have kept the point of view to that of the two main characters, just as I
will in the book. Also, just as I try to do in the book, I try to alternate, his POV
and then hers. You don’t want to include any more viewpoints than these
two and your omnipotent one. Any more than that and your reader will get
confused. I do, however, feel that you should try to keep your synopsis in the
hero and heroine’s POV and keep yours to a minimum simply so that you
pull your reader in to your story, just as you will with the real thing.
One other point – always write in the present tense. Again, it pulls the reader
into the action. It is happening now.
I hope that you have found this brief description of how to write a character-
based synopsis helpful. Remember, it is the characters who drive the story.
It is they who we are writing about, how they grow and fall in love. Keep your
focus on them and you will not get too caught up with your plot. Write your
synopsis as you plan to write your book with your emphasis on the
characters and the romance. And do use it as a tool to get the know your
characters and their conflicts better.
Hopefully, the next time you sit down to write your synopsis, it won’t be as
bad you had thought it was going to be.
Here, then, is the rest of my synopsis.
The very day he lands on British soil, Reath meets
a little firebrand – the most bold, beautiful and
confrontational young woman he has ever encountered.
The two run into each other again in London and, even
after repeated meetings, Reath is still baffled by her. Not
only would the fascinating Miss Whately rather discuss
literature than ball gowns, but she seemingly has no desire
to trap him into marriage or to sleep with him. In fact,
she doesn’t even appear to enjoy his company – despite his
obvious charm and good looks.Reath finds himself attracted
to this intriguing creature in a way he has never felt
before.
Sara, for her part, finds Reath interesting, but a
distraction to her mission in England. Although she has
been sent to London to marry, Sara’s primary aim is to ease
her father’s financial straits – by finding a cache of
jewels her grandfather has hidden somewhere at the family’s
estate, Wyncort. The problem is that her grandfather lost
the estate in a game of cards ten years ago… to a young
buck named Stratton.
Sara is not the only one with plans for Wyncort. After ten
years in India, Reath has decided to return to England to
take up the reins of his inheritance and to right a wrong
made in the folly of his youth – he wants to return his ill-
gotten estate to its rightful owner. The problem is
finding this mysterious peer who moved to America years
ago.
Sara, though, presents a different challenge for Reath.
After his first few meetings with her, he decides that Sara
is far too serious for his taste, and too somber for her
own good. He decides that he is going to change that and
make her smile and laugh.
What starts off as a amusing game, however, becomes much
more serious when he learns that she is none other than the
daughter of the very man he trying to find. Feelings of
guilt mixed with responsibility overcome him when he learns
that Sara grew up living on the edge of poverty, having to
stave off creditors and take care of her ingenuous father.
Reath is already captivated by this unusual and beautiful
woman, but now feels the added responsibility of making up
for the childhood she lost because of him. He decides to
woo her in earnest.
Initially, Sara tries to resist Lord Reath’s
determinedefforts to make her laugh and have fun. But she
soon finds this impossible, and, against her will, truly
begins to enjoy his humor and his company. His
thoughtfulness and good looks make Sara forget her quest,
as she slowly begins to learn what it feels to be cared
for.
But all of Sara’s new-found laughter and joy is brought to
an abrupt end when she learns that Reath is the man who
stole Wyncort from her family so many years ago.
Sara is horrified and furious to find that she has been
cavorting with someone she had long thought of as the
enemy. Once her initial anger abates, however, she
realizes that she can use her influence with the now hated
Lord Reath to further her own goals. She can use her
feminine wiles to try and trick him into allowing her
access to Wyncort.
Reath, however, does not fall for her ruse. Instead,
he is disillusioned and infuriated with her – for
ultimately behaving just like any other woman. He
finally admits to himself that he had thought that
he loved Sara, precisely because he had thought her
more noble and stronger than all the women he had known in
his life. Now all of that is ruined as, he thinks her true
colors have been revealed. He swears to himself and to
Sara that he will have nothing to more to do with her.
Sara is devastated by Reath’s reaction. When he leaves
her, she feels bereft and alone, although she chides
herself for these feelings. She always been independent
and never relied on anyone for emotional support before.
But she is shattered by the realization of just how much
Reath has come to mean to her.
Through her heartbreak Sara remembers her true purpose
of being in England. Firmly pushing away the memory
of the happiness she had felt in Reath’s company,
Sara determinedly resumes her search for her family’s
treasure. By now, after all of Sara’s other attempts
at gaining access to Wyncort to search for the jewels
have failed, the only option left for her is to break
in to the manor house.
Everything goes as planned, until Sara actually gets
inside the house. There she is caught by Reath, whom
she had thought to be in London, and forced to tell him
about her plans. As Reath learns of her goal and begins to
understand the reasons behind it, he recognizes how
unfounded his recent behavior has been. Sara is still the
unique, genuine and fascinating creature she always was.
It was his own prejudices that had temporarily blinded him.
Reath resolves to win Sara back, and, as a first step,
he joins forces with her in her quest. The jewels are
soon found, but Reath has his eyes on a far more
valuable treasure.
Reath proposes to Sara, but once again, she does not
behave predictably and fall into his arms. Instead,
he finds that he has to woo the unpredictable Miss
Whately once more, to convince her of his love and
respect, and to bring the laughter back into her eyes
before she will admit to loving him as well.
work is not yet written and you are writing about
what you think will happen, or it is finished and
you’ve got to compress 75,000 words or more
into five pages. Either way, it is something
every writer struggles with, and yet every writer,
published or not, must write synopses.
So where does one begin? How is it done?
I began to answer this question for myself by
reading articles that other people had written
on how to write a synopsis. But as a writer of
character-based romance novels, I must admit
that I did not find these too helpful. There were some which gave me good
general guidelines and some which I could not relate to my writing at all.
So here I have attempted to write a general “how-to” using a synopsis I wrote
as a precursor to writing my second novel, tentatively titled “Wooing Miss
Whately”. I put this forward not as an example of a perfect synopsis (it is far
from that), but one that provides many of the key elements I feel are
necessary for a good synopsis.
I should add that I use the writing of my synopses as part of my pre-writing
exercises. It helps me to put my thoughts together on the novel that I will
write and the characters who will people it.
I always try to keep my synopses to five pages. Some editors will accept
them as long as twice that length, while others only want two or three pages.
I have found five to be ideal, not too long that too much detail goes into it or
that my reader will be bored, but not too short that I have to leave out any key
points.
To begin with, you want a general short catchy paragraph that will pull your
reader in right away.
SARA WHATELY would be the first to admit that she is too
outspoken and probably should learn to control her quick
temper. But then, the dangerously handsome and
disconcertingly witty LORD REATH probably shouldn't provoke
her as much as he does.
Then I have one paragraph for each of the main characters, my hero and
heroine.
Sara’s life has never been easy. She has devoted the last
fourteen years to caring for her loving yet impractical
widower father in Philadelphia. With little and sometimes
no money at all, she has had to struggle to make ends meet.
Yet Sara, forthright and practical, has never realized that
there is anything missing from her life, other than
financial security. Until, that is, she comes to England
on a quest, and is distracted by the devilish and debonair
Lord Reath.
Sinclair Stratton, the Viscount of Reath, has had his life
handed to him on a silver platter. As a dashing young man-
about-town, and then as a diplomat traveling throughout
India, he has never had to think of anyone other than
himself. Even women have been too easy to come by. The
problem for ‘Sin’ is more a matter of fending them off
rather than having to attract them. Until now.
As you will notice, I included some backstory here, just so that my reader can
get a really quick general idea of who these two people are. There is also a
touch of the romance element that is vital to my book – it is, after all, a
romance.
I have also included one of each of their conflicts. As every writer knows, a
key element in any good story is conflict. I have given a hint of what these
character’s conflicts will be.
This, then, is the first page of my synopsis.
Now, the whole point of the character-driven romance is how the heroine and
hero feel about each other and grow as characters. What makes them grow
and come together as a couple is the plot. So, you could say that the plot is
secondary to the characters and the romance. That is why in your synopsis
you need to focus on the characters and not the plot.
While you need to give a general description of the plot, try and stay away
from “this happened and then this happened”. It should read more like “this
is how he felt when she did this, and this is how she felt after she did it and
he reacted in this way”. This is what makes the character-driven romance
synopsis different from any other synopsis you could write.
The rest of the synopsis will be the major turning points of the book, and not
even all of them. You don’t need to include every ball and soiree the hero
and heroine attend, only those that cause the character to change or grow or
makes a significant change in the developing romance. And don’t forget to
tell not only what happened, but how it affected the hero and/or heroine or
their romance.
I have included enough a general description of the plot and backstory so
that reader gets an idea of how these two characters fall in love and why.
Also included are the events that make the characters grow, tear them apart
and then bring them back together again. Each of these plot elements
should be inspired by and consistent with the character’s assets, flaws and
goals.
Another thing you might notice as you read through the rest of my synopsis is
POV. I have kept the point of view to that of the two main characters, just as I
will in the book. Also, just as I try to do in the book, I try to alternate, his POV
and then hers. You don’t want to include any more viewpoints than these
two and your omnipotent one. Any more than that and your reader will get
confused. I do, however, feel that you should try to keep your synopsis in the
hero and heroine’s POV and keep yours to a minimum simply so that you
pull your reader in to your story, just as you will with the real thing.
One other point – always write in the present tense. Again, it pulls the reader
into the action. It is happening now.
I hope that you have found this brief description of how to write a character-
based synopsis helpful. Remember, it is the characters who drive the story.
It is they who we are writing about, how they grow and fall in love. Keep your
focus on them and you will not get too caught up with your plot. Write your
synopsis as you plan to write your book with your emphasis on the
characters and the romance. And do use it as a tool to get the know your
characters and their conflicts better.
Hopefully, the next time you sit down to write your synopsis, it won’t be as
bad you had thought it was going to be.
Here, then, is the rest of my synopsis.
The very day he lands on British soil, Reath meets
a little firebrand – the most bold, beautiful and
confrontational young woman he has ever encountered.
The two run into each other again in London and, even
after repeated meetings, Reath is still baffled by her. Not
only would the fascinating Miss Whately rather discuss
literature than ball gowns, but she seemingly has no desire
to trap him into marriage or to sleep with him. In fact,
she doesn’t even appear to enjoy his company – despite his
obvious charm and good looks.Reath finds himself attracted
to this intriguing creature in a way he has never felt
before.
Sara, for her part, finds Reath interesting, but a
distraction to her mission in England. Although she has
been sent to London to marry, Sara’s primary aim is to ease
her father’s financial straits – by finding a cache of
jewels her grandfather has hidden somewhere at the family’s
estate, Wyncort. The problem is that her grandfather lost
the estate in a game of cards ten years ago… to a young
buck named Stratton.
Sara is not the only one with plans for Wyncort. After ten
years in India, Reath has decided to return to England to
take up the reins of his inheritance and to right a wrong
made in the folly of his youth – he wants to return his ill-
gotten estate to its rightful owner. The problem is
finding this mysterious peer who moved to America years
ago.
Sara, though, presents a different challenge for Reath.
After his first few meetings with her, he decides that Sara
is far too serious for his taste, and too somber for her
own good. He decides that he is going to change that and
make her smile and laugh.
What starts off as a amusing game, however, becomes much
more serious when he learns that she is none other than the
daughter of the very man he trying to find. Feelings of
guilt mixed with responsibility overcome him when he learns
that Sara grew up living on the edge of poverty, having to
stave off creditors and take care of her ingenuous father.
Reath is already captivated by this unusual and beautiful
woman, but now feels the added responsibility of making up
for the childhood she lost because of him. He decides to
woo her in earnest.
Initially, Sara tries to resist Lord Reath’s
determinedefforts to make her laugh and have fun. But she
soon finds this impossible, and, against her will, truly
begins to enjoy his humor and his company. His
thoughtfulness and good looks make Sara forget her quest,
as she slowly begins to learn what it feels to be cared
for.
But all of Sara’s new-found laughter and joy is brought to
an abrupt end when she learns that Reath is the man who
stole Wyncort from her family so many years ago.
Sara is horrified and furious to find that she has been
cavorting with someone she had long thought of as the
enemy. Once her initial anger abates, however, she
realizes that she can use her influence with the now hated
Lord Reath to further her own goals. She can use her
feminine wiles to try and trick him into allowing her
access to Wyncort.
Reath, however, does not fall for her ruse. Instead,
he is disillusioned and infuriated with her – for
ultimately behaving just like any other woman. He
finally admits to himself that he had thought that
he loved Sara, precisely because he had thought her
more noble and stronger than all the women he had known in
his life. Now all of that is ruined as, he thinks her true
colors have been revealed. He swears to himself and to
Sara that he will have nothing to more to do with her.
Sara is devastated by Reath’s reaction. When he leaves
her, she feels bereft and alone, although she chides
herself for these feelings. She always been independent
and never relied on anyone for emotional support before.
But she is shattered by the realization of just how much
Reath has come to mean to her.
Through her heartbreak Sara remembers her true purpose
of being in England. Firmly pushing away the memory
of the happiness she had felt in Reath’s company,
Sara determinedly resumes her search for her family’s
treasure. By now, after all of Sara’s other attempts
at gaining access to Wyncort to search for the jewels
have failed, the only option left for her is to break
in to the manor house.
Everything goes as planned, until Sara actually gets
inside the house. There she is caught by Reath, whom
she had thought to be in London, and forced to tell him
about her plans. As Reath learns of her goal and begins to
understand the reasons behind it, he recognizes how
unfounded his recent behavior has been. Sara is still the
unique, genuine and fascinating creature she always was.
It was his own prejudices that had temporarily blinded him.
Reath resolves to win Sara back, and, as a first step,
he joins forces with her in her quest. The jewels are
soon found, but Reath has his eyes on a far more
valuable treasure.
Reath proposes to Sara, but once again, she does not
behave predictably and fall into his arms. Instead,
he finds that he has to woo the unpredictable Miss
Whately once more, to convince her of his love and
respect, and to bring the laughter back into her eyes
before she will admit to loving him as well.