The Synopsis: Reduce Until Sticky

Adapted from images by rabzjl and fotografierende on Pixabay

With the final edit of AI Detective done (for as long as I let it be!), I’ve now moved on to writing a synopsis. Not just the usual synopsis – a 500ish word one – but a synopsis for a very specific purpose, with a very specific limit of 250 words.

Unlike a blurb, a synopsis needs to include the whole plotline as well as your pitch, and get across the main character motivations, theme and, where possible, some aspects of the tone. Cramming a novel of just over 85,000 words into 250 isn’t easy. But I’m getting there.

This is my process so far:

1. Start by preparing your plot points – inciting incident, midpoint, conclusion.

2. Mix in the key characters – the protagonist, their main allies & obstacles, the antagonist.

3. Taste to ensure the protagonist’s motivations progress clearly, and the antagonist’s too where necessary.

4. Sprinkle in some main theme – specifically the protagonist’s relationship to it at the start, midpoint and end.

5. Taste again, then shake well until the structure resembles something readable.

6. Reduce on a low heat until any unnecessary words have been removed.

7. Baste in the tone of voice from the book.

8. Taste again, realise it’s now way over the word limit.

9. Reduce, reduce – please bloody reduce.

That’s when you realise the tone of voice in the book – particularly when it’s a neo-noir – makes heavy use of rhetorical devices that are completely unsuited to a tight word limit.

But on the positive side, you probably understand your story a lot better now. Maybe so well you end up wanting to make more changes to it.

Resist. Put it all away. Take some time out and vent by writing a blog about it.

Ok, so I’m exaggerating a little – I actually got it back down to 250 words in the end. But I know when I go back to it I’ll think of things I haven’t put in that suddenly seem crucial, or things I’ve added that don’t. With any luck, I’ll find ways to polish the voice that make it more exciting and authentic – hopefully without adding any to the word count. But in the end, I know it will always come back to Step 9.

Oh well. Still another two weeks to get it right...