Oy Vey: synopsis time again

/ Tracy Abell

       

I wrote a synopsis last fall
that ended up being two pages with 1.5 spacing.
I felt pretty good about it.

Just found out I need to make it a one-page synopsis.

And not only do I need to shrink it,
I need to rewrite much of it to reflect the revisions I made afterward.

Anyone have a few words of wisdom?
Or a magical shrinking device?

Bueller?…..Bueller?
                                 

26 thoughts on “Oy Vey: synopsis time again”

    • Re: magic shrinking device

      HA! You are so wise, my friend. It DOES look smaller from a distance.

      This came at the best time. I was just saying, out loud, for the trillionth time today, “I hate this!”

      Sigh. I still have to do the shrinking but at least I got a laugh out of it. Thank you.

      Like

  4. 7-point type.

    Just kidding. But you could switch from 12- to 11-point and no one would notice. Also, use either Times New Roman (which I hate, but this is in a good cause) or Arial. These typefaces use up less space.

    Also try writing the plot points in point form first. You might see threads that you can eliminate.

    Like

    • I always use Times New Roman. What do you use?

      I switched to 11-point, and that helped a bunch! 🙂
      I’ve already eliminated every possible plot line but that’s a great suggestion for the next (ugh!) time I have to do this.

      Thank you so much for stopping by to offer your ideas. You’re a good egg, Barb!

      Like

    • Standard font is Courier or TNR. Not sure you want to go to Arial.

      Meredith_Wood (can’t get it to light up) on lj has some posts about synopsis writing. Maybe those would help You can get to her site by search or going to my page. She posted a comment today.

      I’m still learning the ropes for synopsis writing myself. Oh wait! I have a good book for synopsis writing and some websites. I will try and rally all those tidbits and sent them your way.

      Like

      • Thanks for this lead. I will do a deeper spelunking expedition on her journal to see if I can find it.

        The good news is I woke up this morning, read what I’d written yesterday, and realized it doesn’t totally stink. Progress!

        Like

        • i love those moments. they are so fleeting with me. i always want to bottle them so i can drink them later when i’m convinced my writting is horrid and i am delusional. i figure the truth is in the middle. i have some great moments in my writing and some moments that just need to be . . . reworked or chopped.

          Like

          • If you figure out how to bottle those moments, PLEASE let me know. You’ll save my sanity!

            I worked it some more (putting it back at 12-point), cut about ten lines, and sent it to my agent. She gave it the thumbs-up and I was done! 🙂

            Like

    • Microscopic font? Check! (Okay, not really. But wouldn’t it make life so much easier?)

      You’re absolutely write about the annoying part. Sigh. But I suppose this is somehow good for me. Like fresh air and vegetables. Or not.

      Like

    • Of course I don’t hate you. This synopsis? Well, probably yes, I do hate it. But in the light of day, what I wrote yesterday isn’t all that terrible. It definitely needs more work but I made progress yesterday; when I went to bed, I wasn’t sure of that.

      Thank you for the link, I will check it out because I welcome all the help I can get.

      (As for the font, I’m going to confess to my agent that it is in 11-point. If she says bigger, bigger it will be. So I’m thinking small thoughts…)

      Like

  8. Quilters have a nifty device called a reducing glass, which allows you to see your whole quilt in one tight view, giving you an overall sense of pattern and color.

    Too bad there’s nothing like that for writers.

    I have no idea how to write a decent synposis. Mine are bad, bad, bad. I seem to do best if I think of it as a slightly expanded jacket blurb. Go for a sense of the main character & their primary conflict, the tone of the story, maybe a hint of the theme and the ending.

    I suggest bribing yourself with, say, a brownie and a beer. (Have you ever had a beer brownie? Quite tasty!)

    Like

    • My advice? Starting over is probably easier than shrinking. But then, I don’t think you should listen to my advice. I’m really really bad at writing those things. So good luck, and pass over one of those beers…

      Like

        • Dear Anonymouse/Lorraine…. (that happens to me, too. I get logged out without noticing it or something).

          I considered starting over but then started shaving and condensing, and it worked. Sorta. I’m liking the stuff I wrote better than expected. We’ll see how I feel after my yoga session, though. My mind will be clearer and I might see more “issues.”

          Thanks for the moral support. I appreciate it very, very much.

          Like

    • Now I really, really want one of those reducing glasses. Man, if you could invent that for writers, you’d be rich. Wah.

      I like your expanded jacket blurb idea and am keeping that in mind. This morning I read over what I wrote and am happier with it than I’d expected. Still needs work but isn’t a total and complete mess. Hooray for me and not making a total and complete mess! Sigh.

      Beer brownies sound divine. Great, now I want a reducing glass and a beer brownie. And here I thought we were friends.

      Like

Comments are closed.