Write that synopsis (and other painful stuff) before you finish your novel



I'd rather be put to The Machine than write a synopsis.

I'm as bad as the next fiction writer in one aspect pertaining to my craft. While I get true enjoyment (most of the time) out of the writing of the book, I dread coming up with the "marketing" materials once the book is finished--and I'm a marketer by profession. In fact, I haven't met any author who likes writing a synopis, logline, or query letter. Maybe some of my writerly associates actually like writing these things but never said as much around me and my friends for fear of being stoned to death. If that's you, before you go on and on about your spectacular synopses that flow from your fingertips like blood from a head wound, you need to know I live beside a rock quarry.

Necessary evils--all this marketing stuff--that most writers put off as long as possible. No one puts off writing these loathsome items more than me, and I have completed three novels and have four other WiPs.

Of the three items, I hate writing the synopsis the most. I'd rather write another first draft of a novel than write the synopsis for the one I just finished. Although, thanks to a tool offered at the writing blog, "Let the Words Flow," I may be able to throw off my synopsis loathing like a cable-knit sweater during a heat flash. Author Susan Dennard offers the single best, most helpful model for reluctant synopsis writers I've ever seen called How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis. And I've seen plenty. Remember those binders filled with print-outs from the Internet I mentioned in an earlier post?

Susan's tool was so helpful, it also gave me an idea for this post. Don't wait to take a stab at any of these things until you finish. Here's why.

Plot weaknesses surface earlier

Wouldn't you rather know that your inciting incident needs to have a more pronounced impact on your protagonist sooner rather than later? If you complete Susan's synopsis worksheet before you finish the book, as I did, flaws in your plot will surface faster than earthworms in a rainstorm. Of course, plot isn't the only thing that's important in fiction. But no level of spectacular prose can disguise a plot that needs shoring up.

sample logline

Needed scenes emerge

Like secret messages scribbled in invisible ink, once you've identified those plot flaws, all the scenes you need begin to appear. Sometimes they pop into your totally relaxed mind at three in the morning the night after you've struggled writing a one-page synopsis. You find yourself asking yourself, "Why hadn't I thought of that sooner?" Even if you're using a beat sheet, you may lose sight of the bigger picture the synopsis and the logline allow. If you take a crack at your query, and you can't sum up your book in a paragraph, besides being a rambler, you may have a rambler.

Weak scenes are easier to weed out

Here's when writing a logline before you finish a first draft can be unbelievably helpful. Summarize your book in a sentence--include the high concept, just like a screenwriter needs to do. Whatever scenes fail to support that logline might need to be axed. Unless they drive forth story, character, or theme--out they go.

Not what my prewriting resembles,
not  in the least

Regarding my WiP, I did a beat sheet. I also did another plot assessment to ensure I had my tentpole moment and my all-hope-is-lost scene immediately prior. And let me just say that I'm not one of those writers whose pre-writing exercises look like they could be entered in scrapbook planning contest. Using Susan's 1-Page Synopsis tool, I uncovered other areas that needed to be stronger and set about strengthening them.

The bad news is this: Don't wait until you're done to write the marketing pieces. Begin your pain and suffering much earlier. The good news is that you'll save yourself a lot of heavy revision and will have a book ready to shop sooner. Yes, you'll probably have to revise your synopsis and query once or several times. But seriously, wouldn't you rather do that than rewrite your book? Of course, you would. (I was just kidding about that rewriting a new book part I mentioned earlier.)