How to Write a Synopsis

An ideal synopsis is six paragraphs long. The format should be single-spaced text with double
spacing between paragraphs. There are older how-to books that tell you to write a synopsis of
four, eight, or even twenty double-spaced pages. This is outdated advice. Modern editors want a
synopsis that fits on one page.
The trick is to tell only the main story, focusing on the main characters and big turning points.
1. A paragraph that introduces the main problem. Youll need a tiny bit of backstory and
setting in order for the main conflict to make sense, but you dont need as much as you think you
do. Write as little as you can get away with to make the reader understand the stakes (external
conflict) of the story.
Example: Dorothy Gale never intended to kill a witch. When a tornado uproots her house and
drops it on a wicked witch, she is lauded as a hero and rewarded with magic ruby slippers. The
same tornado has trapped her in a magic land called Oz. Dorothy desperately wants to get home
to her family, but the only one who can help her is a wizard who lives a long and dangerous
journey away. She must find the Wizard of Oz before the witchs evil sister finds her first.
2. A paragraph that introduces the protagonist. What kind of person is she? Why is she the
only one who can solve this problem? What is going on inside her (internal conflict) that shell
have to overcome in order to have a happy ending?
Example: Dorothy Gale is a farm girl from Kansas. An orphan, she lives with her aunt and uncle.
With no siblings or friends nearby, her only playmates are the busy farm hands and her beloved
dog, Toto. A dreamy girl, Dorothy longs for adventures that seem to be just out of reach,
somewhere over the next rainbow.
3. What is the first turning point of the story? This is sometimes called the inciting incident,
plot point one, or the point of no return. It happens somewhere in the first quarter of the book,
preferably in the first 30 pages, and it thrusts the protagonist into the main journey of the book.
Although its called a point, its a scene or a series of scenes.
Example: When she finds herself trapped in Oz, Dorothy may be getting more adventure than
she wished for. With the ruby slippers on her feet the only protection from the Wicked Witch, she
sets out for the Emerald City to find the Wizard. She is soon befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin
Man and a Cowardly Lion, who respectively lack a brain, a heart, and courage. The three decide
to accompany Dorothy in hopes that the Wizard will also fulfill their desires, although they
demonstrate along the way that they already have the qualities they believe they lackthe
Scarecrow has several good ideas, the Tin Man is kind and sympathetic, and the Lion, though
terrified, is ready to face danger.
4. Midpoint. This is the big scene in the middle of the novel, where something important
happens and emotions run high. This is (or should be) a huge scene where your hero does
important things. Theres often a reversal of some kind, as the heros fortunes rise or fall.
Example: In the Emerald City, the four friends are given an audience with the Wizard of Oz, who
appears as a terrifying disembodied head of smoke. He demands that Dorothy bring him the
broomstick of the Wicked Witch before he will send her home. The friends are devastated that
they are still so far from achieving their quest, but they resolve to do as the Wizard asks.

5. Climax. Every story has a climatic scene. Briefly describe what leads up to it, and then
describe the scene itself. Remember, your syonpsis tells the complete story, so you cant leave
the climax out. The main problem (external stakes) is solved in this paragraph.
Example: On the way to the witchs castle, Dorothy and Toto are trapped by the Wicked Witch.
The Witch threatens to drown Toto, so Dorothy agrees to give her the slippers, but the Witch cant
remove them without killing Dorothy. Toto escapes and leads Dorothys companions to the castle.
After overpowering some of the Witchs guards, they free Dorothy. During the battle, the Witch
sets the Scarecrows arm ablaze. Dorothy throws water on her friend and accidentally splashes
the Witch, causing her to melt.
6. Resolution. How has the protagonist changed as a result of this adventure? How has he
solved his emotional/mental/spiritual problems through the journey he went on in this story? In
other words, how have the internal stakes been solved?
Example: The four friends return to the Emerald City in triumph, but the Wizard still wont grant
them their wishes. He canthes not a wizard at all but an ordinary man. He explains that
Dorothys companions already possessed what they had been seeking all along, and agrees to
take Dorothy home in a hot air balloon. Toto jumps out of the balloon basket and as Dorothy goes
after him, the Wizard takes off without her. Just as she despairs of ever getting home, the power
of her desirecoupled with the power of the slipperssends her back to Kansas. Dorothy wakes
up in her own bed surrounded by family and friends, and tells them of her journey. Dorothy
promises that she will never leave home again, because she loves them alland because theres
no place like home.
This formula is like the pirate code: more guidelines than actual rules. If you need two paragraphs
to describe the midpoint, write them. If your climax and resolution can be written in a single
paragraph, do it. If your book is more literary, focusing on internal turning points, write about
those. The only absolute rule is to tell the complete story in one page.
Always use present tense, no matter the tense of the novel. Always use third person, no matter
the POV of the novel. Always tell your story chronologically, even if there are flashbacks.
If your book has multiple points of view, pick the main character and just tell her story. Leave out
subplots and minor characters. (In the example above, Glinda the Good Witch is not
mentioned.)
Tell the plot, but dont forget about motivation and emotion. Without them, the syonpsis seems
disjointed. Dont ignore cause and effect.
Leave out self-praise, even subtle self-praise. In an exciting twist, Joe pulls a gun on his former
partner. Leave out the words exciting twist and just tell what happens. In a heartbreaking scene,
Mary and her mother are reunited. Leave out the words heartbreaking scene. If youve written a
vivid synopsis, the reader will know its heartbreaking.
Take your time. A syonpsis isnt easy. Revise your first draft, have your betas look at it, and
revise again. Youll know youve succeeded when someone who has never read your novel likes
your synopsis and asks to read the whole book!