What To Know Before You Submit: 28 Great Tips from Literary Agents
(This is Part 1 of a three-part series to kickstart your awesome 2017. Part 2 is a roundup of query letter submission tips, and Part 3 is a list of literary agent pet peeves.) The New Year is here, and that means new goals, new resolutions, and new writing projects to...
How to Write a Synopsis When You Have Lots of Characters in Your Story
So after the synopsis webinar, I decided to try my hand at such a synopsis. I decided on TRAFFIC, which is a film I love that has multiple storylines and tons of characters. I got the synopsis down to about 540 words, which I thought was a success. Below read the...
Synopsis Example (Literary/Mainstream): “The Wrestler”
This time it's The Wrestler (2008), which would probably be called either literary or mainstream fiction. I had to leave a lot out concerning Pam/Cassidy and Stephanie, because the story really is about Randy and his experiences.
Pitch Agents at Conferences in Alabama, New Orleans, and Kansas City
2017 approaches fast, and that means another busy season of writers conferences is at your door. If you want to get great instruction on publishing and also pitch your work to agents who are building their client list, attend a writers conference in early 2017. Let me share some of them...
Synopsis Example: ”A History of Violence” (Thriller)
This time it's A History of Violence (2005).
This story is most likely a thriller. The synopsis below is short because the main hook of this story is easy to convey. Nothing needs to be over-explained. Get in, get out, move on.
Synopsis Example: “Robocop” (Science Fiction / Cyberpunk)
Here’s another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it’s Robocop (1987). I took a crack at this one because my synopsis examples were light on cyberpunk and science fiction stories. Notice how a lot of the action is stripped from this, and the character of Bob Morton is not even...
Pitch Agents at Conferences in Minnesota, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Detroit
2017 approaches fast, and that means another busy season of writers conferences is at your door. If you want to get great instruction on publishing and also pitch your work to agents who are building their client list, attend a writers conference in early 2017. Let me share some of them...
The “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” Synopsis
This time it's Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. In book terms, this would be considered fun YA (maybe even a "boy book"). I've tried to break up the synopsis below into the three acts of the movie, with the first two paragraphs being Act I, then the next one Act II,...
Synopsis Example: “The Fly” (Horror / Sci-Fi)
Here's another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it's The Fly (1986).
I took a crack at this one because my synopsis examples were light on horror stories. The main thing with this synopsis was to streamline Seth's transformation process (and I left a lot of details on the cutting room...
Pitch Agents at Conferences in Philadelphia, Seattle, Kentucky, and Tennessee
2017 approaches fast, and that means another busy season of writers conferences is at your door. If you want to get great instruction on publishing and also pitch your work to agents who are building their client list, attend a writers conference in 2017. Let me share some of them that...
Synopsis Example (Crime/Noir): “The Big Easy”
This time it's The Big Easy (1987), a crime/noir story. There's a lot of New Orleans flavor in this story that I had to nix here, as a synopsis is not designed to show the spice, but rather the three acts. It was important to show Remy's arc, more than explain...
The “Fearless” Synopsis
This time it's Fearless (1993). I chose this movie for several reasons. A commenter asked me to compose another literary fiction synopsis; Jeff Bridges is the man and discovers his forthcoming Oscar; and I just watched this movie recently. You can see all posted synopsis examples by clicking on the "Synopsis...
The “Witness” Synopsis
This time it's Witness. Witness is kind of strange category—probably mainstream fiction in book terms. It's got the Amish elements, a dash of crime stuff at the beginning and end.Look at the synopsis below. I like how it's pretty short. There could be a lot more said about the culture...
The “Peggy Sue Got Married” Synopsis
This time it's Peggy Sue Got Married, a good example of a humorous women's fiction story. Look at what this synopsis does right. Peggy Sue is quickly introduced and we see her issues. By the end of the first paragraph the whole story is motion. Since the story is filled...
Synopsis Example: “The Way, Way Back” (Young Adult / Middle Grade)
Here’s another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it’s THE WAY, WAY BACK (2013), and, yes, the synopsis below has spoilers. If this were a book, it would probably span the bridge between young adult and middle grade. The biggest challenge with this one was cutting down on which characters...
Synopsis Example: The IDES OF MARCH (Political / Thriller)
Here’s another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it’s The Ides of March (2011). It's a thriller, sure, but a character-driven one.The biggest challenge with this one was cutting down on which characters to mention. You'll notice how Jeffrey Wright's and Paul Giamatti's characters are glanced over. This is on...
Synopsis Example: “Ransom” (Thriller)
Here's another example of a fiction synopsis. This time it's Ransom (1996). One thing to notice here is that, in the movie itself, the five kidnappers all have their own personalities. But here I had to cut all that and just focus on the leader. Tom is the main character here,...
Synopsis Example: “Courage Under Fire” (Thriller / Mystery)
This time it's Courage Under Fire (1996).
This story seems like a thriller to me because of its action sequences, but it's also a mystery at heart, with a "detective" (Denzel) investigating a case. Notice how I leave out several secondary characters to keep the story moving.
Synopsis Example: “House of Games” (Noir / Mainstream)
This time it's House of Games (1987). This story is not quite crime fiction nor literary fiction so I call it mainstream, but it definitely has plenty of noir in it. Notice how this synopsis moves fast, but we still see important things: who the main character is, what they want,...
Get Your Synopsis Critiqued at My January 6 Webinar
Ah, the pesky synopsis. If you write adult fiction, kids fiction or memoir, you know what I'm talking about. The synopsis is a strange animal, and a unique writing challenge of its own. That's why I'm teaching a webinar on Jan. 6, 2011 called "Critique Series: Novel Synopses." If you're stuck...
Synopsis Example: “Matchstick Men” (Mainstream Fiction)
This time it's Matchstick Men (2003). This story is not quite crime fiction nor literary fiction so I call it mainstream. Notice how, as usual, the most important things to show in a synopsis are the bones of the three acts and the arc of the main character.
Let Me Critique Your Synopsis: Webinar This Thursday, July 8
Those pesky synopses for novels and memoirs are very tricky to do. Questions abound. How long should they be? Which characters should you mention? Should you have plenty of detail or just sparse mentions? If these questions are crossing your mind, you've come to the right place.
Synopsis Example (Thriller): “Spartan”
This time it's Spartan (2004), a tightly-wound thriller. As with thrillers, there are lots of twists and turns, and I had to leave a lot out of the synopsis so it would flow quickly. One thing to notice here is that the character of Bobby Scott, who is by far the...
“The Rock” Synopsis
This time it’s The Rock, my second attempt at a thriller. The story is high-concept, but I didn’t want to glance over the three lead characters, as they are all pretty cool. A lot of the story takes place on the island, so I had to do plenty of summarizing there....