Synopsis is where any piece of art should begin, it is a concentrated exposition of the plot, characters and motives of the characters, the quintessence of your idea, the very salt. Stephen King calls synopsis the first step towards creating a novel.
Instruction manual
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The preliminary synopsis of the novel — your first dialogue with yourself about what the conceived work will be — can take only two pages, or all twenty. Here, as an author, you are given complete freedom, here your fantasy is a free bird, and nothing has the right to restrain its flight. You write a preliminary synopsis for yourself, and here every detail of the author’s story, every movement of creative thought is important.
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The fate of the first version of synopsis has two scenarios. In the first case, it turns into a full-fledged work by adding new details, paragraphs and entire chapters to the text. In the second case, the plan retains its original purpose, and the author simply verifies it in the process of working on the main text of the book.
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The final version of the synopsis, which you have to send to the publisher along with the manuscript, is best written again, using the draft only as a guide. Describe the main storyline and key events of your story, adhering to the logic of the narrative: hero - plot - development - climax - denouement. Strive for extreme brevity and conciseness. Resist the temptation to characterize each character in detail. Observe the chronology of the novel in synopsis. Then re-read and remove all unnecessary, resolutely get rid of adverbs and emotionally colored phrases. Put the text aside for a while, forget about it for a couple of days, so that after re-reading it with a fresh look and make new changes.
Here, at the final stage of writing a synopsis, you should use the second perceptual position - look at the text through the eyes of a potential publisher and editor, ask yourself, would you be interested in such a plot? Would you find the story fascinating, would you have the urge to read the manuscript?
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Unless otherwise specified, the synopsis text should not exceed three pages in volume, but some publishers have individual requirements. Therefore, before starting cooperation, you must carefully study the information on the website of the publisher with whom you plan to work. Knowledge of the rules of the game is the key to success in any activity.
