A few of the mistakes we fiction writers sometimes make are listed below. It's always helpful for us to have a refresher in things we need to watch for as we continue to produce new work or revise old projects. I hope you find these things of use to you.
And, to my U.S. friends, have a happy Memorial Day.
Fiction writing mistakes and solutions:
1. Over-describing anything. Use of fewer, more powerfully descriptive words is better. A paragraph of descriptive prose can get boring.
2. Using real people. Instead of using actual people in stories, create vivid, compelling "bigger than life" but believable characters.
3. "Head hopping" or using multiple POVs in a scene. Generally it's best to choose one point of view per scene and stick with it throughout the scene. If a change of POV during a scene is necessary, make the transition smooth and obvious so the reader feels neither confused nor jolted by the change.
4. Choosing the wrong POV. The point of view in a scene belongs to the character whose goals are most at risk.
5. Undefined goals. All major characters need goals. These goals should be clearly defined. Without goals, characters are merely wandering through the pages with no purpose. Readers need to be connected to characters and their goals.
6. Poorly defined reasons for actions. A character's plan of action for reaching a goal should be clearly defined--not that all the details need to be obvious. Keeping a little mystery in the reasons for a character's actions can enrich the plot, but if readers don't understand what the character intends to do and why, they may become frustrated.
7. Long, boring transitions. Transitions between scenes should be crisp. Fill in as needed and move to next scene.
8. Giving TMI. Research your subject thoroughly, but don't attempt to convey EVERYTHING you learned to readers. Too much information can bog down the pace of the story or, worse yet, bore readers.
9. Lecturing readers. Don't lecture, no matter how passionate you are about a subject. Characters shouldn't lecture either, no matter how passionate they are about a subject.
10. Sensory deprivation. Blandness is a no-no. Enrich scenes by letting readers see, feel, taste, smell and touch their literary environment through the senses of the characters.
11. Digressing. Stick to what is important to the storyline/character definition. Don't wander off on tangents. Such a practice weakens the story and makes it unappealing.
12. Inactive scenes. Scenes should move. Dialogue, action/reaction, tension, conflict, complications, cliffhangers should all work to keep a scene moving ahead.
Have a great rest of May, and I'll see you again in June!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Step by Step Guide to Completing a Novel, Part 2
When we left off last week, our guide had gone as far as completing the first draft of your novel.
So what comes next?
After having completed the first draft of a novel and having let it set for a few weeks we dig out that lovely manuscript and begin rewrites.
11. (continued numeration from previous post) In reevaluating and rewriting your novel it will be necessary to such things as the following:
A. Critique every scene--Does it have a goal, action and reaction, a cliff hanger?
B. Delete unnecessary scenes--if they don't move the story forward, they don't belong in your novel.
C. Find character inconsistencies in such things as appearance, behavior or personalities. Do characters stay true to who they are? Do they grow? Are they stagnant and unreal?
D. Decide if scenes are in the proper order.
E. Notice whether or not all subplots are adequately resolved and all questions raised are answered.
NOTE: Rewriting a novel includes much more than the above. These are just a few examples given to clarify what is meant by "rewrites."
12. Once your novel is rewritten to your satisfaction (this may take several tries, several weeks or even several years) it is then ready for edits. In edits you go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, taking note of such things as:
A. Sentence structure.
B. Errors in grammar.
C. Errors the spellchecker may have missed such as using "their" when you really mean "they're," using the word "anxious" when you really mean "eager," "infer" when you mean "imply," etc.
D. Look for overuse of certain words such as "then" and "that."
E. Fix repetitions of the same word over and over.
NOTE: Editing a novel includes much more than these few examples, but you get the idea by what's noted here what the difference is between rewrites and edits.
Once your novel is complete you can decide what you'd like to do with it. You can query publishers whom you'd like to publish it or agents whom you'd like to represent it. You can publish it yourself, share it with a select few people or just file it away and check its completion off your bucket list.
One more thing--here a few helpful hints for reaching your writing goals.
1. Write your first draft with your heart and succeeding drafts with your head.
2. While writing your first draft, don't let yourself get distracted by going off on tangents which drastically change your storyline. It'll make your rewrites even more difficult.
3. Don't let other people's negative attitudes or lack of support for your writing hinder your enthusiasm toward completing your project.
4. If you decide to submit your novel to a publisher for consideration, don't be discouraged if you are initially rejected--with a form letter. Most writers experience rejection, even those who have gone on to earn both fame and fortune as a novelist.
5. if you're sincere in wanting to reach writing goals, never, never give up.
Best of luck on your quest to become a novelist!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
So what comes next?
After having completed the first draft of a novel and having let it set for a few weeks we dig out that lovely manuscript and begin rewrites.
11. (continued numeration from previous post) In reevaluating and rewriting your novel it will be necessary to such things as the following:
A. Critique every scene--Does it have a goal, action and reaction, a cliff hanger?
B. Delete unnecessary scenes--if they don't move the story forward, they don't belong in your novel.
C. Find character inconsistencies in such things as appearance, behavior or personalities. Do characters stay true to who they are? Do they grow? Are they stagnant and unreal?
D. Decide if scenes are in the proper order.
E. Notice whether or not all subplots are adequately resolved and all questions raised are answered.
NOTE: Rewriting a novel includes much more than the above. These are just a few examples given to clarify what is meant by "rewrites."
12. Once your novel is rewritten to your satisfaction (this may take several tries, several weeks or even several years) it is then ready for edits. In edits you go over everything with a fine-toothed comb, taking note of such things as:
A. Sentence structure.
B. Errors in grammar.
C. Errors the spellchecker may have missed such as using "their" when you really mean "they're," using the word "anxious" when you really mean "eager," "infer" when you mean "imply," etc.
D. Look for overuse of certain words such as "then" and "that."
E. Fix repetitions of the same word over and over.
NOTE: Editing a novel includes much more than these few examples, but you get the idea by what's noted here what the difference is between rewrites and edits.
Once your novel is complete you can decide what you'd like to do with it. You can query publishers whom you'd like to publish it or agents whom you'd like to represent it. You can publish it yourself, share it with a select few people or just file it away and check its completion off your bucket list.
One more thing--here a few helpful hints for reaching your writing goals.
1. Write your first draft with your heart and succeeding drafts with your head.
2. While writing your first draft, don't let yourself get distracted by going off on tangents which drastically change your storyline. It'll make your rewrites even more difficult.
3. Don't let other people's negative attitudes or lack of support for your writing hinder your enthusiasm toward completing your project.
4. If you decide to submit your novel to a publisher for consideration, don't be discouraged if you are initially rejected--with a form letter. Most writers experience rejection, even those who have gone on to earn both fame and fortune as a novelist.
5. if you're sincere in wanting to reach writing goals, never, never give up.
Best of luck on your quest to become a novelist!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Step by Step Guide to Completing a Novel, Part 1
"You should write a book," "I've got a great idea for a novel," "I've always wanted to write a book."
When people talk to me about writing I often hear from them that they've always wanted to write a book. Or they tell me they've got great ideas for stories. Or maybe someone has always told them they should write a book.
My response is always, "If you'd like to write a book, you should do it." In fact, if we have something we'd really like to do, perhaps a task on our "Bucket List," we should do it.
Often times, however, the new writer doesn't know where to begin. This week and next week this blog will set forth a step by step guide to completing a novel. Whether the writer wants to publish the book or just do it for the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment he'll feel from the accomplishment, this guide will help him reach his goal.
Step by Step Guide to Completing a Novel, Part 1
1. Commit yourself to accomplishing the goal.
2. Study every book you can about the writing craft.
3. While reading and studying craft books, write everyday.
4. Use ideas gleaned from your study of writing books to help you prepare to write your first draft.
5. Complete as much research as you feel is necessary before you begin to write your book, but don't include everything you've learned in your book. TMI for the reader.
6. Fully develop your main characters, and develop minor characters as much as necessary.
7. Write an outline, synopsis or chapter summary so you have a guide for your storyline.
8. Keeping your research, character sketches and outline close at hand, begin writing your first draft.
9. Write every day whether you are inspired to do so or not. If you look upon completing a novel in the same way you regard any other job in your life, your chances of success are greatly increased.
10. Once you've completed your first draft, set it aside for at least several weeks.
Part two of this guide will appear here next week (the week of May 15). Hope to see you here again then. :-)
Have a great week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
When people talk to me about writing I often hear from them that they've always wanted to write a book. Or they tell me they've got great ideas for stories. Or maybe someone has always told them they should write a book.
My response is always, "If you'd like to write a book, you should do it." In fact, if we have something we'd really like to do, perhaps a task on our "Bucket List," we should do it.
Often times, however, the new writer doesn't know where to begin. This week and next week this blog will set forth a step by step guide to completing a novel. Whether the writer wants to publish the book or just do it for the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment he'll feel from the accomplishment, this guide will help him reach his goal.
Step by Step Guide to Completing a Novel, Part 1
1. Commit yourself to accomplishing the goal.
2. Study every book you can about the writing craft.
3. While reading and studying craft books, write everyday.
4. Use ideas gleaned from your study of writing books to help you prepare to write your first draft.
5. Complete as much research as you feel is necessary before you begin to write your book, but don't include everything you've learned in your book. TMI for the reader.
6. Fully develop your main characters, and develop minor characters as much as necessary.
7. Write an outline, synopsis or chapter summary so you have a guide for your storyline.
8. Keeping your research, character sketches and outline close at hand, begin writing your first draft.
9. Write every day whether you are inspired to do so or not. If you look upon completing a novel in the same way you regard any other job in your life, your chances of success are greatly increased.
10. Once you've completed your first draft, set it aside for at least several weeks.
Part two of this guide will appear here next week (the week of May 15). Hope to see you here again then. :-)
Have a great week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, April 25, 2011
Character, Inanimates and Animals
When we think of characters in stories, we think of people--Tom Joad, Ashley Wilkes, Dorothy Gale, Little Bo Peep, Luke Skywalker.
However, characters can also be things or animals.
If a thing or an animal is given human traits it becomes a character in a story.
Remember the scene in the movie "Backdraft" where the De Nero character explains to the Baldwin character as they watch a flame make its way up a wall that fire "thinks" and "moves" in an intellectual way? In this scene, the fire is a character because it is behaving in a human manner--thinking and moving with intent.
Helen Hunt's character in "Twister" believes a tornado behaves like a thinking entity. "You've never seen it come after you," she says at one point to the Bill Paxton character. He replies, "Is that what you think it did?"
Though it is completely irrational to believe a twister or a fire can think or behave in any way other than what its physical properties will allow, giving human characteristics to inanimate objects can increase the intensity in a story line, just as it did in "Backdraft" and "Twister"--as though those favorite movies weren't intense enough without the use of anthropomorphism.
Authors frequently use animals as characters in their stories. Pets can add humor to plot lines, provide a friend to a lonely protagonist or behave in a heroic way.
And don't we love it when we see a favorite animal behave as though he has reasoned a solution to a problem, fallen in love with someone or something or behaved in some other way unique to human beings? We must, because stories featuring animals as lead characters can be found in many books and movies.
When plotting a story, it's a good idea for writers to consider all possible characters who might add something positive or negative to their fictional tales--even inanimate objects and animals.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
However, characters can also be things or animals.
If a thing or an animal is given human traits it becomes a character in a story.
Remember the scene in the movie "Backdraft" where the De Nero character explains to the Baldwin character as they watch a flame make its way up a wall that fire "thinks" and "moves" in an intellectual way? In this scene, the fire is a character because it is behaving in a human manner--thinking and moving with intent.
Helen Hunt's character in "Twister" believes a tornado behaves like a thinking entity. "You've never seen it come after you," she says at one point to the Bill Paxton character. He replies, "Is that what you think it did?"
Though it is completely irrational to believe a twister or a fire can think or behave in any way other than what its physical properties will allow, giving human characteristics to inanimate objects can increase the intensity in a story line, just as it did in "Backdraft" and "Twister"--as though those favorite movies weren't intense enough without the use of anthropomorphism.
Authors frequently use animals as characters in their stories. Pets can add humor to plot lines, provide a friend to a lonely protagonist or behave in a heroic way.
And don't we love it when we see a favorite animal behave as though he has reasoned a solution to a problem, fallen in love with someone or something or behaved in some other way unique to human beings? We must, because stories featuring animals as lead characters can be found in many books and movies.
When plotting a story, it's a good idea for writers to consider all possible characters who might add something positive or negative to their fictional tales--even inanimate objects and animals.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, April 18, 2011
"Male Fraud," an Excerpt
Just for fun this week--an excerpt from "Male Fraud" my April romantic comedy release. I hope it puts a smile on your face.
BLURB
Terry Fiscus wants to be a trainer for the pro football Chicago Cyclones. Coach Dan Barringer doesn't believe a woman belongs in a men's locker room. Terry really, REALLY wants this job so she disguises herself as a man, and Dan hires her. When Dan meets Terry outside of work and gets to know her as the lovely "Teresa" he falls in love, and so does Terry. As Terry tries to manage her double life things get extremely complicated and side-splittingly funny.
(For more information, excerpts and a video, go to: https://sites.google.com/site/malefraudbook )
EXCERPT
Setup: Terry is on the job as trainer for the Chicago Cyclones, disguised as a man.
As she policed her area of the locker room Terry realized the first week of training camp had gone by with lightning speed. She’d worked hard to keep her players as healthy as possible, and things had gone well most of the time.
The only thing giving her more trouble than she’d thought it would was getting used to the smells, sights and sounds in the locker room. Especially the sights!
Seeing naked men by the dozens was a completely new adjustment for her. At Nebraska, the players knew she was a woman, and most of them would cover up if she was in the locker room. Now that Terry was one of the guys, she rarely saw a towel wrapped around a waist in modesty.
More than once the old story about the size of a man’s feet and his--
“Fiscus!” She looked at the coach who was standing in the doorway to his office. “When you have a minute, I want to see you.”
“Sure thing, Coach.” She was getting used to using her fake deep voice, though it didn’t sound as gruff anymore since her cold had gone away.
The coach went back into his office, but Terry kept looking his way.
There was one other thing which had been giving her trouble since she started her new job. Coach Barringer.
Not that he’d been hard on her or anything, no harder than she’d expected anyway. The trouble she was having with the coach was entirely her own fault.
She found him terribly attractive. Whether he was a Neanderthal or not, she couldn’t help being practically giddy over him. Consequently, she’d avoided Dan as much as possible.
She’d learned rather quickly that one glance from him could melt her quite completely, and she couldn’t afford to liquefy around him.
At least not until she told him she was a woman.
She finished cleaning up her area and went to face Coach Barringer.
She knocked on his open door.
“Come in.” His voice was stern, commanding.
He was looking at a pad full of x’s and o’s when Terry entered his domain. Considering the crush she had on him, she blushed a little at the symbols for hugs and kisses which Dan was using to diagram offensive and defensive team members in plays he was designing.
This was the first time Terry had been alone with Dan in his office. All her meetings with him before this one had included other trainers, and they’d taken place in the conference room.
Dan looked up and pointed to a chair. “Take a load off, Fiscus. I’ll be with you in a minute.” He looked again at his pad of intricate plays, and made a few changes.
She seated herself in the black tweed armchair the coach had pointed to and waited for him to speak. The longer she waited the more intrigued she became with the handsome coach and his thick dark hair, angular jaw and broad, strong build.
His shoulders looked like they could hold the weight of the Sears Tower.
When minutes passed without him initiating the conversation, she decided to start it herself. “Is there a problem you wanted to discuss with me?” Considering the way she felt about him, being alone with him put her ill at ease. She wanted this meeting over with as soon as possible.
He looked at her with those bone-melting blue eyes of his and leaned back in his black leather, swivel chair. He tapped the pencil in one hand against the index finger of the other.....
---------------------------------
Read more excerpts and watch the "Male Fraud" video at: https://sites.google.com/site/malefraudbook
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
BLURB
Terry Fiscus wants to be a trainer for the pro football Chicago Cyclones. Coach Dan Barringer doesn't believe a woman belongs in a men's locker room. Terry really, REALLY wants this job so she disguises herself as a man, and Dan hires her. When Dan meets Terry outside of work and gets to know her as the lovely "Teresa" he falls in love, and so does Terry. As Terry tries to manage her double life things get extremely complicated and side-splittingly funny.
(For more information, excerpts and a video, go to: https://sites.google.com/site/malefraudbook )
EXCERPT
Setup: Terry is on the job as trainer for the Chicago Cyclones, disguised as a man.
As she policed her area of the locker room Terry realized the first week of training camp had gone by with lightning speed. She’d worked hard to keep her players as healthy as possible, and things had gone well most of the time.
The only thing giving her more trouble than she’d thought it would was getting used to the smells, sights and sounds in the locker room. Especially the sights!
Seeing naked men by the dozens was a completely new adjustment for her. At Nebraska, the players knew she was a woman, and most of them would cover up if she was in the locker room. Now that Terry was one of the guys, she rarely saw a towel wrapped around a waist in modesty.
More than once the old story about the size of a man’s feet and his--
“Fiscus!” She looked at the coach who was standing in the doorway to his office. “When you have a minute, I want to see you.”
“Sure thing, Coach.” She was getting used to using her fake deep voice, though it didn’t sound as gruff anymore since her cold had gone away.
The coach went back into his office, but Terry kept looking his way.
There was one other thing which had been giving her trouble since she started her new job. Coach Barringer.
Not that he’d been hard on her or anything, no harder than she’d expected anyway. The trouble she was having with the coach was entirely her own fault.
She found him terribly attractive. Whether he was a Neanderthal or not, she couldn’t help being practically giddy over him. Consequently, she’d avoided Dan as much as possible.
She’d learned rather quickly that one glance from him could melt her quite completely, and she couldn’t afford to liquefy around him.
At least not until she told him she was a woman.
She finished cleaning up her area and went to face Coach Barringer.
She knocked on his open door.
“Come in.” His voice was stern, commanding.
He was looking at a pad full of x’s and o’s when Terry entered his domain. Considering the crush she had on him, she blushed a little at the symbols for hugs and kisses which Dan was using to diagram offensive and defensive team members in plays he was designing.
This was the first time Terry had been alone with Dan in his office. All her meetings with him before this one had included other trainers, and they’d taken place in the conference room.
Dan looked up and pointed to a chair. “Take a load off, Fiscus. I’ll be with you in a minute.” He looked again at his pad of intricate plays, and made a few changes.
She seated herself in the black tweed armchair the coach had pointed to and waited for him to speak. The longer she waited the more intrigued she became with the handsome coach and his thick dark hair, angular jaw and broad, strong build.
His shoulders looked like they could hold the weight of the Sears Tower.
When minutes passed without him initiating the conversation, she decided to start it herself. “Is there a problem you wanted to discuss with me?” Considering the way she felt about him, being alone with him put her ill at ease. She wanted this meeting over with as soon as possible.
He looked at her with those bone-melting blue eyes of his and leaned back in his black leather, swivel chair. He tapped the pencil in one hand against the index finger of the other.....
---------------------------------
Read more excerpts and watch the "Male Fraud" video at: https://sites.google.com/site/malefraudbook
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, April 11, 2011
Got a Great Idea for a Book?
Pretty much every time I've done a book signing at least one person (usually more) comes up to me and says, "I've got a great idea for a book..."
Each person then proceeds to tell me a bit about his idea. In turn, I encourage him to take the time to develop his idea. After all, I think there is a writer in all of us. We all communicate, therefore, we can all write.
Whether a person is keeping a diary, attempting to put together a short story, or covering a news story for his hometown paper, he's communicating via written word. He's transcribing thoughts or opinions or facts onto his computer, notebook or other writing device. He's writing!
No one knows until she tries whether or not she has the ability to persevere in developing that novel idea into a wonderful book.
So, if a person really, REALLY, wants to see that sparkling idea come to life in a mass of compelling words, she should begin writing today.
I truly do hope that those who've talked with me at past book signings about their ideas for books and those who will talk to me about ideas at future book signings will go on to write wonderful stories, for their sakes and for the sakes of us readers too!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Each person then proceeds to tell me a bit about his idea. In turn, I encourage him to take the time to develop his idea. After all, I think there is a writer in all of us. We all communicate, therefore, we can all write.
Whether a person is keeping a diary, attempting to put together a short story, or covering a news story for his hometown paper, he's communicating via written word. He's transcribing thoughts or opinions or facts onto his computer, notebook or other writing device. He's writing!
No one knows until she tries whether or not she has the ability to persevere in developing that novel idea into a wonderful book.
So, if a person really, REALLY, wants to see that sparkling idea come to life in a mass of compelling words, she should begin writing today.
I truly do hope that those who've talked with me at past book signings about their ideas for books and those who will talk to me about ideas at future book signings will go on to write wonderful stories, for their sakes and for the sakes of us readers too!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, April 4, 2011
6 Steps to Writing a Book Synopsis
Synopsis writing is often dreaded by novelists.
Here are a few suggestions which should help make this difficult task a little easier.
1. Making an enumerated list of what's going on in a story from beginning to end helps a writer see his complete story in a nutshell.
2. From that list the writer should identify major scenes or points in the plot. These plot points, the ones the story needs to survive, should be included in the synopsis.
3. Identifying important facts about the characters is crucial. What they look like doesn't matter so much in a synopsis, but essential facts such as their objectives, motivation, determination, etc. are critical in fleshing out who these people are and what they want. Story relies heavily on characters. As with identifying plot points, it can help to make an enumerated list of facts about the characters and choose from them which aspects of these fictional people must be illustrated in the synopsis.
Once this preliminary work is completed, the writer is ready to put the synopsis together.
4. The opening. Grab the editor's attention with a good opening hook. Here's an example of an attention-getting hook which I could use for my book "Stolen Son."
A year after his wife dies, Rafe Wallace discovers his five-year-old adopted son was kidnapped when he was a baby--by Rafe's wife--and the adoption is illegal.
5. The middle. Here the author writes a novel-like story in a few pages giving the main plot points and character information as gathered from the pre-writing exercises suggested above.
It is of the utmost importance the writer makes it clear in the body of the synopsis just what the essential conflict is between the main characters.
In "Stolen Son" Rafe devises a plan to get to know the birth mother of his son so he can find out what kind of person she is. He knows he must set things right, but he won't risk bringing the birth mother into his son's life if she's a "bad" person.
The conflict: He falls in love with her, and he knows he'll lose her when he tells her the truth about her kidnapped son. Once he reveals the truth, how do they work together in their son's best interest, and how do they handle the strong feelings they have for each other--the good and the bad?
"Stolen Son" is quite dramatic. Therefore, conflict should be peppered throughout a synopsis written for this book in order to convey the intensity of the plot.
6. The conclusion of the synopsis must include the ending of the story. Answer all the questions raised in your plot description. A writer must not "leave the editor hanging" thinking this will encourage her to want to read the book. She needs to know the complete story in order to decide if she'd be interested in reading the book and considering adding it to her publisher's collection.
These six steps are an overview of synopsis construction. It is important to keep in mind there are many details which are essential to making a synopsis flow smoothly and pique an editor's interest. Some quick points:
A. Use present tense in telling the story.
B. Use third person for the synopsis even if the book is written in first person.
C. Keep the synopsis as short as possible while still telling the complete story.
D. Using dialogue in a synopsis isn't usually a good idea unless the writer feels a brief bit of dialogue is essential in illustrating a character trait or plot point.
E. Choosing strong, descriptive verbs and nouns and eliminating adjectives and adverbs as much as possible will give the synopsis more punch with fewer words.
I wish I could say this lesson is "Synopsis Writing Made Easy," but, in the 10 plus years I've been writing, I've always been in the group of writers who think writing synopses is one of the hardest parts of being an author.
Good luck with whatever you're writing this week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Here are a few suggestions which should help make this difficult task a little easier.
1. Making an enumerated list of what's going on in a story from beginning to end helps a writer see his complete story in a nutshell.
2. From that list the writer should identify major scenes or points in the plot. These plot points, the ones the story needs to survive, should be included in the synopsis.
3. Identifying important facts about the characters is crucial. What they look like doesn't matter so much in a synopsis, but essential facts such as their objectives, motivation, determination, etc. are critical in fleshing out who these people are and what they want. Story relies heavily on characters. As with identifying plot points, it can help to make an enumerated list of facts about the characters and choose from them which aspects of these fictional people must be illustrated in the synopsis.
Once this preliminary work is completed, the writer is ready to put the synopsis together.
4. The opening. Grab the editor's attention with a good opening hook. Here's an example of an attention-getting hook which I could use for my book "Stolen Son."
A year after his wife dies, Rafe Wallace discovers his five-year-old adopted son was kidnapped when he was a baby--by Rafe's wife--and the adoption is illegal.
5. The middle. Here the author writes a novel-like story in a few pages giving the main plot points and character information as gathered from the pre-writing exercises suggested above.
It is of the utmost importance the writer makes it clear in the body of the synopsis just what the essential conflict is between the main characters.
In "Stolen Son" Rafe devises a plan to get to know the birth mother of his son so he can find out what kind of person she is. He knows he must set things right, but he won't risk bringing the birth mother into his son's life if she's a "bad" person.
The conflict: He falls in love with her, and he knows he'll lose her when he tells her the truth about her kidnapped son. Once he reveals the truth, how do they work together in their son's best interest, and how do they handle the strong feelings they have for each other--the good and the bad?
"Stolen Son" is quite dramatic. Therefore, conflict should be peppered throughout a synopsis written for this book in order to convey the intensity of the plot.
6. The conclusion of the synopsis must include the ending of the story. Answer all the questions raised in your plot description. A writer must not "leave the editor hanging" thinking this will encourage her to want to read the book. She needs to know the complete story in order to decide if she'd be interested in reading the book and considering adding it to her publisher's collection.
These six steps are an overview of synopsis construction. It is important to keep in mind there are many details which are essential to making a synopsis flow smoothly and pique an editor's interest. Some quick points:
A. Use present tense in telling the story.
B. Use third person for the synopsis even if the book is written in first person.
C. Keep the synopsis as short as possible while still telling the complete story.
D. Using dialogue in a synopsis isn't usually a good idea unless the writer feels a brief bit of dialogue is essential in illustrating a character trait or plot point.
E. Choosing strong, descriptive verbs and nouns and eliminating adjectives and adverbs as much as possible will give the synopsis more punch with fewer words.
I wish I could say this lesson is "Synopsis Writing Made Easy," but, in the 10 plus years I've been writing, I've always been in the group of writers who think writing synopses is one of the hardest parts of being an author.
Good luck with whatever you're writing this week!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
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