Nathan Bransford - The Forums

If you wrote a novel from 2 points of view do you have to do the same with the synopsis? Or, do you write it from the same view as the query?

A synopsis is a brief, condensed retelling of your story in the order in which it occurs in the book. It should include the necessary internal thoughts and reactions of all the characters. It's generally written in an omniscient pov (like a query) regardless of the pov structure of the book itself.

Think of it as the Cliff's Notes version of your book. Someone who reads it knows pretty much the whole plot, has a good feel for who the characters are, what happens to them and how they feel about all of it. Agents read the synopsis to see if there are good conflicts, believable plot progression/pacing, clear story arcs, a realistic/satisfying conclusion, well-developed characters---they want to know all that is in place (at least according to the synopsis) before they take the time to read the manuscript. Hope that helps.

cheekychook wrote:Agents read the synopsis to see if there are good conflicts, believable plot progression/pacing, clear story arcs, a realistic/satisfying conclusion, well-developed characters

And do it all in two pages. DEATH TO THE SYNOPSIS.

*ahem* Brief rant over. I feel better. I really do.

Now to go tackle the TWO SENTENCE PITCH. Can you tell I'm getting ready for a conference? :P

Thanks for the help! Now, time to start plugging away.