In part two of our three part series on writing the synopsis, we’re going to continue looking at the six key elements that I include in each synopsis that I write.  We’ve already focused on Theme and Setting/Time Period in our last post, so in this post we are going to examine Character Sketches, Plot Summaries, and Emotional Turning Points.

Character Sketches:

I always incorporate a short thumbnail sketch of each major character in either my novel proposals or as part of the synopsis itself. For example, here is a short character sketch that was included in the proposal for my latest thriller – EYES TO SEE.

Jeremiah Hunt is one of the Gifted, those who, by chance or design, have unique abilities that go beyond the natural. Despite being blind, Jeremiah is a Seer, able to see things remotely through the help of the two ghosts, Whisper and Scream, who are his ever-present companions. Of all the things that Jeremiah can see with his gift, he is unable to see the one thing that is most important to him – his missing daughter.

Plot Summary:

Obviously the plot summary is the heart of your synopsis. What most writers fail to realize is that you must summarize the beginning, middle, and the end of the story. You don’t want to frustrate the editor or agent reading your proposal with leaving only a teaser ending to your synopsis. “Will the Ghostbusters escape from the clutches of the evil Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? Request the full manuscript to find out!” is a big mistake.

You want the editor to walk away from your synopsis with the sense that you not only know where the story is going, but that also you know why it is going there and you understand the actual route it takes along the way. You want to show that the actions of the characters are grounded in their motivations and are a natural result of the situations they find themselves in, rather than a forced chain of events that result because the writer needs it to happen that way.

I take care to highlight the inciting incident that sends the hero on his way, the attempts and failures he undergoes to reach his goal, and the final climax of the story. In other words, highlight the problem, the conflict, and the resolution of your tale. I do not go into every little subplot or minor character because I want to maintain the editor’s interest and don’t want to make the story seem convoluted or confusing.

Emotional Turning Points:

Every novel is full of tens if not hundreds of little scenes that drive the story forward but that can’t stand alone as major elements. They do, however, contribute to a growing crescendo of emotion that culminates in a major scene that impacts the story in such as way as to be indispensible – in other words, it would be a different story without those elements. Including the emotional turning points in your synopsis is vital. In effect, your synopsis should almost leapfrog from one emotional turning point to another.

In the third and final post on the subject, we’ll examine the final of the six elements - Subplots - and then look at an actual synopsis for LIONS OF JUDAH, a work I just recently optioned for feature film development.