Novelist Josh Palmatier’s (jpsorrow) has organized something he’s calling the Plot Synopsis Project, which is taking place on March 18th. It is so cool that I’ll let him tell you about it in his own words…

“Essentially, I gathered together a group of authors who were willing to post an entry about their own plot synopsis writing technique as well as a sample copy of one of their own plot synopses OR post an entry about how they got published without using a plot synopsis, to show everyone how different people write their synopses, and that it isn’t necessarily required to get published. There are other routes. I would say that MOST people have to write a plot synopsis in order to get published though . . . and most of us hate doing it. I personally do.

And just to clarify, by plot synopsis, I mean the (usually) 3-5 page summary of the book that is (usually) included in a submission package to the agent or editor, along with a cover letter or query letter, and sometimes with the first few chapters of the novel. This is not the one paragraph pitch, or even the one line pitch. Some of the other authors will talk about these other things as well in their discussion, but the main thrust of these posts is the 3-5 page synopsis.

The participants include:
Patricia Bray (pbray): Patricia Bray

Chaz Brenchley (desperance): Chaz Brenchley

Mike Brotherton: Mike Brotherton: Hard SF Writer

Tobias Buckell: Ask Me A Question

S.C. Butler (scbutler): S.C. Butler

Barbara Campbell: Barbara Campbell

David B. Coe (davidbcoe): An Exchange of Words

Jennifer Dunne (jennifer_dunne): Flickering Flames

S.L. Farrell (sleigh): At The Intersection of Fiction & Reality

Diana Francis (difrancis): Mad Libs

Gregory Frost frostokovich): Maunderings of the Diseased Mind

Felix Gilman: Felix Gilman

Jim C. Hines (jimhines): Jim C Hines

Jackie Kessler (jackiekessler): Jackie Kessler

Mindy Klasky (mindyklasky): Read ‘Til You Drop

Misty Massey (madkestrel): A Hazardous Occupation

C.E. Murphy (mizkit): The Essential Kit

Naomi Novik(naominovik): Dragons! Lip Gloss! Death!

Joshua Palmatier (jpsorrow): The Creation of Wrath Suvane

Maria V. Snyder: Maria V Snyder

Jennifer Stevenson (smokingpigeon): Smokingpigeon

Michelle West (msagara): Trying To Catch Up

Sean Williams (ladnews): Sean Williams

I think is a terrific idea and I urge any of you who have trouble writing a synopsis to check out how varied these are from one another, proving the old adage - there’s more than one way to skin a cat!