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Questions tagged [synopsis]

This tag should be used for questions dealing with the synopsis of a work, such as questions asking for common techniques to write a short summary of your work that will be useful for the readers while at the same time enticing, or questions that deal with the ideal length of a synopsis for a certain piece of work, such as when sending the synopsis to an agent in a query letter.

This tag should be used for questions dealing with the synopsis of a work, such as questions asking for common techniques to write a short summary of your work that will be useful for the while at the same time enticing, or questions that deal with the ideal length of a synopsis for a certain piece of work, such as when sending the synopsis to an in .

You should mention the and you have written and the for your synopsis.

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Where should I put my tl;dr?

By definition TL;DR, short for "too long; didn't read", is Internet slang to say that some text being replied to has been ignored because of its length. In slang it can also stand for "Too lazy; didn't read". It is also used as a signifier for a…
Vylix
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Are there any online writing groups dedicated to critiquing synopses?

I wrote what others believe is a killer query letter, but now I have to do a synopsis. There appear to be lots of writer's groups, but I was hoping for a free one that focuses on reading…
Richard Stanzak
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How to summarize prolonged plot

I'm trying to write a summary of my book's plot for a query letter to literary agents, but my plot is extremely hard to summarize. The reason is that the plot is fast-paced, erratic, and constantly shifting. Why do I still believe in my novel?…
Yehuda Shapira
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Synopsis for a village full of characters

My book is about a sleepy Devon village and is a compilation of tales that feature over thirty characters. They weave in and out of each other's stories, in the pub, Post Office and village shop etc. I had an old lady read it to see if it was too…
Owly
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Ensemble cast novel - pitch and synopsis

My mystery novel features an ensemble cast of seven characters. Since I can't talk about all of them in the short span of the query letter, I've decided to focus on the antagonist. He's the main driving force behind the plot and despite appearing…
undecided
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Should I send my manuscript again if I forgot the synopsis after sending it to a publisher?

I emailed the manuscript and everything the guidelines said, and then realised the next morning I forgot to attatch the synopsis with it. I looked over the guidelines while I did the email. This is my first time submitting a manuscript to a…
Cody
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Synopsis - multiple POVs and time periods

I'm looking for advice on writing a synopsis for my novel. I've found quite a few examples online, but none for multiple POVs and time periods. My novel is written from the point of view of three main characters, with POV switches at the chapter…
PhilG
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How to write a good one paragraph synopsis for the snowflake method?

As an exercise for the snowflake method, I am working on a five-sentence paragraph synopsis for my story. I have a few attempts written down, where each attempt summarizes different aspects of the story. My problem is that each synopsis hints at a…
iamtowrite
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How to write a synopsis/query when the story has more than one POV

I’ve recently been trying to work on my query letter / synopsis for my historical fiction novel. There are 4 POVs. I was told once if your story has more than one pov, in your query letter/synopsis, you write out the ‘main’ pov/plot of the story,…
anon
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Excerpt's length

How long, or how short, should and excerpt be? In entering mine for NaNoWriMo I noticed it was over 500 words long. Generally speaking, how long should a good excerpt be? Should I treat it as I would the synopsis? In length I mean.
shieldedtulip
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How long should a good synposis be for a novel?

I have always been poor at writing things without including excessive detail, but I managed to rewrite my synopsis with very little detail and with personal detailed side notes not included within the actual synopsis. It is solely the overall plot,…
Bethrbt
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Preventing spoilers in a short yet interesting synopsis of the story

The story I'm writing is all about discovery, so 95% of it needs to be unknown by the reader at first. But I just don't know how to make a short description of it, for example when telling to a friend about the story, or even an official…
Yuuza
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How to format a novel synopsis

Is it standard practice to format a synopsis in the same manner as a manuscript (double line spacing, indented first line, 12 point, aligned left, times new roman size 12) when submitting to an agent/publisher? Or am I ok to switch back to single…
neelyky
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Should Person Write Query Letter and Synopsis in Chronological Order Even Though Story is Told in Pieces

I am attempting to write my first novel, a historical fiction. To help focus my story, I wrote the Query Letter and Synopsis in chronological order. However, the story is a narration by an old lady who is speaking to a reporter, hence story will…
Marium
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Why is tl;dr at the end?

Why is it in the end, I see this often after reading the material. The definition is too long, didn't read, but by the time I see the tl;dr, I've already read it. It breaks the flow of the whole story and becomes redundant if the entire article is…
LeanMan
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