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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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When I was little, I took two things very seriously: playing with my Barbies and reading Sweet Valley High books. One of the things I would do would be to write up a Sweet Valley High-style synopsis for what was going to happen to the Barbies that day. The fun part was the synopsis!
Whenever I read About the Book sections on the Book Details of Book Country members' WIPs, I itch to edit them. Does that happen to anyone else? Are you giving feedback on the About the Book when you do your review?
What do you think makes for a great synopsis?
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Joined: 12/21/2014
Posts: 7
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That's a rare talent. Most writers hate drafting a synopsis. Even worse, now that I'm starting the querying process, I realize that I need several synopses: one page, two page, sometimes even a five page synopsis.
The hardest part is keeping the synopsis from reading like a travelogue. I've tried to focus on the MC's journey. What does he or she want most at the beginning of the story? Why doesn't he or she get it? What is the "mirror moment" where everything changes for the MC?
Here's to hoping that we can all learn this skill. --edited by Dave Pearce on 6/14/2015, 2:00 AM--
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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Hehe, not sure if I have a talent for it, just an interest in it! 
Dave, have you asked for feedback specifically on a synopsis here on Book Country?
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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PS: Nice to see you back on Book Country!
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Joined: 12/21/2014
Posts: 7
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Thanks. Got locked out when I couldn't remember my password and the prompt to reset it didn't work. So I created a new account.
Need to get back in the swing of things and critique some stuff, then I'll post a query and synopsis. Maybe even something more substantial.
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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@Dave--Ah, I understand now. Do you want me to help you to get back into your old account?
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Joined: 12/21/2014
Posts: 7
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Nah. Not needed. But thanks for the offer.
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Joined: 4/30/2011
Posts: 19
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Synopsis is the hardest thing for an author to write. It's almost impossible to convey the "between the lines" motive underlying the piece. In practice, one indicates how the narrative fits a particular genre. But what happens if the book lies in multiple genres? --edited by John Speikers on 6/18/2015, 11:34 AM--
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Joined: 4/23/2015
Posts: 38
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Gah! I can't stand writing synopsises. They all start off reasonably well, and I congratulate myself for managing to get in all the main plot points, then I read it back and it's like reading a menu. I just can't seem to do it. I wish I had your drive to do it, Lucy. I've gone looking for guidelines and help-websites for writing synopsises but, even when I apply some really good guidelines to the job, it still doesn't work quite right 
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