tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post4981549776732589358..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Synopsis 38Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-26630690404958233992013-10-26T19:30:43.954-04:002013-10-26T19:30:43.954-04:00And about those synopses.
I HATE writing them whe...And about those synopses.<br /><br />I HATE writing them when agents ask for them. As an exercise, I've written synopses for various literary classics, and they simply defy condensation in terms of the plot; they lose their essence.<br /><br />Resolved, then. No matter what the agent asks for, I'll never submit a synopsis again.J.M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11243899014416529945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-22074150571596814722013-10-26T19:10:53.836-04:002013-10-26T19:10:53.836-04:00I actually think you've got some intriguing an...I actually think you've got some intriguing and dramatic (even cinematic) elements. A girl whose special powers destroy those closest to her, who chooses domesticity over passion even though she is capable of wildly heightened sensory experiences. But they do get lost in the verbiage.<br /><br />Here's an example of the kind of cutting you could do:<br /><br />The whole second paragraph can be boiled down to: "She catches the eye of a boy named Dylan, a lay attache to the local monastery" (or whatever he is).<br /><br />Paragraph three: "Enter Teague, a young nobleman whose love for Avalyn persists despite his marriage of convenience to the local lord's daughter."<br /><br />Lots more changes like that could easily be made. Just set up the opposing elements and make us care about Avalyn's choice.J.M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11243899014416529945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-89634800984199788612013-10-25T05:15:46.653-04:002013-10-25T05:15:46.653-04:00This feels too rambling. So much stuff happens tha...This feels too rambling. So much stuff happens that I'm not sure what the core of the story actually is. The major events of her father and Dylan's deaths come later on, but it feels like the story doesn't really start until she finds Dylan in the Otherworld. That's when the real conflicts starts happening, when she has to make tough decisions and choose what will happen next in her life. <br /><br />Opening with Avalyn's dislike of performing at the manner and the lord's mean daughter makes it seem as though that is the main conflict, and as though that's what the novel's going to be about, but then you throw in a whole load of other plot points, making me wonder if that first sentence is really relevant. <br /><br />I think you should start your query where the story starts. What is the main conflict? If it's Avalyn's decision over which man she should be with, start there. <br /><br />The names confused me a bit--the talk of monasteries and the like made me think that this would have a firm historical setting, but the character names are all modern or fantasy-esque. So I'm not sure what kind of world this is. <br /><br />Alicenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-29594572737088506422013-10-24T09:31:08.141-04:002013-10-24T09:31:08.141-04:00All of this is too long, too vague and too confusi...All of this is too long, too vague and too confusing.<br />A synopsis is not meant to entice, it is meant to explain the plot, the complications and the resolution. <br />Do this as clearly as possible without sweeping grandiose statements and you'll be in a better position.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18159799725109784001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-15351854641268151402013-10-23T14:55:37.246-04:002013-10-23T14:55:37.246-04:00Why write a Synopsis at all?
A synopsis could be ...<i>Why write a Synopsis at all?</i><br /><br />A synopsis could be a useful organizational tool if you're the type who likes to organize the whole book before writing it, and who is willing try a new path when the one you mapped out reaches a dead end. <br /><br />I've heard it said that an agent might want a synopsis so she'll know that aliens don't suddenly appear in chapter 14, but if my aliens suddenly appeared in chapter 14, I wouldn't mention them in my synopsis.<br /><br /><br /><i>Are there any that don't make the novel sound stupid?</i><br /><br />No.Evil Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-23986446340182359992013-10-23T14:44:48.495-04:002013-10-23T14:44:48.495-04:00Um, shouldn't she know who her babbydaddy is? ...Um, shouldn't she know who her babbydaddy is? <br /><br />And here's a technical question for EE.<br /><br />Why write a Synopsis at all? Are there any that don't make the novel sound stupid?khazar-khumnoreply@blogger.com