The Dreaded Synopsis… or I don’t know how my story will end

I have a great buddy who writes horror. This is not necessarily my favorite read, but he makes it very compelling. And he scares the crap out of me, so I know it’s good. He’s been seeking a retreat style workshop where he could get some ‘hands on’ instruction. He found one in New Orleans that looked like EXACTLY what he wanted to attend. The workshop presenters required a synopsis and writing sample from each prospective attendee.

That’s where I came in.

Turns out, my buddy is a ‘pantser’. He just sits at the keyboard and writes what comes to his head. So, even though he has a really good tale in the works, he had no synopsis.  He called me. So I gave him a pep talk (’cause that’s what writing buddies do) and told him to do a draft synopsis and send it to me. Between the two of us, we could whip it into shape in time for the workshop submission.

First Draft. At this point, I realize that my buddy does not really know what a synopsis is supposed to accomplish. I find that as I try to explain something to someone, it really helps ME to learn more about it. So, in a few words, what is a synopsis? A synopsis is an outline of your story that is used as a selling tool for prospective buyers. It must contain a short character study of each main character and the major plot points, conflicts and choices that the character makes. A synopsis does not coyly hold anything back. A synopsis is, by definition, a spoiler.

What my buddy provided to me was about 4 pages of very well thought out back story. It was all HE had to envision to get the characters to the point where the story began, so he thought it had to be exposed in the synopsis.  I searched the internet and found a couple of really great articles on synopsis and sent him the links.  Then I emailed him my edits to his synopsis with recommendations on where to start, and what to fill in.

Second draft.  Because this is horror, there are several players that have to be exposed in the synopsis.  Not the least of which is the main protagonist who is schizophrenic.  Once the character sketches are ironed out, I begin to ask him leading questions.  How is the main character going to grow through the book?  I should have used the word ‘implode’ because, really, this is horror.  As my buddy begins the process of explaining what is going to occur, I realize that he has no idea how this story will end.  So I ask him, how is this going to end?  He dodges a little, talks in circles for a few emails, then admits that he has no idea at all.

How do you help someone brainstorm an ending?  It’s got to be apocalyptic because that’s what horror readers want.  I suggested that many writers write their First and Last chapters first so they can set up some excellent parallelism and be sure that their ending makes sense, then they write the chapters to link the two.  All of a sudden, this makes sense to him.  He loves the idea of having some parallel because, of course, the evil must go on.  It’s horror, not romance.

Third draft.  Now the characters are clear (and freakin’ creepy!) and we have a vague idea of what they are going to do.  The full story plotline is exposed and you can see the main action peaks and the dark moment.  This is when I begin to ask him, but WHY is that guy going to do that?  What would make a man take that chance?  As he tries to explain the motivations to me, it clarifies intent for him and all of a sudden, he KNOWS what will make the story really leap off the page.

Fourth draft.  The characters have substance, their conflicts are exposed and their motivations are outlined.  I can see the story arc from one end to the other.  He knows what has to be accomplished for the characters to get from Chapter One to the Last Chapter.  A few edits, change a name or two to keep them from all sounding alike, and the synopsis was done.

He was thankful.  For him, it was uncomfortable and hard to think it all through ahead of time.  He is one of those guys who wrote the college theme paper and then wrote the outline from the finished work instead of vice versa.  He concluded that having an outline to ‘write toward’ would actually help him in the long run.  Can I hear a Hallelujah?  Amen.

What this reminded me of is the discussion that we’ve shared in the past–no two people use the same method to write fiction.  However, because certain deliverables are required by the industry, sometimes you have to work outside your comfort zone if you wish to create a sellable product.

Because a synopsis is not a dirty word, it’s a selling tool.  It shows the agent/editor that you’ve thought through your story, you’ve created believable obstacles for your protagonist and you’ve brought the story to a logical conclusion.  Even if there is no Happily Ever After in the story, the ending must have impact.  For a horror story, maybe the evil lives on in the next generation.  Maybe the bad guy skates away to stalk his next victim.  Either way, the ending has to be envisioned for the book to work.  Writing a synopsis can be a brainstorming exercise; it can be a Goals, Motivation, and Conflict check; it can be a process where you cement your story ideas so you have an outline to write from.  Regardless, it is never a waste of time.

–Sandee Wagner