The HEA Cafe

It’s Q&A day at the Café!

First off, I’m glad that so many of you have found the workshop helpful. The first thing we need to acknowledge is that offering workshops here was Lyn Cote‘s idea. Thanks Lyn! You can look for additional workshops in future – they will always be scheduled in the third week of the month, although some will be all week and some will be one-day workshops. They’ll all be taught by RWAOL’s published authors.

Several of you mention a dread of writing synopses – I hope this changes now that you can see the synopsis as a tool and not a chore. The other thing is that you need to leave time for the synopsis. It’s a different way of thinking, a higher level of viewing story and story elements. For example, when I work on a book, I write 3000 to 4000 words a day. That’s 12 to 16 pages or so, double-spaced. An 8 page synopsis, also double-spaced, will take me an entire week to compose. Every single sentence has to be there for a reason and every single element has to make sense.

Writing a synopsis is not easy and is definitely a skill that needs to be cultivated.
I often write the first strokes of the synopsis and then write a scene from the book. I’ve learned that my characters don’t always play along with my ideas, and that their ideas tend to be pretty good. Then I’ll go back to the synopsis and refine the characterization paragraphs. In explaining the rest of the story, it’s helpful to ask WHY? after every development presented. I can either add “because blah blah blah” or I don’t know, and have to step away from the computer to think about it. Knitting is a great help to composing a synopsis, btw – it keeps my fingers busy while my imagination wanders off to find the solution.

Pam asks:

Can I assume that finding all the missing pieces gets easier with experience? I think new writers just don’t SEE what’s missing becuase they don’t know better. I have been making a mental checklist of major points Claire has brought up like: How many events are based on coincidence? Is ____ strong enough to carry 110,000 words? And so on…

Well, yes, I think it does. The synopsis is a different way of looking at the story, and as I mentioned in the comments section yesterday, you develop an ability to slip into Synopsis Mode more easily over time. Good editors are pretty much always in Synopsis Mode! It’s a much more critical way of reading – asking WHY? after every sentence – but once you know how to do it, you might find it hard to not do it. That can make you a bit of a drag to be with at the movie theatre.

Jennifer asks:

Question, you suggested not to place subplots in the synopsis except as a reference. What if a subplot arcs for a good portion of the book? Not diminishing the romance but using a minor character that affects the major characters and shows their emotional growth. Is it distracting to give it a couple sentences or should I stick to the ‘engine’ of the story if you will?

You may want to think about the importance you’ve assigned to the subplot. The very fact that you’re wanting to include it in the synopsis makes me wonder whether it’s taking more of the stage than it should. (Here’s another example of the synopsis being a tool for structuring the book!) In a romance, subplots need to be very tightly constrained because they do take the focus from the central couple. I have on occasion included a mention of a subplot – “a humourous subplot about the romantic adventures of the hero’s clumsy but well-intentioned companion leavens the plot” – but if you can’t cut it down that far (or leave it out altogether) then I’d suggest to you that it’s not really small enough to be a subplot. Either spin it off to its own book or completely axe it. (It’s easier, btw, to do the big cuts yourself than to watch someone else do them for you.)
Another thought for all or you – or a reminder:

There are no perfect synopses. There are stronger ones and weaker ones, but every synopsis can use a tweak or two. The trick is to eliminate as many of the obvious problems as you can before an editor sees it. Don’t make it easy for an editor to pass on your work by, for example, filling your plot with coincidences.

Also, the finished book doesn’t have to perfectly match the synopsis. There are no synopsis cops and it’s likely that no one will even notice a digression, especially if you’ve identified the turning points correctly. If I’ve explained what will make Max trust Melissa, and that his trust will let him show her the truth of what he is, then it’s not that important whether he comes to trust her on page 200 or on page 275 of the manuscript. A good synopsis doesn’t lock you down; it just provides a guide, and one that has some fluidity.

I’ll check back later to see if there are more questions.

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