Eisley Jacobs -

A few people on twitter have asked what the blueprint for my synopsis was.

I know it’s a daunting task… at least it feels like a daunting task when you start. And while, yes you are thrilled when it’s over, it’s also very rewarding to get through it.

Below are the steps I took to write my synopsis… in 7 DAYS…

DAY 1: Write everything you know. And when I say everything. I mean. EVERY.THING. Write crappy. Write fast. Don’t dot your “i” or cross your “t” just make sure YOU can read it… cuzz NO ONE ELSE WILL, so it doesn’t really matter a whole lot. Just write it down. Write your characters name, occupation, their hair color (if you think its important), their age, who they love, hate, their opposition… yup write it all in short sentences. I think mine was something like 8 pages long. No really. Do it. One thing to remember… your synopsis does not have to be in chronological order. It just needs to tell the idea of the novel with the main plot points… But starting in chronological order is ALWAYS advisable. You can switch it up later to help with length.

DAY 2: You didn’t do it did you? Hummm, well I’ll tell you my steps anyway and trust you’ll do the first step. No one likes a step skipper. So once you have your 6-8 pages written (maybe 10.. 12.. maybe?) It’s time to start cutting. Go thru your pages and start cutting things that you believe don’t matter as much to the plot. Subplots are okay to leave in for this draft, think if they will really help you move the plot forward for the synopsis. So don’t be afraid… Cut cut cut… if you think you cut too much, you can always add in later… but cut at least half your pages out. Like really. Don’t be afraid, your synopsis will thank you later.

DAY 3: Now you have a war wounded synopsis. Cut, bleeding (hopefully in the right places) and ready to be mended and made well. It’s time to start fixing your crappy sentences and seeing how to you say those first five things in one intelligent way. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Just start combining sentences. Combine them well and try to cut out at least half of what you started with. So you should have like 2-3 pages when you are done mending. But it’s not going to look ultra pretty… but it’s going to be at least somewhat okay. REMEMBER you can unorganize it now. So what if your supporting MC doesn’t come in until after the bad dude does, just make it feel lovely and flow well. As long as it follows the storyline you are golden!

DAY 4: Send it to your critique group and ask them to hack the #$@% out of it. Good friends will hack for their friends… #truestory. Get people to tear this baby apart and you need more then one… dare I say three??? Why three, well besides the fact it’s a perfect trinity number… it means you will have at least three differing opinions. And they are just that… OPINIONS but they should help you figure out what isn’t needed and what IS missing. Hopefully, these are the same critique partners that have beta read and critiqued this novel, so they should know how to help. When you get them back… wait to look at the results until Day 5.

DAY 5: Look at the results and suck it up. Yes, it probably sucks sours lemons. But did you expect it to be perfect already? YOU DID?! Who the heck are you? I digress… So look at your results and really ponder what each of them says… Do you agree? Do you disagree? Figure out what is good advice and what is just an opinion and work with it. And now… it’s time for your last cut… but unfortunately not your last rewrite. Cut the fat… leave in the meat… pork up the skimpy details and polish those sentences.

DAY 6: Time to send to your partners again and hold your breath. Probably during day 6, I read the notes (far less then the first time) and made changes. I answered questions that I hadn’t before and even reorganized a bit more. I also cut the sucker down to 517 words! It hit the main plot line, where they went, how they got there, their motivation, and how it ended. I also crossed my “t”s in this version… and dotted my “i”.

Day 7: After the rewrite on Day 6, I waited until Day 7 to send it back to the partners… and bit my nails… a lot. The first one replied… and BINGO! I was done with my synopsis… ready to send to the agents.

Yes, it took seven days… but surely you have a few hours a day to spare for this IMPORTANT spot in your career. It certainly took you more then seven days to write the novel… do yourself a favor and take the time to write your synopsis. You will be happy you did!

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