I'm planning to attend the Muse and the Marketplace writing conference sponsored by Grub Street in Boston on the weekend of April 30. As part of the process, I signed up for a review of content related to the manuscript of my first novel, Growing Up Single. Requirements include submission of a query letter, a synopsis and up to 20 pages from the manuscript itself.
I've experienced the traditional query process numerous times with this particular manuscript, but I decided to take a fresh look at everything before making the submission. I suppose the safe thing to do is submit tried and true materials, but the temptation to tinker and make the words better is hard to resist.
Lately, I've worked on my synopsis. One I'd previously prepared for this novel was about 5 double-spaced pages in length. The requirement this time is for one page. At first I tried to squeeze it down to one page double-spaced, but the result felt very sketchy. Then I read the instructions more closely and realized that a one page single-spaced synopsis was acceptable. Good news. I'd have twice as much space to summarize my opus.
Last night I dove into it and expanded the prior rendition, adding much more color about the characters and their adventures. Like many novels, Growing Up Single touches on a lot of themes, but the one page synopsis requires focus. Since the relationships between the MC and his friends drive much of the action, I wanted to show the links between the characters and the various twists of the plot. The resulting synopsis came in about one paragraph too long. However, I've got lots of experience in whittling down texts to meet word limits, so I used my editing tools and pared down the text by excising a word here and a phrase there, until voila—a one page synopsis.
I'm generally happy with the result of the work, but I like to let work gestate, so I'll take another look at the synopsis as I put together the rest of this package. On the plus side, I'm having fun with the process. It's been a while since I've done any work on this novel, so it's interesting to re-visit the pitch and also consider whether I want to make any further adjustments to the manuscript itself. The package needs to be submitted in about two weeks, so the clock is ticking.
If you're a writer, do you have any impending deadlines that are causing you to re-visit a manuscript? Do you have any favorite tips on the art of writing a synopsis?
As a reader, is the back cover blurb or book review—a kind of synopsis in retrospect—the thing which will catch your attention enough to make you want to read the book?
