What Do You Mean I Have to Write a Synopsis? (Penny Rader)

While we're waiting for Elizabeth Sinclair to share her expertise on writing the dreaded synopsis and since writing a synopsis is not my greatest strength, I did what I do best and found some online resources for you to check out. (grin) I hope you find them helpful.

Just a note: If you find any of these articles particularly useful, you might want to save them as a word doc or print a copy. While pulling these together I discovered that several of the links I had saved no longer work. All of the links below worked at the time I posted this article.

Behind the Scenes: Synopsis 101 (Dale Ketcham)
http://www.earthlycharms.com/dreamweaver1-03.htm

Composing an In-Depth Synopsis {in a Two-Page-Maximum World} (Karen Wiesner)
http://www.dowse.com/articles/two-page-synopsis.html

Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis (Lisa Gardner’s synopsis series)
For the Synopically Challenged (Rosalyn Alsobrook) http://home.earthlink.net/~ralsobrook/wrtrtips.htm#Anchor1099

How I Write a Fiction Synopsis (Diana Peterfreund)
http://www.dianapeterfreund.com/how-i-write-a-fiction-synopsis/

How to Avoid the Top 10 Mistakes in Writing Synopses (Pam McCutcheon)
How to Write a Synopsis (Rebecca Sinclair)
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/synopsis.html

How to Write a Good Synopsis (Suzanne James)
http://www.helium.com/items/652310-how-to-write-a-good-synopsis

How to Write a Synopsis for Fiction: What to Include in a Synopsis and How to Impress Editors and Agents (Carrie Lewis)
http://writingfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_write_a_synopsis_for_fiction

Index Card Method of Writing Synopses (Karen Harbaugh)
http://www.sff.net/People/KarenH/writarch.htm#indexcard

Mastering the Dreaded Synopsis - Condensing Your Novel (Lee Masterson)
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/synopsis.html

No Synopsis? No Problem! (Paula Roe)
http://www.paularoe.com/synopses.html

Overcoming the Fear of Writing a Synopsis (Vicki M. Taylor)
http://www.poewar.com/overcoming-the-fear-of-writing-a-synopsis-2/

Plot and Synopsis (Nancy Richards Akers)
http://www.theromanceclub.com/writers/articles/art0019.htm

Synopsis Creation - Plot Revision (Alicia Rasley) http://www.sff.net/people/alicia/artsynrevision.htm

Synopsis Writing, part 1 and part 2 (Elizabeth Grayson) http://www.elizabethgrayson.com/on_writing_synopsis.html
http://www.elizabethgrayson.com/on_writing_synopsis2.html

Synopsis Writing 101 (Serena Tatti)
Synopsis Writing – What Worked for Trish (3 blog posts)
http://trishwylie.blogspot.com/2006/06/synopsis-your-toe-in-door-to-being.html
http://trishwylie.blogspot.com/2006/07/synopsis-example-at-your-request.html
http://trishwylie.blogspot.com/2006/07/synopsis-qa-and-summing-up.html

Ten Tips on Writing the Synopsis (Nancy Cohen)
http://mysterygal.bravejournal.com/entry/36718

The Basics of Writing a Synopsis (Janice Lynn)
http://www.gdrwa.org/article49.html

The Synopsis – An Editor’s View
http://catauniversity.com/?p=486

The Synopsis Project
http://home.centurytel.net/jax/SynopsisProject.htm

That Dreaded Synopsis (Anne Gracie)
http://www.annegracie.com/writing/synopses.htm

Tips on How to Stop Dreading the Dreaded Synopsis
http://www.examiner.com/x-22536-Rochester--Writing-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Tips-on-how-to-stop-dreading-the-dreaded-synopsis

Top 10 Questions for a Successful Synopsis (Gina Ardito)
Two Page Synopsis Example (Dale Ketcham)
http://catauniversity.com/?p=415

Writing a Novel Synopsis
www.fictionwriters.com/tips-synopsis.html

Writing a Selling Synopsis (Mia Crews)
Writing a Short Synopsis (Roxanne Rustand)
http://www.tlt.com/authors/rrustand/short_synopsis.htm

Writing a Short Synopsis/Outline (Sherry-Anne Jacobs)
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/plotting_and_editing/38172

Writing a Superb Synopsis – The Long Synopsis
http://www.readersroom.com/2006/03/writing-superb-synopsis-long-synopsis.html

Writing a Synopsis (lots of sites to check out)
http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html

Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up (Dee-Ann Latona Leblanc)
http://www.writing-world.com/publish/leblanc.shtml

Writing the Fiction Synopsis (Kathy Carmichael)
http://www.kathycarmichael.com/synopsis.clearwater.fiction.html

Writing the Tight Synopsis (Beth Anderson)
http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com/workshops/writing-the-tight-synopsis/

7 comments:

Reese Mobley said...

WOW! you should change your name to thorough. You are the queen of research.

Rox Delaney said...

Great links, Penny!

Although I can finally write a synopsis without having vapors, it's always good to brush up on a better way. :)

corpadre? (my cathcha word) Is that a corporate friend?

Joan Vincent said...

If all the links are as interesting as Karen Weisner's Composing an In-Depth Synopsis {in a two-page-maximum world} you've given us a gold mine ten times over Penny. Thank you!

Jeannie said...

Like everyone else, Penny, synopsis is hardly my strong suit. However, if someone couldn't find something to help them out with the process in all of those links, they'd have to be really dense.

Thanks for the many links to check out. You truly are the Queen of Research. We bow before your grace, Your Majesty, and thank you for your benevolence. :)

Starla Kaye said...

Wow! Great! Queen of Research! All of it applies to you, Penny, and your post. Thanks so much

Penny Rader said...

Thanks, guys! I was hoping someone would benefit from the links. I probably went a little overboard, but you never know what will click and make someone go "aha!" Now I just need to take my own advice about saving and printing. I had to delete quite a few links from my list because they don't work any longer.

Rox, do you suppose your catcha word might also be a dead priest or a ghost priest?

Nina Sipes said...

HOLY SMOKES, Saphire, Can you get info together or what?
Such a wonderful collage of info is enough to give anyone hope. Good Job! I'm keeping all the links. My pool of inadequacy in synopsese is deeper than most.