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How to make a synopsis compelling



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Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:16 pm
Allyn32 says...



I am working on writing my novel right now.
But of course to have a chance at getting published I need to write a query letter with a synopsis.

I feel like there are probably other people out there that are in the same spot I am. SO!!! What are the things that you read in a synopsis that pulls you in? What makes you want to read the book? What do you think makes a good synopsis good?




My Synopsis in progress

The fight is never quite over for James Anthony Deluca. After returning home from war (WWII) to his childhood home he learns that his late father left his family in debt to the Mafia. The only way to pay off such a debt is for him to work for The Santora Family. With the help of an old friend turned Mafioso he must fight not only his sense of justice and the law, but an old war buddy who’s a detective and hot on his trail.
As 5 years pass James starts to become a large part of The Santora Family, quickly climbing the ranks. Along the way making new friends and worse enemies, as he dives deeper into this crime syndicate he learns of his father’s involvement with The Santora Family and how he died, more importantly who killed him. James sets out for revenge, but just as quickly his family and loved ones become the target of this mad man. “Wise Guys: A Debt Paid in Full” is a tale of family, duty, and vengeance.

(Is this compelling and does it make you want to read it? Be honest and let me know what you think would improve it)
Mickey was just an average Joe, a gentle hearted soul being praised for his brutality.
  





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Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:13 pm
Tenyo says...



This looks like a really cool plot =D

Is it a synopsis or a blurb you're working on?

A summary is a two or three sentence... you could almost call it a tagline. It's to make the book sound really cool when someone asks what it's about, and is based on the main character.

A Synopsis is a step-by-step summary of the main points of a story, from the beginning to the end. It's what you send to a publisher along with your manuscript, and should cover the whole arch in brief detail. They generally follow the main characters journey throughout the plot.

A Blurb is a kind of introduction to the novel, that's meant to grab someone's attention and make them open the front cover to find more. Generally these are written around the MC and the conflict.

Yours looks more like a blurb than a synopsis, but it's hard to say how to improve it without knowing which one you're aiming for.
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Sun Apr 20, 2014 7:08 pm
Rosendorn says...



General tips for making any sort of "here read this" thing you could ever write:

1- Avoid generalities. You do this, which I am very happy to see. Lines like:

The only way to pay off such a debt is for him to work for The Santora Family. With the help of an old friend turned Mafioso he must fight not only his sense of justice and the law, but an old war buddy who’s a detective and hot on his trail.


Along the way making new friends and worse enemies, as he dives deeper into this crime syndicate he learns of his father’s involvement with The Santora Family and how he died, more importantly who killed him.


Give us events, or at least ideas about events. I can believe the final line of your blurb, because you've given me a certain amount of information to back it up. You've told me, indirectly, that he will do anything for his family (when you said he takes a job there in the first place and go against his friend), so I believe that the story is about family.

2- Give the highlights. Your plot will obviously have a ton of stuff in it, but you want to condense yourself down to the critical, character revealing, plot twisting scenes that give us a sense what's going on. This is more for longer summaries, but it applies in a blurb. In the lines I quoted above, you pick very exact moments to reveal the whole plot.

3- Cut out anything that distracts from the highlights. I'd actually qualify your first two sentences as this. "The fight is never over" is a bit of a generality, and it doesn't give me anything. Returning home from the war is kind of interesting, but I think it could be reworded.

Hope this helps!
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:27 pm
Allyn32 says...



Thanks for your advice.
It is really helpful.
Mickey was just an average Joe, a gentle hearted soul being praised for his brutality.
  








I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest