"Reveals the entire story, including major twists and the ending." Is this really wise in the age of AI? That's not something I'm sharing with anyone, unless I know them like really, really well
Richard, most agents I know aren't AI. At least I don't think I am. ;)
I get what you're saying, but I think feeding a synopsis into Chatgpt wouldn't come out with any salable novel. Execution, voice, word choice, nuance -- that's what makes the story, not telling what happened.
Having said that, why would sending the synopsis raise a flag for you? When you query, you send the manuscript.
Thanks Renee. My point is an author's plot has very weak copyright protection. Giving it away to a stranger seems risky. As for the manuscript, these are seldom requested in unsolicited queries. And that's my problem, the unsolicited part. I won't query without having some connection with the agent. And then they gotta ask : )
Not sure who would ask for the synopsis other than an agent you have queried, and you certainly wouldn’t post it publicly. If anybody wants to “steal” my Detective Mary story, by all means, have at it. I don’t plan to write it.
The cause-and-effect test is the one I keep applying to my own synopsis while querying. Not “what happens next” but “why does this thing cause that thing.” Very helpful thanks
Love this! Thank you for revealing the secret to this vital step in the agent acquisition process, lifting the hood to reveal the motor beneath, or, How to stop spinning your wheels and get moving!
TIM! Exciting! You're a judge. I thought this out, and you can tell me if I'm wrong. I absolutely thought of fruit of the poisonous tree. The search of his home was indeed illegal BUT she did not use any of the evidence nor even tell anyone about it.
When she caught Thomas red handed at his mother's house, they got a warrant and found the evidence, all by the book.
You could say she is still guilty breaking into Thomas' home. But here I'll claim exigent circumstances. She smelled smoke. Thoughts?
I caught that she ended up not using anything in the illegal search, which solves the Fourth Amendment issue. It was that the synopsis said she went in hoping to find evidence. For what purpose? She’d never be able to use it. Unless of course she’d go vigilante. That would be a neat plot twist. 😉
P.S. A retired judge as of last January. Thirty years on the bench.
Rob, you didn't think I'd make sure I was at or under the limit? ;)
According to my original copy in Word it's 702 words.
However I caught a typo, I referred to something as "long synopsis" and I meant to go back to the "long summary"... There shouldn't be a "long synopsis".
"Reveals the entire story, including major twists and the ending." Is this really wise in the age of AI? That's not something I'm sharing with anyone, unless I know them like really, really well
Richard, most agents I know aren't AI. At least I don't think I am. ;)
I get what you're saying, but I think feeding a synopsis into Chatgpt wouldn't come out with any salable novel. Execution, voice, word choice, nuance -- that's what makes the story, not telling what happened.
Having said that, why would sending the synopsis raise a flag for you? When you query, you send the manuscript.
Thanks Renee. My point is an author's plot has very weak copyright protection. Giving it away to a stranger seems risky. As for the manuscript, these are seldom requested in unsolicited queries. And that's my problem, the unsolicited part. I won't query without having some connection with the agent. And then they gotta ask : )
Not sure who would ask for the synopsis other than an agent you have queried, and you certainly wouldn’t post it publicly. If anybody wants to “steal” my Detective Mary story, by all means, have at it. I don’t plan to write it.
The cause-and-effect test is the one I keep applying to my own synopsis while querying. Not “what happens next” but “why does this thing cause that thing.” Very helpful thanks
I like the distinction between a plot summary and a synopsis. One tells what happens. The other demonstrates why the story holds together.
Love this! Thank you for revealing the secret to this vital step in the agent acquisition process, lifting the hood to reveal the motor beneath, or, How to stop spinning your wheels and get moving!
Thank you for this follow up post and for including a sample synopsis. It's so helpful! :)
Sharing w/writing group.
Thanks for this!!!
This was very helpful — Thank you!
The example summary is helpful. Thanks much.
(Plotwise, the judge part of me wonders how the detective thinks uncovering evidence by way of an illegal search would lead to a conviction. 😏)
TIM! Exciting! You're a judge. I thought this out, and you can tell me if I'm wrong. I absolutely thought of fruit of the poisonous tree. The search of his home was indeed illegal BUT she did not use any of the evidence nor even tell anyone about it.
When she caught Thomas red handed at his mother's house, they got a warrant and found the evidence, all by the book.
You could say she is still guilty breaking into Thomas' home. But here I'll claim exigent circumstances. She smelled smoke. Thoughts?
I caught that she ended up not using anything in the illegal search, which solves the Fourth Amendment issue. It was that the synopsis said she went in hoping to find evidence. For what purpose? She’d never be able to use it. Unless of course she’d go vigilante. That would be a neat plot twist. 😉
P.S. A retired judge as of last January. Thirty years on the bench.
True. Mary is a wild card. You never know :)
Very helpful, thank you for sharing!
Very helpful. How would you go about doing it with a multi POV fantasy novel?
In the article I provide a link to the original article where I talk about multiple POV. https://reneefountain.substack.com/p/mastering-the-synopsis-grinding-your?r=2qsmnk
Your sample synopsis of detective Mary has way more that 800 words. Is that a long synopsis?
Rob, you didn't think I'd make sure I was at or under the limit? ;)
According to my original copy in Word it's 702 words.
However I caught a typo, I referred to something as "long synopsis" and I meant to go back to the "long summary"... There shouldn't be a "long synopsis".
Sorry, Renee. You're right. It does have under 800 words. I commented to hastily.
All good Rob. If you’re reading on your phone it looks like War and Peace… Sometimes I do get caught making an error, so good looking out. :)