This is a suggested format for writing a synopsis (which is also called an outline by some editors).  The process of writing a working synopsis is the same as writing a marketing synopsis.  With a working synopsis, the author is less interested in polish and more interested in finding out about the characters and plot points.  The marketing synopsis can (and usually does) come directly out of the working synopsis.

Write your synopsis in the present tense.  Double space it using standard manuscript format – 1″ margins, header with title/author’s last name and page #, approximately 25 lines/page, 60 spaces/line.

STEPS TO WRITING A WORKING SYNOPSIS:

1.  Start with your high concept or a short paragraph that could be the blurb on the back of your book or the short phrase on the front cover that catches a reader’s eye.  It should relate to the theme of your novel.  (Good conquers evil, the price of vengeance is death, etc.  Clichés are good to focus you on your theme)

2.  Protagonist should be described next.  Physical description isn’t necessary, unless it’s important to your story.  Instead think of the items we worked on during the first week of the class — what the characters want (their motivation), their fears, the things they like, what makes a character unique.  Also include items from the back story (a character’s history up until the beginning of the story) that will have relevance on the book.  Don’t do a biography on the character.  You just want to gain some insight into what makes this person tick, so you can work with him/her while writing.

3.  Repeat #2 if you have a second protagonist (romances would concentrate on the hero at this point, a mystery might include the investigator’s partner).  The conflict in the book may come out at this point, if the two characters have clashing goals and needs.

4.  Setting – Don’t worry about this unless it’s very important to the story.  Science fiction/fantasy writers would be concerned with this if they are setting their story in an alternate future/another planet.  Again, keep it short.  You can lengthen this later for your marketing synopsis.  This is just to solidify it in your mind.

5.  Opening of the story should come next.  You should now begin telling your story in chronological order, bringing in secondary characters and subplots as they appear.  The problem that will be solved at the end of the book should be introduced here.  Concentrate on pulling the protagonist’s motivation and the conflict through every paragraph.  This section will be the bulk of your synopsis.  It will allow you to see where there are “holes” in your plot and where you might want to put more tension into the story.

6.  The climax and the black moment –  when the protagonist faces his/her worst fears — should be clearly described.  All the motivation and conflict and tension in your book was leading to this point.  Keep your theme in mind as you write this.  This is where your reader should be certain of what you’re trying to say with this book.  Also here should be where the changes in the character (as a result of what’s happened in the book) should be visible.  Does the character still feel the way he/she did in the beginning?  If that’s true, you need to go back and slowly change some aspect of their character.  A story where the character doesn’t experience some emotional growth will get bounced off an editor’s desk immediately.

7.  The conclusion ties up all the threads of the story, whether it’s happy ever after or a tragedy.  Have the characters achieved their goals?  If not, have you altered them enough so the reader can understand why they no longer hunger for that goal?  Do we feel that they will continue past this point in the book as “real” people with “real” goals and needs?

When you have all this done, give it to someone (preferably another writer) to read before you start writing your book.  If you get back “But why. . .?” or “How. . .?”, you know you have some holes in your story that you have to deal with.  Look at those sections again and rework.  Go through the synopsis with a highlighter and mark “feeling” words, so you can see the growth of your characters.  You may discover one of your characters is changing in very different direction than you intended.  You want to create an emotional connection between yourself and your characters (and eventually between them and an editor) that will sustain you while you are writing.

Mark approximate chapter breaks.  This will give you a good idea if you are on target for what your market expects and a guess at approximate word length.  Also it shows you if your book is properly paced.  If you have long sections with no action or emotional growth, it’s time to rethink your synopsis.

This working synopsis is a road map for you while you’re writing.  You may find, as you write, that you want to wander down a side road.  Your synopsis will enable you to come back to the “straight and narrow” after your side trip.

JUST REMEMBER THAT NOTHING IN A SYNOPSIS IS CARVED IN STONE!!!

Be able to be flexible as you write your novel after you’ve put together your working synopsis.  If you don’t think you can allow yourself to deviate from the plot and characters you’ve set forth in your working synopsis, skip over this step in the process and write your marketing synopsis later.

When I start building a new world for a paranormal (or even for a historical), I use the following questions to get the brainstorm started.   Hope it starts some ideas perking in your head, too!

*  Where is this place — can one get to it from Earth or is it in alternative universe or just somewhere else in this one?  Is it Wisteria Lane or the jungle island of Lost. . .or Gilligan’s Island?  If it’s a “regular” place, what makes it unique?  Your scene is a “character” in your story – just as you chose a type of character, you have chosen a setting.  What makes this special so it’s the setting of your book?

*  Planetary Geography — of utmost importance because you need to know where your characters are in relationship to where they have been or are going  You need to know the location of rivers/mountains/oceans, etc.  Also what sort of weather does your planet have?  Does it have four seasons like Earth?  How many satellites does it have?  Does it circle one star or more?  What are the dangers on the planet — are there tornadoes, earthquakes, meteorites hitting the ground (be careful you don’t use the term “earth” on another planet)  Do they have the same laws of physics that we do?  Chemistry?

*  Inhabitants — are they humanoid?  Do they age?  What signs do they show of aging?  Are there individuals who are unique in some way — how are they unique and why?  Who is considered a hero/heroine and for what reasons?

*  Flora and fauna — what are sort of creatures you going to have and what are you going to call them?  What sort of plants are around?  Make sure you know what’s where when and when it blooms.

*  Flora and fauna (part 2) — will any of the plants and/or animals be able to communicate with the hero/heroine?  If so, how?  Do these people keep pets?  What sort of pets and why?

*  Food and housing — what food and housing do the lower classes have (assuming you have a society with classes)  How about the upper classes?  What is different?  What is an everyday food?  What do your characters consider luxury food?  What must they do to obtain it — money or another route?

*  Clothes — the clothes have to be able to be made from the resources on your world — what style do you want them to have?

*  Money/currency — how does one trade?  Where do they buy things — a market place, a store, over an internet?  What is considered rich?  What is deemed as poverty?

*  Technology — are they more advanced than our world or back in the dark ages?  What tools do they have to do everyday chores?  Do they have books?  .  Are there scientists?   What are they researching and where?

* Travel — what sorts of transportation is available?  Remember the fastest the transportation, the less isolated your characters are from any other part of the planet.  The same goes for communication — the better the communication, the less likely it is for your characters to be out of touch with others

*Government—elected/monarchy/dictatorship/headed by men or women/a strong government or one that is ripe to be overthrown?/planet-wide or a group of nations/Is there law enforcement?  What is considered a crime and what is the punishment for that crime?

*  Enemies — every culture has enemies — either from outside it or from within.  This is what drives change within a culture.  Your culture cannot remain stagnant, especially if you are doing a series of books on the same world.

* Allies – every culture has allies.  Consider them in the same way you do enemies.  You need to have both.

*  Weapons — how does this world fight its battles — both intellectual and with weapons of destruction?  Are the sides well-balanced or not?

*  Religion/spiritual basis — every culture has some sort of belief in an unknown that gives it a story of its origins and its world origins.  Even if the characters have moved into a more enlightened realm of thought, they still will have creation stories as part of their culture.  What myths/superstitions do your characters believe?

*  History — what has happened to this world and its peoples in the past — those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.

*  Education — do children go to school?  Apprenticeships?  No schooling at all?

*  Music?  Art?  Storytelling? — Does your planet have any of these and how do they use them?

*  Magic — is there “magic” on your world?  If so, is it considered magic or just a part of everyday life?  What magic is it — who controls it and why?  Can it be learned?

* Love/Sex — a definition of love/how it’s expressed