YA Writer, Tech Support Girl & Tea Addict

Book: Write a Great Synopsis by Nicola Morgan

Genre: Non-Fiction/Writing Advice

Most writers hate writing synopses. They need dread them no more. In Write a Great Synopsis – An Expert Guide, Nicola Morgan takes the stress out of the subject and applies calm, systematic guidance, with her renowned no-nonsense approach and laconic style.

Write a Great Synopsis covers: the function of a synopsis, the differences between outlines and synopses, dealing with requirements for different agents and publishers, finding the heart of your book, how to tackle non-linear plots, multiples themes, sub-plots and long novels, and it answers all the questions and confusions that writers have. Nicola also introduces readers to her patent Crappy Memory Tool, explains the art of crafting a 25-word pitch, and demonstrates with real examples. Gold-dust for writers at all stages.

I’ve been waiting on tip-toes for this book to be released – synopses are tricky stuff to write, and it’s always nice to get an expert’s tips on them. While the UK publishing industry is a little more friendly than the US industry there’s a lot less information available online about it. We’ve got The Writer & Artist’s Yearbook, Carole Blake’s From Pitch to Publication, and now there’s Nicola Morgan with Write A Great Synopsis and her more general industry advice book Write to be Published. The best part about it – WAGS is only £1 in January! You can buy in here from Amazon UK.

Nicola’s book is a short and snappy read that covers all the bases – the only thing I would have liked is a more formulaic method, which tends to work best for me (Susan Dennard’s method worked a charm for me recently). Nicola’s recommendations don’t rely on a formula or a section break down, but this this allows her methods to work for a much wider range of stories. Her tips work brilliantly for both your run-of-the-mill 3 Act stories and for non-fiction and fiction that doesn’t follow a standard structure. She even includes some particularly useful advise for books that jump around, include flashbacks, or have multiple endings.

This is a succinct and brilliant book, and I recommend it for any writers (UK, US or otherwise) who’re tearing their hair out getting that synopsis written.

I’ve noticed my recent writing has been very character-centered – particularly in the books set in the world of death gods and Reapers, where the vivid world is counteracted by a very personal storyline. This is quite the change to Dragon Tamers, which was very plotline driven – there was a world, and it needed saved, and these characters were doing it; versus here is our main character, these are their problems and this is their world.

In rewriting the Dragon Tamers series into The Network, my recent attempts have been more character driven – partially due to writing Neil Gaiman, who, despite characters like the protagonist of American Gods being arguably low on the personality front, somehow manages to make them very real.

There are faults to this – things become a lot more meandering, and a lot of readers would prefer to find out where the plot is going rather than listen to a character’s whining.

But it feels great. My god, does it. After years of having the plot move these characters, instead their moving the plot, and it’s fantastic. It’s how writing should be – organic and unpredictable, changed by the twist of a characters thoughts.

Despite authors like Stephen King’s passionate insistence that plots should be determined by the characters as it goes, I moved towards detailed, outlined plots after growing to hate my old ways of letting it go wherever it wanted and never knowing where it was headed, how it would get there, or whether it would make any sense.

But seeing this type of effect on writing – organic and natural, not forced by the need to think up a plot twist to keep the story going, or to follow a predetermined outline – I think I’m beginning to understand just what it means.

My advice: try it. Find that plot-piece character, give them voice and attitude, and let them speak. See where the story goes from there.

Love,

E.Maree

xoxo