How to Write a Synopsis

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4. Use descriptive adjectives from your manuscript. If you describe the heroine as “perky” or “feisty” or the hero as “cocky” or “masterful” in the manuscript, use the same words in your synopsis. This will convey their appeal, something that writers often lose in the synopsis-writing process. Even though you are being spare with your words, a few key adjectives will serve to remind the editor that you have written about attractive, interesting people. If you don’t happen to summarize a heroine or hero in so many words, then do summarize their personality types attractively in the synopsis descriptions.
5. Include every scene. In a detailed synopsis, don’t skip any scene. If it doesn’t feel important enough to be in the synopsis, maybe it shouldn’t be in the manuscript, either. (Obviously, many elements must be abbreviated or even skipped if you are asked to give a one-paragraph or one-page synopsis.)
6. Spell out the ending. Too many writers get coy in the synopsis about what happens at the story’s climax and immediately after. The editor wants to know exactly how it all goes down. Even if you have written an extremely complex scene, you can summarize the action clearly and show its emotional impact.  

And that’s it. Writing a synopsis isn’t hard. Just remember to tell the facts, including descriptions of the characters and their emotions in each scene. If you hew to the rule of telling what happens as it happens, you’ll have a readable synopsis. Adding the emotionally descriptive key words and the descriptive adjectives will give your synopsis a strong chance of selling your story. 

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