On writing a synopsis

Synopsis (noun) = a summary or outline; a brief general survey (Thank you, Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary).

And so the synopsis makes me cranky. What to leave in? What to leave out? What’s essential? What if you hand it over to the Important Readerish People and you realise you’ve forgotten to include that pivotal scene with the pink elephant?

So, as I try to summarise my 100K novel into three pages worth of prose, I get cranky and think “Well, honestly, if I can put it into three pages, then why am I freaking bothering with a novel?”

But I know that’s just The Cranky™ talking. And there is no choclit in the house. So, nothing for it but to keep the synopsification going. *sigh*

“Four women, one city, and the survival of a dynasty in the balance.”

Oh, okay. That sounds workable … now for the rest of the three pages.