Ready to Submit - The Synopsis

Oh, the synopsis. The dreaded, horrible, factual break down of your novel summarized in under five pages. If I could have said it in five pages I wouldn't have wrote 600!!!!

Think of the driest explanation of your novel. I start by writing a sentence or two that sums up every chapter. Something like this...

Take 1: "Mary Sue is an archeologist in the Ukraine who finds a mysterious letter tucked into the back of an old book. Intrigued by the contents she talks her best friend Emina Lou into traveling across Europe to investigate the catacombs of Paris. While Mary and Emina are leaving for the train station they are mugged by an unfortunate woman who also look like Mary, a little, not a lot really. It's a superficial similarity that would work for strangers. But the mugger is important!"

Not bad, but if you have thirty chapters that's going to be a long synopsis. Start chopping out the adjectives. 

Take 2: "Mary Sue, an archeologist in the Ukraine, finds a letter tucked into the back of a book. She talks her best friend Emina Lou into traveling across Europe to investigate the catacombs of Paris. While Mary and Emina are leaving for the train station they are mugged by a woman who also look like Mary."

Closer. Now reduce this.

Take 3: "Mary Sue, an archeologist, finds a letter that leads her and her BFF Emina Lou to Paris to search for the MacGuffin. On their way Mary's wallet is stolen, they don't realize this until they reach the border." (Part of chapter two.)

With a little more work you can actually get a decent elevator pitch out of this process.

Elevator Pitch: Mary Sue is sorting a cache of artifacts hidden a newly found war bunker from WWII when she comes across a letter that leads her to the Paris catacombs in search of treasure and Hitler's last Ultimate Weapon.

... You know what? I'd read that book. Somebody go write it.