Guest Post from Ren Reidy 27 September, 2012

 Reader’s opinion on “How to write an attention grabbing synopsis”

Hey everyone! I’m Ren from A Little Bit of R&R review blog. Emily was kind enough to let me hijack her blog for the day to give you a
guest post . The synopsis is just as important to me as the story. I usually drop the book down on my list if I don’t like the synopsis. It’s very important to grab the reader’s attention without giving away the whole story. I think building a catchy synopsis would vary depending upon the genre. I’m a big paranormal fan, but I also enjoy reading romance and other sub genres. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to write one, but I can give a few suggestions.

I like a synopsis that is written from the characters point of view. I’ve only seen a few that were written this way and it always catches my attention. That may prove difficult if the book is written in third person or alternating POV’s, but it’s always worth a try. As an example, one of my favorite blurbs would be for Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. You can check out the blurb HERE.

It’s also important to introduce the main character. I like to know the “who’s who” before I start a book. It almost makes me feel a little more attached to them, kind of like a first meeting lol…

Give a little tease I LOVE juicy hooks!! If it’s a romance novel, give us something that will make us swoon. I have read some books that had some amazing comic relief and I wish they had added some part of that to the synopsis.

Don’t give away too much of the plot. I recently read a book where the blurb gave away a big part of the build up. It was a bit of a turn-off, but the story was still enjoyable.

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Thanks so much Ren! It’s always helpful to know what readers like to see.

Other Authors Thoughts on Synopsis Writing!

Emily Walker – Is it the easiest or hardest part of writing for you??

Cat Miller – Ugh… Writing the synopsis is the hardest part of writing for me. I find it very difficult to extract just a few bullet points from the story to create a synopsis or a blurb that will pull potential readers in.

Emily Walker – Is writing the synopsis of a novel your favorite or least favorite part, and why??

Brian McKinley – Oh, I hate trying to write a synopsis! You spend all that time trying to make your novel complex and full of nuance, then you have to throw all that away and write a bare bones summary of plot points that still somehow manages to capture the tone and style of the original! It’s one of my least favorite things.

Emily Walker – How do you feel about writing the synopsis?

Patricia Logan – It depends. When I first started writing and submitting, all publishers required a synopsis with a submission. I provided one as required. They were as important to publishers as blurbs. I think they are important as I outline a book, so that I know where I’m going. Other than that, I don’t really see the need for one. They are kind of old school in my humble opinion.

Emily Walker- Is writing the synopsis your favorite or least favorite part of writing and why??

Carrie Ann Ryan – Both. LOL. I enjoy writing the parts to get the hooks in. I also like thinking about what the goals and conflicts are in small parts. But I don’t like having to take a 300 page book and put it in a small section LOL.

Emily Walker – How do you feel about writing the synopsis??

Anne Brooke – I really hate writing synopsis and try to avoid it whenever possible! For my last 3 novels (the Gathandrian fantasy trilogy), I’ve paid for an independent editor and asked her to write the synopsis as well. Bliss! When I have to write a synopsis for the short stories I submit, I moan and groan my way through them, and hope it makes sense at the end!