Writing a Synopsis

Happy Friday, everyone,

It is time for one of my not-so-frequent discussion posts! This time I would like to talk about synopses, and how they are written.

Writing a synopsis requires a lot of talent in itself, as you need to come up what is effectively a summary of the book, making it as interesting and intriguing as possible while at the same time avoiding spoilers.

It is certainly tricky! The saying goes that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I think a lot of us do. I certainly do! When I choose books for my TBR or to take away from a bookstore or a library, I take in the title and the cover artwork and the reviews, but also the blurb.

The blurb, or the synopsis on Goodreads or Amazon or any other outlet is probably the biggest factor in what I choose to read, and I do not think I am alone in that, so a well written synopsis is essential for us to want to read a particular book.

When I write my book reviews on this blog, I like to write my own synopsis, rather than copying and pasting from Goodreads. As well as it being good practice, I think that being able to come up with my own description for a book that I have read makes my posts more interactive and accessible, and a reflection of the work I like to put in to them.

I would say that I write my own synopsis about 75% of the time. When I don’t, it is mostly because the book is too difficult for me to describe without the synopsis either becoming too long, or when I struggle to find a way around revealing any spoilers. So Goodreads acts as some kind of insurance!

I have found writing a synopsis is especially hard for fiction, especially when the story is complex and full of important characters and plot strands. For non-fiction it is slightly easier, because there are no spoilers; you are simply describing what the book is about.

When I wrote the synopsis for my own non-fiction e-book almost a year ago, it did not take me long to do, as I had most of it in my head already, and there was also the fact that having written the book, I had a very broad knowledge of the subject matter.

So just to sum things up, the way a book’s synopsis is written often helps us decide if we want to read it. The words have got to be powerful and almost alluring, drawing us towards the book. This takes skill, and the ability to know just how much of the plot to give away.

Let’s Chat

Do you choose which books to read based on the synopsis? Have you ever tried writing one? Let me know in the comments!

Happy reading :)