I spent the holiday weekend writing a synopsis, a summary of a story. I understand that editors would like an overview of the work. They often impose word limits on a synopsis. That’s what happened this weekend. I think I can give you an example that you know already help you understand. Do you remember the first Star War movie starring Luke Skywalker? It was as if I was being asked to write a synopsis of that movie in a single sentence – farmboy destroys death star. Does that really tell you anything about the movie? Now you know why I hate doing a synopsis.
You spend the better part of a year crafting a novel, and then in a few miserable words, you must describe the entire novel. I started with a synopsis that was twice the limit imposed. What do I cut? Back to the first Star Wars movie, should I leave out Leia Organa? I can’t leave her out, so what do I leave in about Princess Leia? The same goes for every other character in the movie.
After starting on Friday and working every day, I just reached the upper limit of what they would allow. I still think it technically describes the story but leaves out too much. It was a lousy weekend! Okay, that’s my Monday rant on Tuesday!
