Blurb writing -v- Synposis

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

 Writing a synopsis is the hardest thing for any writer. We agonise over it and sometimes if feels as if it would be easier to write another book than pen a synopsis. But if you are sending your work out on submission to an agent or publisher, you need to write one.

It has been suggested that it might be useful to write one before you start writing your novel. In some respects for a plotter that might work, but not for me. But you need to know where your story is leading, and so it makes sense doesn't it?

For a panster like me, this has always been something I've struggled with. I'm a random writer starting things without thought as to whether it is a piece of flash, a short story or something longer. This isn't the best way to work, as it can be time consuming later on with re-write etc. Often I write to see where the piece is going and this can create a bit of a stop-start format until I get into something. Every time I write something I approach it differently. I've tried to be more methodical, but I find it squashes my creativity and I've had to accept that this is the way I work.

However, I have devised an in between way of coping. Once I begin something new and realise that it is going to be a longer piece, a potential novella say, I write a blurb. This helps me with direction and puts into place some sort of way forward. And, of course, it can always be changed!

For those who don't know (and I'm sure you do), a synopsis sets out the story with all the main characters and major plot scenes. It is the spoiler alert as it contains the ending. It runs to between 500-800 words. A blurb has to hook the reader in, often asks questions to keep the reader hanging, but never gives away the ending. It is also a lot shorter, typically 100-200 words. You also have to consider how much space there will be on the back of your book, so 250 words is about the limit.

Since publishing my book, How to Take a Lawnmower Home on the Tube, I have stepped back from writing for while. It's been so full on, and my Christmas book Tinsel Street will be coming out later this year (I am just about to approve the eBook version). However, I've been thinking about what I want to do next. I have various manuscripts that need editing, but I also began something new about a month or so ago which has formed the idea for this post today. I wasn't sure whether it had legs, but over the last few days, I've decided it does. I hand wrote some notes and put down ideas for scenes (gosh, a little foray into plotting!) and have borrowed a book from the library for a little research. And this morning I wrote a blurb having thought about the direction this story would take. Writing the way I was with no direction wasn't working. I needed, for once, a place to get to, and I've also 'sort of' seen in my head where it will end (and that's a bit new for me too!)

Everyone works differently, and that is okay as long as it works for you. Some people write their scenes randomly (not in order) and then piece it together at the end (horror!), some write an outline of every scene and chapter before they start, and some, like me, have no idea of the ending or even where the next chapter will take them! I do like my characters to develop and I take my lead from them. 

Here is a bit more about my writing::

• My writing is character led.
• I make a note of first names I like, especially when I hear a name that's not so common.
• Mornings are my best writing times. If I have to write at other times, I find it harder to get going and it's more of a chore. My brain seems to function better shortly after I've woken up.
• Dreams or parts of them sometimes feature in my work.
• I write to music (mainly non-vocal trance). Music with words stop me writing and I want to, and do, sing along! I have playlists, some specific for certain scenes, and some songs remind me of certain characters. One character in an unpublished novel will forever be in my mind when I hear Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life' and Faithless' 'Insomnia'.
• Food, music and art often feature in my writing, especially food. Don't ask me why, it just does. Wait until you read Tinsel Street!
• I love quirky characters.
• The dark and the light - those are my two extremes
• Humour features in everything I write somewhere, if only one line.
• I love playlists and maps in books.
• Writing across genres is my thing. I like to experiment and don't want to be pigeonholed into one genre. I'd soon get bored! 
• I read on average one book a week across genres, including non-fiction. I sometimes get ideas from something I read for either a poem or a story.

What do you most struggle with in your writing? What do you enjoy most? ? I'm always happy to read your comments.