Brighter days come
Spring, beasts and synopsis as a character
I’ve missed a few weeks of posting on Substack while I was away but I’m back from my adventures and keen to get back in the rhythm of revisions and writing.
🌳 When we set off, the leaves were starting to bud and now there is so much green! The sun sets so late, I can go for long runs after work in the daylight. Truly novel!
The cycle of seasons happens every year but I am once again swept up in the energy of transformation. Dark to light, cold to warm - it’s a privilege to experience nature.
Synopsis as a character
Earlier this month, author and poet Kit Fan led a seminar for The Writers’ Space on how to manage the beast that is the synopsis. We looked at structure, what goes in to an elevator pitch, and the forensic technique of focusing each word, sentence, and paragraph.
When framing a synopsis as a detective inspector interrogating a suspect, “no comment” is a 100% fail game. A synopsis reveals everything and conceals nothing.
The synopsis is like a confessional space: all facts, no secrets
I’m at a point in my revision journey where a synopsis could help me see where I need to strengthen key plot points. Understanding that it’s not only fine but expected to give away the twists in a synopsis felt freeing.
More to the point, the perfect synopsis doesn’t exist.
I’ve made it my mission to develop a synopsis with the goal of sharing it with my nearest and dearest. It will invariably transform as I hone my novel, but it’s about time.