Synopsis Fun on the Internet!

Okay, if you’ve ever tried to write a synopsis, you know that the title of this post is a big, fat lie. Synopses are hard to write. How do you whittle a 400 page book down to a few pages? How can you convey the brilliance of your characters in such little space?

I detest trying to write synopses. Hate them! But, like spam and taxes, they seem to be a part of life, particularly if you’re interested in getting a novel-length work published. Well, the publishing gods have named today Synopsis Day and there will be much rejoicing in the streets! Okay, maybe a little joyous reading in the blogosphere. Either way, today, 22 published authors write about how to create an effective synopsis. Want to read along? Here they are:

Maria V. Snyder: http://blog.myspace.com/mariavsnyder

Patricia Bray: http://www.sff.net/people/patriciabray/synopsis.html

Chaz Brenchley: http://desperance.livejournal.com

Mike Brotherton: http://www.mikebrotherton.com

Tobias Buckell: http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2008/02/01/ask-me-a-question-was-crystal-rain-sold-as-part-of-a-series

S.C.Butler: http://scbutler.livejournal.com

Barbara Campbell: www.barbara-campbell.com/inside.htm

David B. Coe: http://davidbcoe.livejournal.com

Jennifer Dunne: http://jennifer_dunne.livejournal.com

S.L. Farrell: http://sleigh.livejournal.com

Diana Francis: http://difrancis.livejournal.com

Gregory Frost: http://frostokovich.livejournal.com

Felix Gilman: http://www.felixgilman.com/wordpress

Jim C. Hines: http://jimhines.livejournal.com

Jackie Kessler: http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog

Mindy Klasky: http://mindyklasky.livejournal.com

Misty Massey: http://madkestrel.livejournal.com

C.E. Murphy: http://mizkit.livejournal.com

Naomi Novik: http://naominovik.livejournal.com

Joshua Palmatier: http://jpsorrow.livejournal.com

Jennifer Stevenson: http://smokingpigeon.livejournal.com

Michelle West: http://msagara.livejournal.com

Sean Williams: http://ladnews.livejournal.com

Read and learn! 🙂