Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Paula Weiman Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/8/2024
  • Hillary Fazzari Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/22/2024
  • Miriam Cortinovis Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/6/2024
  • Jenniea Carter Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/8/2024
  • Caroline Trussell Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/20/2024
  • Jenna Satterthwaite Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/10/2024
  • Bethany Weaver Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/24/2024

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "K" as of 3/28/2024 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

Tip Tuesday #116

Tip Tuesday features writers' tips on craft, research, querying, blogging, marketing, inspiration, and more. If you'd like to send in a tip, please e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com.

Another week has flown by! I'm not quite sure I believe it. If you haven't had a chance to congratulate Natalie on her first year of blogging and enter her giveaway, stop by here. But make sure you open a tab for Ryann Kerekes as well. She blogs at Novel Addiction and is the author of this week's tip series called "Five Tips for Writing a Synopsis." Ryann was also the author of Tip Tuesday #101, which you can read here. Enjoy!

Writing the dreaded synopsis? Here are five simple tips to keep you sane.

1. Pretend you’re telling someone what the book is about in about 5 minutes or less. You're aiming to summarize the novel’s main characters and plot points in the order that they occur in the story in a simplified way.

2. It’s told in omniscient present tense point of view and you do give away the ending.

3. You want the flavor and emotion to come through in the writing, so it’s not a dry, boring re-telling, police report style of the stuff that happens.

4. Use adverbs and adjectives sparingly, every word counts. Don’t waste them describing the color of a dress your main character is wearing.

5. Use short phrases and descriptions whenever possible. It’s fine to say “Hopeless romantic, John.” Rather than, “John spent his nights scouring the Internet, signing up for sites like match.com and eharmony… “

~Ryann Kerekes

23 comments:

Kate Evangelista said...

Awesome tips! I always have a hard time with the synopsis. Thank you for sharing!

I've been an avid reader of this blog for a year now, querying agents featured during the spotlights.

I just wanted to share with you the news that I've just signed two contracts. One with Crescent Moon Press for my YA novel Taste and a three book deal with Entangled for Til Death, another one of my YAs. :-)

Thank you for all the work you do helping us writers out.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Excellent tip on the synopsis - thank you!

Old Kitty said...

Oh I so need these lovely and succinct points as I truly and without doubt totally suck at synopsis writing!! Thank you!! Take care
x

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great tips. I have to admit that I struggle with the synopsis. Love tip #5.

And congrats Kate! That's awesome news.

Kristin Lenz said...

Congrats to Kate on the new book deals! Thanks for the synopsis tips, Ryann - straightforward and easy to remember. I'll pop over to Novel Addiction and check it out now.

catherinemjohnson.com said...

Super tips. I'm just doing my synopsis now, this is great timing. Thanks.

Jani said...

These are great. I just started working on my synopsis and I'm ready to pull out my hair. It'll be more fun than writing the thing. Thanks for the tips.

Shiela Calderón Blankemeier said...

Fantastic! Getting ready to do a synopsis so perfect timing. Thanks for the tips :)

Marta Szemik said...

Great tips for a synopsis. Thank you!

Nicole Zoltack said...

Great points! A synopsis is all about the major plot points while conveying the tone and voice of the novel. Easier said than done though.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Ugh! I dread the dreaded synopsis!! Great tips. :)

Alexandra Loewen said...

Ryann, thanks for the synopsis tips. I'll bookmark this one for the next time I'm working on a synopsis.

Kate, congratulations on your very exciting publishing news! *Clapping*

Casey McCormick said...

Congratulations, Kate!!! That's very exciting news!

Casey McCormick said...

Thank you again for the tips, Ryann!! Synopsises are sooo hard.

Barbara Watson said...

Nice tips! I wrote mine about a month ago and will re-evaluate based on this advice.

Ishta Mercurio said...

ooh, #3 was a surprise. I thought synopses were generally pretty boring, but I guess that's only the badly-done ones - good thing I read this! Thanks for the tips!

Angela Brown said...

The synopsis, like the query, are two things I personally dread. But they must be done so I will have to bookmark these tips for when I get ready to attack the synopsis for my WiP.

Thanks for the tips!

Aubrie said...

I need to work on the flavor and emotion in my synopsis. Very tough for me. Great post!

mshatch said...

Yeah, I have to say writing the synopsis is my least favorite part. But those are excellent tips - thanks :)

Lydia Kang said...

The dreaded synopsis! These are great tips, thanks!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Great tips for writing synopses! It doesn't matter how many I write, they always take work.

Theresa Milstein said...

I like Ryann's tips. I have such a hard time getting voice into my synopsis. It probably does sound like a police blotter. And I agree--every word counts!

Ryann Kerekes said...

Thanks for the wonderful comments, everyone!! Yes, synopses can be evil, but I also know you can do it!