Writing a Synopsis when there's multiple POVs?

[risu]

Hi all,

I'm trying to write a 2 page synopsis (which can be single-spaced). I've looked at a few websites, wrote my first version, sent it to a friend, who sent me this link:

How To Write A 1-Page Synopsis | Pub(lishing) Crawl

I'm working on version 2 of my synopsis, but my concern is that I have 4 primary POVs. Two of those POVs aren't named in V2 synopsis (in an effort to cut down names), but they're about 30% of the book. Do you think someone who reads the synopsis will react negatively when they hit chapter 2 and a POV that wasn't discussed in the synopsis is introduced?

 

[WooHooMan]

I would react negatively to a change of POV that early in a book. I'd also think 4 POV characters is excessive.
Do you mind maybe giving a short summary of what happens in your story? I think that may help.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I would react negatively to a change of POV that early in a book.

Why? It's common in multi-POV books, especially in the fantasy genre.

 

[BWFoster78]

I'd also think 4 POV characters is excessive.

Huh? Do you read epic fantasy?

 

[risu]

The book is about a guy from our world who wakes up in a forest surrounded by dead men he doesn't remember killing. His best chance at getting home is a half-elemental woman. She is missing and two armies are searching for her. The guy is one POV, the woman is another, the leader of one army is another, and a commander in the other army is the last. The last two are the ones I'm excluding from the 2-page synopsis.

I can give more details if it would help, but I'm less concerned about writing the synopsis as I am about the reaction someone would have to encountering POVs that weren't mentioned.

 

[valiant12]

Personally as a reader i won't react negatively if there are POV characters that aren't in the sinopsis.

 

[Nimue]

I don't think a synopsis needs to be all-encompassing; it's meant to be compressed. I'd be thrown off if the synopsis included things that weren't in the book, but not the other way around. Establishing the two armies as important elements in the story would be enough indication that they might take a central role at some point.

It might be good to say "the so-and-so army, led by General So-and-so," just to introduce them as a character, and I might find it a little odd if these ostensibly important characters weren't mentioned in two single-spaced pages of premise, but if it really doesn't work, it doesn't work.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

So you have multiple POVs, but do they all carry equal weight? Or, are some MC POVs while others aren't considered MCs?

If that is the case, I wouldn't expect any other than MCs to be in the synopsis. Either way though, it wouldn't bother me if the story and characters were interesting.

Regardless, a great story never has me thinking about the synopsis I read in the past. It makes me ask questions and think about the future. What will happen next? So, if the story is written well, it wouldn't bother me a bit.

 

[risu]

I might find it a little odd if these ostensibly important characters weren't mentioned in two single-spaced pages of premise

I took them out because of the link my friend sent me. That article has a synopsis of Star Wars and the only characters it mentions is Luke, Ben, and Darth Vader. But I thought it might be different for an unknown story.

 

[risu]

So you have multiple POVs, but do they all carry equal weight? Or, are some MC POVs while others aren't considered MCs?

The guy has 47% of the word count, the woman has 21%, the commander has 19%, and the leader has 11%. I guess there's really one MC...

 

[Russ]

You need to think about who your audience is for a synopsis. Is it a tool for yourself or to be given to an agent or editor?

If the later, I don't think you can fail to mention characters who make up about 30% of your book is a good idea.

Please also keep in mind that writing and selling a book is a very different process from selling a movie. I am also not sure that the synopsis this website used was really the synopsis for Star Wars, but rather just an example using a story everybody is likely to know.

 

[MineOwnKing]

I would wait to see if you really need the synopsis before putting too much effort into it.

Unless you already have an agent and a book deal.

I have only ever had one agent request a synopsis and in that case I was forced to reduce a 6 page, fully edited synopsis into 500 words.

Major pain in the ass and a total waste of time.

 

[risu]

I would wait to see if you really need the synopsis before putting too much effort into it.

It's for this...

Open Submissions: The Guidelines! | Hodderscape

 

[Penpilot]

Risu, when you gave us that brief description of your story, IMHO that's the way you should be thinking about your synopsis. Everything doesn't have to be in there, just enough for the reader to understand what the story is about.

There was a thread a while back about creating a very short synopsis. You might find it helpful
http://mythicscribes.com/forums/wri...rt-synopsis-your-story.html?highlight=Logline

In the thread the question was brought up how would could anyone create a short synopsis for Game of Thrones. My opinion was you had to rise above the details and see the big picture. And I came up with this, which I think is accurate.

The lords of the land find themselves in a civil war for the crown as winter approaches. Will they anoint a King in time to prepare for the long winter ahead and the coming of The Others?

Obviously, you have more room to work with, but 2 pages is plenty if you don't get lost in the details.

 

[WooHooMan]

Huh? Do you read epic fantasy?

No, I never have. Not even once.

Why? It's common in multi-POV books, especially in the fantasy genre.

I wouldn't really react that negatively (I've read plenty of stories that do just that) but I'd prefer it if a writer picks a character and sticks with them long enough for me to get to know them before switching around.
I'm generally a big believer in keeping narration simple and streamlined with only as many POVs as absolutely necessary.

The book is about a guy from our world who wakes up in a forest surrounded by dead men he doesn't remember killing. His best chance at getting home is a half-elemental woman. She is missing and two armies are searching for her.

This, I think, is what you need to do: describe the story. Just because perspectives change in the story, doesn't mean you need to change perspectives in the summary. Just describe the events in the story as a third-person, omniscient narrator. Chances are you'll mention all the main characters in the summary because it seems like they'll be interacting with each other quite a bit.
I'm actually having trouble writing a story summary because I have two POVs characters (plus a villain with a subplot) who almost never interact over the course of the story. So I have to write two parallel summaries; it's pretty messy.

 

[BWFoster78]

No, I never have. Not even once.

WooHooMan,

Your comment got me thinking. I understand that fantasy encompasses many subgenres other than just epic fantasy, but I always thought it was, by far, the biggest. Certainly it seems that this forum is focused more on epic than any of the others, though that could be just my perception because that's my focus ...

Anyway, at the risk of thread jacking, I looked up the books published under "Fantasy" on Amazon:

Alternative History (6,143)
Anthologies & Short Stories (10,711)
Arthurian (1,028)
Christian Fantasy (3,079)
Classics (261)
Coming of Age (4,631)
Dark Fantasy (9,936)
Epic (21,229)
Fairy Tales (27,627)
Historical (7,633)
LGBT (2,682)
Metaphysical & Visionary (3,446)
Myths & Legends (3,289)
New Adult & College (1,219)
Paranormal & Urban (39,442)
Superhero (3,326)
Sword & Sorcery (13,189)
TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations (498)

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought that epic would have come in 3rd at number of books published.

Not sure exactly what the point of this post is now that I've written it. If anyone figures it out, please let me know.

Thanks.

Brian

 

[Trick]

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought that epic would have come in 3rd at number of books published.

Not sure exactly what the point of this post is now that I've written it. If anyone figures it out, please let me know.

Perhaps to prove that Epic Fantasy has the most words published in the fantasy genre? Paranormal & Urban books tend toward the shorter side and, in my opinion, Fairy Tales don't count because they have a huge chronological and written-length advantage (they're usually really short).

 

[cupiscent]

The novel I'm preparing for submissions at present is equally divided between three POV characters. I'm only on first-draft of the synopsis, but I'm alternating their storylines. So the synopsis goes:

Brief overarching setting introduction.
Character A first act, with hook to character B.
Character B first act, with hook to character C.
Character C first act.
Character A second act.
Meanwhile, Character B second act.
Elsewhere, Character C second act, etc.

Like MineOwnKing, I considered whether I needed to do a synopsis in preparation or could leave it until it was demanded, but a) it's such a pain in the arse that I decided to give myself plenty of time to ponder and perfect it, and b) I made a list of the agents I wanted to query, and their requirements, and over a half of them wanted a synopsis either with query or in their first package of requested materials, so it seemed necessary. Plus, the discipline of writing a synopsis, I find, really helps with thinking about the core of the book, which can only strengthen both the book and the query.

I note that the Susan Dennard Star Wars example is for a one-page synopsis. Writing a two-page gives you a little more room to include subplots and deeper detail, so take advantage of that. Also, remember the point of the synopsis - to show the skill with which your story is put together. To show that you have a pacey story where the plot developments make sense. To show that it's satisfying and interesting. Keeping that in mind might help with decisions of what to include and what to summarise.

 

[risu]

Thank you all for your replies. I had a friend read both versions, and he said the version with just 2 of the POVs was better, given the space allowed and the amount of information provided. Though a good third of the story is left out, I got to expand more on the focus, which is the guy. And from the responses I've seen here, I think it'll be okay if I don't mention the other POVs, especially when the guy makes up almost half of the book.