How to write a book synopsis. Very correct synopsis

Writing a good synopsis is a challenge for many experienced and famous authors. And beginners most often have no idea what it is. Although, for sure, everyone who visited the websites of publishers and came across him. Yes, a synopsis is now needed by everyone on an equal basis with full text works, and (often) .

So what is a synopsis?

In essence, this is a summary of the story you are talking about. And note, not a retelling, but a presentation. A retelling is a listing of the main events from the prologue to the words "end". And the presentation is creative analysis works. It includes not only event moments, but also the essence of the situation and ideas, the essence of conflict and intrigue, as well as the essence of significance (or several). In editorial circles, there is an opinion that the ideal synopsis should consist of one or two sentences.

For example: At the age of eleven, Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, goes to study at the school of magic, where he is told about how he defeated the main villain and acquired a noticeable scar. At the end of the book, Harry again defeats the main villain, but he promises to return, and the boy-who-survived himself is going to continue his studies, so that one day he will probably get rid of the villain.

But, of course, this is an editorial joke. That does not negate its main principle - the volume of the synopsis should be small. No one will understand the intricacies of the author's intrigue, set out on ten pages. The volume of your story should not exceed two pages, or 4000-5000 characters with spaces. And the smaller it gets, the better. The main thing is that the synopsis reflects the essence of the story. How to achieve this? Just follow the rules!

Rules for writing a synopsis

1. Present tense and third person, even if your novel is written in first person.

2. - journalistic, sentences - capacious and short, humor, sarcasm or irony - are not appropriate, indications of your genius - too.

3. In the text of the synopsis, it is important to briefly answer the following questions:

• what the story is about (about the boy who survived and his struggle with the main villain);
• who are the main characters and what are their features (actually, the boy and his friends, but the boy is more important than the rest, because he survived, no one knows how after the deadly spell);
• what is the conflict (the boy stands with the villain on the way to power);
• what is it and why is it like that (for a boy - to complete his studies and survive again, and the main villain - to sow evil);
• in which world the events take place real world where magicians and sorcerers exist).

4. Extra details, as well as author's emotions, are excluded. Bare facts told simply and dispassionately: born unusual among ordinary people- got in the way of the villain - defeated evil - married - died in old age surrounded by grandchildren. And that's it.

5. Be sure to clearly outline the ending, and if there is a continuation of the book, point to it and briefly indicate what the hero intends to do next.

6. In the synopsis, it is also important to indicate your full name and contacts, the title of the book (and, if necessary, add that this is the first book in the cycle), and indicate, preferably, the publisher you are targeting.

7. If you come across the word "synopsis" on the publisher's website, do not rush to look for information on the Internet. Carefully study the site and first look for the requirements on the spot.

Daria Gushchina: A few words about personal experience. From myself I can say that I composed synopses, and each one was more difficult for me than writing and writing a novel together 🙂 It is incredibly difficult to isolate the most important and necessary from the story, because everything seems important in your work - every detail, every unusual image, every non-standard plot twist ... And I want to talk about everything in detail.

But. A stranger does not need details. The editor is your potential employer. And a synopsis is, in fact, a resume that you send to apply for a job at employment. A short and capacious scheme of your life, looking at which the employer will say - "Suitable." And when you write a resume, you abstract away unnecessary details like outdoor picnics and a love of fishing, right? And my advice to you: when writing a synopsis, abstract as much as possible from the events of the story and the emotions that it causes. And write it in such a way that the editor will say: “It is suitable” - and start reading the novel.

And remember: outlining the essence of the story, the editor - as well as any reader! - you need to be interested. Try to find something valuable and important in your work that is not found anywhere else. And do not forget to mention this feature in passing. But - only in passing. No one is interested in reading lengthy discourses written on “sheets”.

Good luck! In such a difficult task as writing a synopsis, it will be very useful to you!

A book synopsis is a summary of the plot or content. Literary agents and publishers often ask authors to provide a synopsis in order to evaluate their work. The task of fitting the contents of an entire book into a few paragraphs or pages can seem daunting, and there is no single right way writing a good synopsis. Be that as it may, you can use practical advice to write an impressive synopsis that will grab readers' attention and make them want to read the entire book.

Steps

Writing a synopsis of a novel

Determine the initial conditions. Although the synopsis is very short review larger work, you still need to take the time to define the novel's premise and include all the important information for the reader to understand the plot.

• Imagine that someone reads first the synopsis and then the book. What information is critically needed? Does the reader need to know specific details about the setting of the novel or the world you created?
• Don't forget that you are trying to interest the reader, so include a couple of interesting details, which will help to represent the time and place of events.

1. Highlight the main conflict. Many puzzle over what to include in a synopsis, but the ironclad rule is to identify and delineate the main plot conflict.

   • What will the protagonist of the book have to face?
   • Perhaps you should point out specific obstacles that the characters will encounter?
   • What happens if main character will not cope with the mission entrusted to him?

2. Show character development. It will be difficult for you to fit the full character development described in the novel into a short synopsis, but many literary agents insist that the synopsis should reflect the changes that occur to the main character during the events of the book.

   • Try not to describe the characters one-sidedly, show their reactions to different situations. Although you are limited in the amount of synopsis, it is still up to the reader to understand the personalities of the characters and how they will change.

3. Outline the plot. Since the synopsis is summary book, you need to outline the plot of the novel and give an idea of ​​the direction of events.

   A clear idea of ​​the ending. You may not want to spoil the unexpected moment, but the synopsis should give a clear picture of the novel's ending and the global resolution of the conflict.

   • Literary agents want to know how you will resolve the conflict and link up the chain of events.
   • Do not worry. If your work is published, then the synopsis will not be printed on the cover and will not spoil the reader's sense of novelty.

4. The synopsis should contain answers to important questions. Before submitting your synopsis, make sure it answers the following key questions:

   • Who is central character books?
   • What is he/she striving for or trying to achieve?
   • Who or what complicates the character's search, journey, life?
   • What does all this lead to?

5. Practice writing. Many authors complain that the synopsis is the most difficult text to write, since it has to crystallize the content of the entire book in just a few paragraphs. Fortunately, the more often you write synopses, the better you will get.

   • To practice, try writing synopses classical works or recently read books. Sometimes it's easier to start with a book that hasn't taken you many hours, days, or years to prepare.

6. Tell us about your qualifications and achievements. To add weight to the synopsis, include your accomplishments and experiences that contributed to the writing of the book.

   • It is important not only to include information about your education and scientific background, but also to determine what details of your biography may be of interest to the publisher and readers.

7. Get other people's opinions. As in any writing activity, feedback from others about your synopsis helps to improve the style of the text, make it more intriguing and understandable. Ask your friends, relatives or colleagues to read the text and give their opinion.

   • You don't have to be an expert to understand how interesting and well-written the synopsis is. Don't worry - you don't have to look for experts in this matter.

Common Mistakes

1. Don't write the synopsis as the main character. The synopsis is written in the third person, not the protagonist. It is also preferable to use the present rather than the past tense.

   • For example, instead of "Every summer I went to a house by the sea," write "Every summer Susan goes to her house by the sea."

2. Reduce volume. The synopsis should be short, while verbosity is enough common mistake. You may not want to cut out the dialogue and shorten the description, but this way the synopsis will turn out to be more harmonious and competent.

   • Consider whether all of these details are important to the synopsis, or whether some of them can be omitted. If the reader can grasp the essence of the book without any details, then it is better to omit them.
   • As a rule, dialogues in the synopsis are not needed. If you choose to include dialogue, keep it as short as possible and relevant to a major turning point in the plot.
   • Do not try to make the text elegant or lyrical. This requires volume, and you should focus on conciseness and a clear presentation of your book. Read the synopsis several times. Consider where clearer or more precise words can be used.

3. You should not reveal too many details about the characters and introduce secondary characters. It is possible that you spent a lot of time developing your characters and the events of their lives, but there is no place in the synopsis for all these events, as well as for secondary characters.

   • Include just enough detail so that your characters look interesting and the connection between them isn't blurry. A few phrases are usually enough to give an idea of ​​the character.

4. No need to analyze and interpret the plot. Synopsis means only short description or a cursory glance at the book, so don't include literary analysis or interpretation of the plot and secret meanings. For such research, completely different works are written.

I was asked to give an example of a synopsis for one of my books. I show how it should be written and formatted from and to.

File - Word.doc Times new Roman, 12 font, single space. The text is justified.

Zhiltsova Natalya Sergeevna

Publications:
- Curse of the Necromancer. M.: "Publishing house ALPHA-BOOK", 2009 (novel);
- Tablet of Morana. M.: "ALFA-BOOK Publishing House", 2012 (novel);
- Patterns of darkness. M.: "ALFA-BOOK Publishing House", 2013 (novel);
- Two crowns. M.: "ALFA-BOOK Publishing House", 2013 (novel, co-authored with S. Ushkova);
- Rage of darkness. (novel, to be published in Alpha Book in 2014).

Contacts:

House. phone: 00000000000
Mob. phone: 00000000000
e-mail: [email protected]

Information about the manuscript

Genre: novel;
Subgenre: fantasy;
Title: "The Power of the Witch"
Volume: 12 a.l.;
The novel has not been previously published, partially posted on the site "site name"
(http://page.of.the.site.with.the.book.if.there is.this rating will be a plus)

Synopsis for the novel: "The Power of the Witch"

Main characters:
Arina is the owner of a rare hereditary gift;
Loki is a strong magician, beloved of Arina;
Cyril is a vampire who wants to gain unlimited power.

Arina, an employee of the personnel department for 25 years, suddenly loses consciousness right at work. Returning home, Arina receives news of the death of her grandmother, whom she had known for only a couple of weeks.

The girl is distracted from her worries by a strange stranger who suddenly appeared in her kitchen, as if out of nowhere. He claims that by inheritance from her grandmother Arina got a very rare magical ability. Because of this inheritance, they now want to kill her, and in order to survive, the girl must perform several ritual actions. Frightened Arina fulfills all the requirements of the stranger, after which he miraculously disappears.

The girl miraculously manages to repulse the attack of dangerous magical creatures, and then hide from the assassins and get to the department of control over the magicians. Here Arina achieves recognition of herself as a full-fledged owner of a magical inheritance - the spirit of the elements of air. Moreover, thanks to the support of the head of the department, Kirill, he even receives a solid financial compensation from the orderer of the murder - the priestess of a powerful dark order. However, in order to protect herself even better, the girl decides to buy some kind of protective artifact.

Thanks to a series of random circumstances and luck, Arina acquires a very rare artifact ring. Thanks to him, Arina can no longer be afraid of witchcraft curses. Joyful from the purchase, the girl decides to look into a bar popular with magicians, where she meets a memorable stranger, whose name, as it turns out, is Loki. Loki likes Arina, but she still decides to postpone the relationship, despite being grateful for the help. The girl is repelled by his self-confidence and straightforwardness.

In order to install security at the apartment, Arina decides to turn to Cyril. He willingly agrees to help her and along the way tells what the value of the girl's inheritance is. It turns out that all magicians for witchcraft need recharge from Sources - special places of power. However, if you collect the elementals of all four elements, then you can become the greatest of the magicians, who himself can be compared with the Source.

Upon learning that Arina was talking with Cyril, Loki warns the girl about the danger. Loki tells her that in fact our world is ruled by dark magicians who have agreements with vampires on the supply of blood. And Kirill is a vampire who needs her strength and blood. Returning to Arina's house, he helps to remove Kirill's observation beacons and leaves his magical animal for protection.

Through cunningly placed traps, Kirill manages to lure Arina out of the house and get rid of her bodyguard. Arina guesses about the deception only in last moment and only manages to warn Loki of the danger. It turns out that Cyril found a way to take possession of the elementals of all four elements, and to complete the ritual, he needs the death of Arina and Loki.

In order to save Arina, Loki uses a very dangerous teleportation spell. In the final battle, Loki manages to kill Cyril and get the power of the four elements himself. After that, he heals the girl and confesses his love to Arina.

Sometime at the dawn of my writing, I was faced with the question of how to write a synopsis in order to present my work to publishers in the most favorable light. I don’t remember where this article came from ... maybe one of my friends shared their experience, or maybe they found it on the Internet, but the fact that it helped me is undeniable! Now I share this information with those who need it ...

WRITING A SYNOPSIS

It will be good if the author practices writing three different types of synopsis: short for 2-3 paragraphs, medium for 5-6 paragraphs and large for one and a half to two pages. This is, firstly, a necessity: a synopsis of the size that is required will always be at hand. Secondly, and most importantly, writing different types synopsis is an indispensable, precious literary practice. The ability to “cut off all unnecessary” so that your work appears in its true form requires the author to have absolute command of the word. If in the novel itself you can smear a thought or an image on half a page, you can repeat yourself, use an inaccurate word, then when writing a synopsis, each word should carry a 200 percent load.

As already mentioned, a synopsis is not a retelling of the content of a work. The synopsis should give an idea of ​​how the novel DEVELOPES. So, before we talk about the synopsis, we have to talk a little about the dramaturgy of a literary work.

Dramaturgy of the novel

I will speak simply, in a popular way, so that literary critics can go out or shut their ears. I will speak as I myself understand, but I do not like smart words and long sentences. Is not scientific work and a blog post.

The development of any literary work can be represented as a curve with several peaks - plot nodes. Moreover, this does not depend on whether the author planned his novel in advance or wrote as God puts on his soul. well written literary work always has a pronounced structure; a sense of harmony and form is an integral part of the writing talent, therefore, to one degree or another, this scheme is present in all good writings.

As a rule, the structure of any artwork(regardless of whether the author consciously planned it) consists of the following elements:

1. Exposure. This is the very beginning of the novel, the introduction, where the characters are presented in their typical environment, doing their usual activities. Nothing has happened yet.

2. Tie. These are the events due to which the hero's life is about to change, irreversibly any minute there will be a problem that he will have to unravel until the end of the book. But while the problem has not arisen, the hero still has a chance to turn life back on track and live in the old way. The plot is a part of the book, which is the first moral choice of the hero.

3. The plot is resolved by an event called "first plot point" - first plot point. The hero made a decision and took on a burden that he would have to carry until the end of the book. Or committed an act, the consequences of which will continue to grow and grow. The first plot node of Crime and Punishment is murder. Everything before that, the plot: Raskolnikov still has a chance to change his mind and live as before.

Here it should be noted that in contemporary literature there is a tendency to start the work immediately from the first plot node: to capture the reader's attention, to intrigue him. But this does not mean at all that the exposition and the plot are omitted: on the contrary, they are always present, but already after the fact, in the form of flashbacks, as the characters' memories of what happened "before". The information presented in the exposition and the plot is important for understanding the characters and the situation, and its complete absence disfigures the work.

4. After the event of the first plot node, the novel itself begins: a sequential chain of scenes in which the hero tries his best to confront the problems that have fallen on him, but instead becomes more and more confused. About halfway through the piece, this flow of action breaks out into a mini-climax. This is the second plot point.

Usually such a middle mini-climax is expressed either in the temporary spiritual defeat of the hero, or in his same temporary triumph. As a rule, after that, his luck turns around 180 degrees: if in the first half of the novel the hero controlled the situation, now he will begin to lose; if in the first half all the bumps rained down on him, now luck will be on his side. A typical example of a middle knot is Hamlet, the mousetrap scene. Until then, Hamlet was in control of the situation; now, under the weight of the truth, he spiritually breaks down, the road to his death begins.

5. Again, our hero fights, fights, thereby confusing the situation more and more, and about a quarter before the end of the book comes the third plot point (third plot point). This event or scene is a harbinger of the approaching climax. A certain fatal event occurs, after which the characters will not be able to change anything: the crisis is inevitable, and it is they themselves who have brought it on their heads by their actions. For example, the third plot node of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the extradition of the Negro Jim under arrest to the Phelps family.

Here it must be said that the events of the plot nodes are always connected with the idea and theme of the novel. On this basis, they are easy to distinguish from other events of the manuscript. The idea of ​​\u200b\u200b"Huck Finn" is the inner freedom of the individual, the theme of the novel is the oppression of this individual in all forms in the American outback, the slave trade and racism, therefore it is the loss of freedom by Negro Jim that becomes the key event of the novel. Not, say, the moment when Huck is mistaken for Tom Sawyer.

6. After this, the crisis is already inevitable: everything is gone, the hero lost. After the crisis comes the so-called gloomy moment - a dark moment, when the heroes and the reader fall into the awareness of the tragedy that has occurred. Evil has won. The reader simply does not imagine how the hero can get out of absolutely hopeless situation. It is at this moment that the hero will again need those spiritual values ​​that the author put forward as the idea of ​​the book (in fact, the author unobtrusively sold these values ​​to the reader throughout the entire work).

7. And then two options are possible. Either the hero mobilizes, is reborn and does the impossible, showing miracles of fortitude and ingenuity. Or it breaks and dies completely. Both of these are the culmination of the piece.

It is desirable that it be accompanied by catharsis - a powerful sense of purification and spiritual flight. After closing the book, the reader should feel better, stronger, cleaner than before reading - even if it lasts five minutes. Psychiatry claims that catharsis is the strongest emotion of pleasure, comparable in strength only to the basic positive emotions inherent in us by nature: food and reproduction. That is, it turns out that we have a genetic need for emotional cleansing. That's humanity and seeks to cause catharsis in itself: it creates tragedies, novels and other art.

8. Finally, the climax is followed by a denouement: a brief resolution of the personal histories of the characters involved in the novel. The reader always wants to know: “what happened next?” The denouement is designed to satisfy this curiosity.

I understand that the majority of readers are educated, creative people and did not need this self-made educational program. Moreover, not a single work completely fits into this Procrustean scheme. But I decided to remind her like this in a primitively straightforward way, because she is most directly related to the topic of writing a synopsis.

Synopsis writing

The very first thing you need to do when writing a synopsis is to analyze your novel along the lines above. What event or decision changed the measured life of the hero? Why - what led him to this decision? Who opposes him - a man, political regime, Power of nature? What steps does the hero take to achieve the goal? How does his behavior relate to his character or weaknesses? What exactly was he trying to achieve in the middle of the novel? Why did further events lead to the crisis? What is a climax? Formulate it in such a way that it is possible to feel catharsis, or at least understand that it is present.

And the most main question How has the main character changed spiritually? How did he start, and how did he end the book? Who were those people, friends and enemies, who played a decisive role in this change?

And now you can write the synopsis...

The longer the synopsis, the easier it is to give the details of the narrative - and the greater the danger that these details will be unnecessary, having nothing to do with the essence of the novel. Therefore, at first it is better to write a short synopsis for a couple of paragraphs, in which only the content is formulated key points works.

One sentence - an outset, a sentence for each plot node, then a crisis and a climax, a denouement. In addition, these sentences must be able to answer the basic questions - who, where, when, why and how. And by all means convey the atmosphere of the work, give an idea of ​​the genre (if it genre essay) and style.

In a medium-length synopsis, you can describe each plot node of the book in a whole paragraph in three or four sentences. Here you can more deeply prescribe the characters and convey the mood of the work.

Be careful with the details of the actual plot: who went where, what he did, and what came of it. It's very easy to go overboard with them. Try to make the narrative a smooth logical line, ruthlessly throw out everything that is not directly related to it. The reader's memory will not hold a large amount of information, attention will begin to wander, and he will lose interest in the manuscript.

Be sure to show the synopsis to several beta readers, both those who have read the manuscript and those who are not yet familiar with it. Consider all their remarks: a 100% guarantee that there will be reactions like “but we didn’t understand ... who? where? why? what was he doing there?

Finally, a long synopsis of one and a half to two pages is a fairly detailed and intelligible description of the work. In a synopsis like the one below, it's good to include vivid quotes from the book and marketing information.

Finally, a few more “rules” to consider when writing a synopsis:

1. Synopsis should evoke emotional empathy

When writing a synopsis, there is a very high danger of falling into a dry enumeration of facts and actions. But the book is not a bare plot, but, above all, a feedback emotional connection with the reader. Therefore, the synopsis should be written strongly, convincingly, in order to evoke an emotional response in the reader (editor) - empathy, empathy for what is happening with the characters.

2. The shorter the synopsis, the less characters are mentioned.

Even if the place allows, you can not insert into the synopsis every old woman whom the hero helped to cross the street. It must be remembered that a large number of actors the memory of the reader (editor) will not hold. The editor will start to get confused about who is who, will start to look at the beginning, will start to get annoyed.

In a short synopsis, it is enough to mention three or four main characters, counting the main character. And it's all!

In a longer synopsis, the number of characters increases proportionally, with one condition: they must all be people who directly affect the plot and spiritual development hero. "Episodic" characters are never mentioned in the synopsis. They can only be mentioned in detailed multi-page expositions, and then only if their presence affects the plot and the development of characters (for example, Frida in The Master and Margarita).

3. Characteristics of the characters.

Some writers seek to convey in the synopsis the richness of the psychological complexity of their characters. They forget that the editor has not yet read the novel and does not know the characters. Complex characteristics are understandable only to those who are already familiar with the work, and to a stranger they seem to be a jumble of unconvincing, illogical characters. Therefore, each mentioned character is assigned only one rectilinear, even frontal characteristic. It can change only when this change is crucial for the plot (for example, a brave man unexpectedly becomes cowardly and thereby changes the course of events).

4. Names of characters.

There are two things to be said about proper names in the synopsis. First, the number of named characters should be kept to an absolute minimum. Only key characters are eligible. No one minor character not mentioned in the synopsis by name (if mentioned at all). “Neighbor”, “investigator”, “Tanya's teacher”, this is how most characters should be labeled.

At the workshop already mentioned, we came to the conclusion that the number of characters mentioned by name should not exceed five, even in a long 2-page synopsis. The reader's memory simply does not hold anymore. The shorter the synopsis, the fewer names. In a short annotation for 1 paragraph, you can not even mention the name of even the main character at all, because in principle it is not important or interesting to anyone. It is better to replace it with a vivid characterization that conjures up the image of a hero - "a former race car driver", "an unemployed reporter", etc.

Secondly, each character mentioned by name is assigned only one name, without options. "Sashka", "Alexander Sergeevich Petrov" and "Sergeich" perhaps in different situations your hero's name is different. But the reader will be confused, trying to figure out which of the characters in question. Therefore, stop at one version of the name (the one that most accurately reflects the character of the hero) and call it only that throughout the entire synopsis.

This is especially true if you are actually sending the manuscript to an English-language publisher. For those who do not speak Russian, it is absolutely incomprehensible that "Sanechka", "Shura" and "Alexandra Kuzminichna" are one and the same person. By the way, this is the most common complaint of Western lovers of Russian classics. It is difficult for them to understand the variants of the names of each of the characters, half of their time is spent not on reading, but on trying to sort by the names of Russian characters!

5. Emotions and motivations of the characters.

Like the characteristics, the emotions and motivations of the characters should be clear and simple in the synopsis. Each is assigned only one goal, one dominant emotion. The principle here is the same as with the characteristics: a reader who does not know the novel will not be able to understand the many subtleties of their feelings and needs. Therefore, everything superfluous should be cut off: each of the mentioned characters is assigned one, the main thing for his "role" feeling (jealousy, hope, sense of duty) or one motivation, one goal. Having more than one is only allowed for the main character.

6. Minor storylines.

In short, 1 paragraph synopses, they are not mentioned at all. If the main and secondary storylines are intertwined, you will have to spend a small surgical operation- correct, even slightly distort the content, but bring in the synopsis only the main storyline, naked.

By the way, separate (one, two) minor distortions small parts content in the synopsis is perfectly acceptable. It is very difficult to articulate the plot of an entire book in one sentence, something will inevitably have to be sacrificed, released or “corrected”. The main thing is to convey the meaning and spirit of the work. In no case should you lie or embellish, but if some small details in isolation from the text of the novel itself sound unconvincing or illogical, they can be omitted or slightly modified.

In longer synopses, subplots should only be mentioned insofar as they affect the development of the hero or main storyline. AT a good novel secondary storylines are always a counterpoint to the main one, showing the same spiritual problem and its consequences from a different angle. I repeat once again that everything mentioned in the synopsis should focus on the spiritual problem of the protagonist and the vicissitudes of the plot arising from it.

This is especially difficult to do if we are talking not about genre, but about modern elite literature, where often many storylines are intertwined, forming a single story. However, you will have to do it. It is necessary to single out one hero whose story is the main one in the book, and touch on the rest only insofar as they affect his life.

If there are several such heroes and stories in the book and all of them are the main ones, then it will be very difficult to write a convincing synopsis. We had such an option at the seminar: one of the participants presented a novel in which the stories of four women developed in parallel. There was a lot of torment with this synopsis, and even after repeated editing it sounded extremely unconvincing. In this case, the author will have to show ingenuity: the main thing is to write in such a way as to clearly communicate the content, the problems of the heroines and what connects them to each other.

7. Quotes from the work.

Very good to include in the synopsis short quotes from the work itself. It can be your character description, a catchphrase or a piece of dialogue. The length of such a quote can reach a whole paragraph - but no more. Such inserts enrich the synopsis, it immediately sounds lively and at ease.

8. Small plot details.

All details not related to the hero's problem are omitted. For example: "Matvey meets Marya in the store where she came to buy sausages." Is the store important? Perhaps: in the event that Marya is accused of stealing the sausage and if this affects the course of the plot. But if both are just everyday details, they have no place in the synopsis. Matvey meets Marya, period.

9. Indicate the ending.

In the synopsis, it is necessary to fully reveal how the novel ends. You can’t write, for example: “So who killed Matvey? We will find out if we read the book to the end ... ”It is imperative to reveal all the“ secrets ”and intrigues - for example, the name of the killer or the method of committing the crime. The editor must know everything!

10. Literary jargon.

It is undesirable to mention "professionalism", literary criticism and publishing terms in the text of the synopsis. For example, “in the exposition the protagonist finds out...”, “their meeting is the culmination of the novel...”, “this story line serves as a counterpoint to ... ", etc. They remove the reader, remind him that he is not facing a fascinating story, but a product. mental activity author. The synopsis should be read in one breath, like the novel itself - tell it, not analyze it.

11. Marketing information.

If, for any reason, an application is not attached to the package of documents, then the synopsis should end with marketing information about the manuscript of the novel. List recent books from this publisher that are similar to yours; Explain how yours is similar and different. Mention why you wrote it: for example, based on personal experience or you are an expert in the field.

Writing an outline.

Here you will already be retelling the content, and in full detail, all the scenes and dialogues, scene by scene and chapter by chapter. But even here we must try to make everything clear, logical and convey not only the content, but, above all, the spiritual throwing and growth of the characters, and the very aura of the work. Fewer proper names, no confusion in the motivations and characteristics of the characters. Be sure to give beta readers a read. If they are bored or incomprehensible, the editor will throw it into the trash. Rewrite until the presentation shines with simplicity and clarity.

The screenplay, as we have already said, is like a wild animal. Big and scary. It is an impressive pile of pages, formatted in a certain way, which tells a story in detail.

Short films look more modest outwardly - it seems easier to write 10-20 pages than full-length 100-110. But by and large, the principle of creating a short film and a feature film is the same (at least I am convinced of this).

At the moment when our idea has already been formulated, the form has been chosen, the heroes have been found, we could already start writing the script itself! But it's very easy to stumble here.

Without a clear plot framework, a script can take us in any direction, and usually further and further away from what we want to get.

Therefore, a vector of movement of history is needed. This vector is called a synopsis.

When we retell an 800-page book or a 2-hour movie to someone, we are not replaying every sentence or frame. We try to present everything as eventfully and logically as possible, so as not to take away half a day of life from the listener.

If we completely simplify, then we are telling something that has a beginning, a middle and an end, from which everything becomes clear - including why we told all this. So here's the synopsis - this is brief retelling plot in writing.

However, if we talk inconsistently, are constantly distracted, mumble for a long time and cannot find words, everyone immediately loses interest in the story and waits for everything to end as soon as possible.

All of the above is true for movies. To prevent embarrassment from happening and the viewer not throwing rotten tomatoes at us (in fact, he simply turned off the film / left the cinema), it is important to develop a plot structure. It is designed to keep the attention of the audience, correctly convey our thought and keep our story in the right form.

HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS?

In principle, every book on screenwriting is literally bursting with instructions for building a structure. I'll try to make it as concise as possible.

Any story consists of an exposition, an outset, ups and downs, a climax and a denouement.. Each of these elements is extremely important. And then we will figure out what kind of birds these are, and why they are so significant.

EXPOSITION

This is the designation of the world in which our story takes place. Time of action, place of action, main characters, their characters, important for the story life circumstances. Everything that is useful to the viewer in order to correctly understand further history. And, most importantly, that the viewer can empathize hero.

Let's, for example, remember the beginning of Paul Verhoeven's film RoboCop (many consider the film childish and stupid, but reconsider it - I assure you, this is a very high-quality social satire). No, they don’t immediately make a police robot out of a hero.

First, the director, along with the screenwriter, show us America in the near future. It takes place in Detroit (the US engineering center - where else can a story about a robot take place?), In this crazy world, all government structures (including the police) are subordinate to the OSR business corporation; crime is rampant on the streets, and policemen are killed almost every day (the most notable gang of criminal Clarence Boddicker here).

Our hero, Alex Murphy, is just being transferred to the most dangerous police station in Detroit. And within the OSR corporation itself, there is competition between two employees, each of whom, for career reasons, is trying to smuggle own project cybernetic cop.

As we can understand, without such an exposition, the further plot will not work seriously - we will not understand the prerequisites, the characters of the characters, the cause-and-effect relationships. Everything will immediately become a “common” place, and this is detrimental to cinema. As Mikhail Romm said: "Cinema is a crude art in its specificity."

STRING

A moment that, in general, shows why we are all here. Designation of the main conflict of history. And asking the question "How will it end?". The tie is abrupt change in the usual life of heroes who change the course of reality around them. Moreover, this is always done through developments.

That is, if you were going to go to the store, you go down the street there, buy what you need and return home - this is not a story, there is not a single structural component of it, there were no dramatic events.

Now, if you went to the store, and along the way you ran into a pack of hungry, angry and rabid dogs, this would immediately become the plot of the story, because, firstly, it greatly changes your plans, and secondly, unexpectedly. Accordingly, now you need to escape from rabid dogs, and you won’t have time to run to the house.

Looking at this story, a person will ask himself the question “How will it end?”. In Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop, this is the murder of the main character, Alex Murphy, by Alex Boddicker's gang and the creation on the basis of the deceased policeman RoboCop.

AT feature film the plot usually takes place at 15-20 minutes (respectively, on 15-20 pages of a script drawn up according to the international standard - read about the script format in a separate article). In short stories, everything depends on the timing, but no later than the 5th minute.

If we delay the emergence of the plot, then we risk losing the viewer - he can turn off his attention and get bored. This, for example, happened with the film "Horde" by Andrei Proshkin, where the question "How will it end?" was asked somewhere on the 50th minute. What did it lead to? To the one, that most of The audience has already died of boredom.

PERIPETEIA

Additional complications that arise in the way of the hero in the course of the plot. The most primitive examples can be found in modern computer games: the hero will be given the task to go somewhere and turn on the switch, but when he is near the switch, he realizes that the handle is broken or there is no electricity.

There are a lot of options for twists and turns. What is all this for? So that the hero's life does not seem like honey. It is necessary to diversify the plot, shake the viewer a little, activate his attention even more.

If we go back to RoboCop, then the ups and downs is the arisen "Directive No. 4" in his firmware, which does not allow him to arrest high-ranking officials of the OCP corporation (which prevents him from doing his job).

In feature films, there are usually several ups and downs. In a short film, one or two. But in fact, in the short film, this is an optional element. Especially if the whole movie is 7-10 minutes long.

CULMINATION

Most important point the whole story being told. It must not be dropped under any circumstances. Peak emotional stress, as well as the resolution of the main conflict. The answer to the question "How will it end?".

It is important to bring all the most important lines to their conclusion here, because the viewer is just waiting for this. If you take the example of rabid dogs, then this is exactly the scene (or chain of scenes) in which you figure out how to defeat them, and defeat them. Or how you didn’t succeed, and the dogs gnaw your throat, hehe. Joke.

Of course, the spectator must be brought to the climax rhythmically. It cannot happen out of the blue. It would be nice to break your head over how to push the opposing sides in the "final battle" (and not like Christopher Nolan in the third " dark knight when all the characters suddenly appear in the right places, as if by magic).

Usually the climax is the longest scene in the movie. Because of its importance. This does not mean that it is tight. This means that right now we are keeping the viewer on the hook in the very high point, and we must keep him there until we have dealt with everything that needs to be dealt with.

In RoboCop, this is the episode where Clarence's gang tries to take out RoboCop (aka Murphy) in an abandoned factory. There is not only the destruction of the bad guys (I must say, extremely cruel).

Here, too, for the first time, Murphy appears before us without a helmet, and communicates with his former partner, as with a full-fledged friend, so that we understand - after all, a lot of human remains in him.

Thus, a number of questions have been answered. Will Murphy get revenge on his killers? Yes, and will do it the way they deserve it”; “Murphy was turned into a soulless blank, or is his soul somewhere behind the armor? Somewhere deep down there is still the man Alex Murphy."

DENOUNCING

The last point of the story. Here we finish off those questions that for some reason did not have time to resolve in the climax (as a rule, secondary), and allow the viewer to breathe with a calm soul and comprehend what was told.

For example, in the film "The Diamond Arm" - this is a scene near the steamer, where the hero Yuri Nikulin is lowered on a crane with plaster. Indeed, in the climax, he fell out of the trunk of a car flying under a helicopter - Gaidai could not convince the viewer that Semyon Semyonych was dead.

In the movie "Birdman" - this is the scene in the hospital, where we find out that Riggan Thompson did not shoot himself, but only shot off his nose.

In "Robocop" this is the last chord. The question of the old director: “You shoot well, son. What is your name?" and RoboCop's response with a smirk, "Murphy."

In an ideal film, the climax and denouement coincide with each other in one scene. But there is nothing to worry about if something has to be transferred to a separate denouement.

So, as soon as we have built the construction of the plot, denoting all the above structural elements in it, we can begin to write a synopsis. With a ready-made design, this will not be difficult, and a brief retelling of the film on one page will be written without problems.

Now we have everything to start writing the script itself!