PAGE CONTENT

CONTENTS PAGES

TASK GIVEN

DECLARATION FORM 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3

PAGE CONTENT 4

1.0 REVIEW “HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS 5-6

2.0 SYNOPSIS OF BEQUEST OF LOVE 7-9

3.0 REFLECTION 10

4.0 REFRENCES 11

5.0 APPENDICES

5.1 Internet sources

5.2 Collaboration form

12-20

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1.0 REVIEW HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS

Synopsis is the story in a nutshell beginning, middle and end. It’s aim is to tempt

and tantalise the reader so that the editor wants to see more. We want to see strong

character development, sparky emotional conflict and all the twists and turns of the

story. Above all allow your unique voice to shine through. A synopsis needs to do

two things. First and foremost, it needs to cover all of the major characters and major

plot points (including the ending) and the following; it needs to make the work come

alive. If your synopsis reads like "and then this happened and then this happened"

and it's confusing and dull, well, you might want to revise

Here are some tips regarding how to write a synopsis. Firstly, don’t leave your

synopsis on a cliff hanger thinking, it will tantalise the reader, the editor needs to

know what’s going to happen.Secondly, your synopsis should target the series

promise. Make sure your characters are living in the glitz, glamour and passion of

the presents world. Thirdly, you must make sure who is driving your story. Is it the

main characters, and their emotions, or are you relying on secondary characters to

create conflict.

Next, you must show your characters’ motivations. The reader needs to

understand and sympathise with the choices your characters have made in the past

and in the present. It is these choices that tell the reader who the characters really

are. Other than that, you should include the character development in your synopsis.

This shows us how the characters grow during the story – from the people they are

at the beginning, to whom they become at the end. Let us see their emotional

journey. The key turning points of the relationship is also important. These are the

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elements that change the characters relationship for better or worse and keep your

story moving forward.

Understand how key emotional themes work. You may have told us the hero is a

gorgeous Greek billionaire or the heroine a shy virgin but the label isn’t enough on its

own. Create a character! Show us their layers. In the synopsis we need to

understand who they are, their motivations and what drives them. Is the focus on the

relationship development rather than the setting? No matter how glamorous is the

settings, it’s the characters that make it come alive. You should give a best bit. Show

us the bare bones and the important emotional development. Too much detail

overshadows. If you feel you need to cram in everything to your synopsis it may be

that the characters and emotional conflict are not strong enough at present to drive

the story. 

Last, but not least, keep it short. Not more than 2 sides of A4 and it must be

double spacing. It's longer or shorter than that I don't think anyone is going to be

angry, but that should be enough to do what you need to do.This should be sufficient

to showcase your story. You can challenge yourself; by just summing up in one

exciting paragraph If you are struggling with any of the above this may highlight a

potential issue within your story. You may need to go back and re-examine your

characters and storyline.

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2.0 SYNOPSIS BEQUESTS OF LOVE

Marie Gerrina Louis’s ‘Bequests of Love’ tells the story of an eleven years old

boy named Karim who was born with a disability that made it impossible and difficult

for him to use the lower half of his body without any help. Karim has a funny face,

with its far-apart eyes, button nose and rosy and rosy cheeks. He was the youngest

son for Zulkifly and Haryati. Moreover, he has two elder brothers named Fariq and

Faroq whom were twins and also perfectly healthy. Since they were six years older

Faroq whom were twins are also perfectly healthy. Since they were six years older

than Karim, they were not very closed to him but his parents do not love him

intensely.

Besides that, it seems to be quite merciful to find Karim always either on his

back, sitting up against a chair or learning, ape-like, with his extra long arms making

up for his skinny, useless legs. However, he was a brilliant boy because he often

questioned his mother topics on general knowledge and about the world. However,

Haryati couldn’t manage to answer all of his questions. Karim also enjoys admiring

the nature in the evenings at the verandah of his house with his parents although

Karim has accepted his disability and coped with it, but still there was an underlying

feeling of dread that conquered his parents.

One day, Fariq noticed that Karim’s preoccupation with death whereby, he

read books on death and horrifying things like that. Even Haryati realized that Karim

was getting obsessed with death and morbid. The circles under his eyes were more

obvious and his cheeks were not their usual rosy colour. When he was asked by

Haryati what’s wrong, he said he wants to live a long live and go around the world

three times. His dream was to walk and run like others while learning and seeing

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everything around the world. After that incident, he got worst because he stopped

moving about the house and pulled himself slowly with his long arms, his legs

dragging behind uselessly. He grew more melancholy and spent hours just looking at

the neighbour’s children playing hide-and-seek. He was in deep sadness and

sorrow.

Therefore, Karim’s parents took him to Dr Tan who had been treating him

since he was a baby but the chance for recovery is low. The best that Dr Tan could

do was to reduce Karim’s pain by giving extra medication and delay with his death.

Nowadays, Karim spends ample time drawing pictures and especially his family in

cartoon form. Whereas, Fariq got help from his lover’s father to publish Karim’s

creativity in his children’s magazine. Eventually, Karim was more confident and

happy with that complimentary. Moreover, the twins spent most of their time talking

and goofing around with Karim.

During a cold night in June, Karim was found collapsed in his bedroom. Fariq

and faroq quickly carried him out and laid him on the back seat of the car as Zulkifly

starts the engine. The twins followed behind by motorbike. At the hospital, Dr

Manogari instructed the nurses to put Karim on IV tube and specified the medication

to be used whereas, Dr. Tan was checking Karim’s eyes and heartbeat. Karim’s

mother was worried and panicked, hoping that Karim will get well soon. Even the

twins broke down in tears and was sitting far-apart with full of guilty and regret.

Unfortunately when the Dr. Tan and Dr Manogari came out from the observation

room, Haryati ran into the room where Karim was. She found him unconscious and

helpless. He was dead and his face shows no pain till the end.

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After that, Faroq and Fariq found Karim’s ‘Last Will and Testament” in a blue

envelope. Karim had left a bequest of love for each of his family members. The

bequest he had left that is to his mother who gave him birth; he left his garden, to his

father who loved him best, he left his rocking chair, to his greatest brothers ever to

be, he had left his colour TV. In his bequest, it also stated that he hoped his family

does not regret upon his death. His love to his family will not fade although he had

passed away. It had been a year since Karim left, however his bequest of love is still

very meaningful and precious to Haryati.

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3.0 REFLECTION

After finishing the task given, we felt so relieved because we managed to

complete it within the time given to us. We learned and gain a lot of knowledge

through this assignment.

For instance, we learned how to manage our time successfully and we were

given enough time to finish the task. We also consulted Puan Suliana Bt Wan Chik

for collaboration session. In this session, we got more information on how to do the

task systematically and arranged the content orderly. All the mistakes like grammar

and sentences structure had been corrected.

The task given to us was about writing a synopsis. We were needed to write

the whole synopsis from a short story, Bequest of Love .We gathered information

from the internet on how to write a synopsis. Based on that, we learned how to write

an appropriate synopsis and improved ourselves in writing.

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4.0 REFERENCES

1. http://www.writing-world.com/publish/synopsis.shtml accessed on 5

September 2008

2. http://www.eclectics.com/articles/synopsis.html accessed on 5 September

2008

3. http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a4253-how-to-write-a-synopsis.html

accessed on 5 September 2008

4. http:// www.ehow.com/how_2078311_write-synopsis.htm accessed on 5

September 2008

5. http:// www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html accessed on 6 September 2008

6. http://www.meredithbond.com/Synopsis.html accessed on 6 September 2008

7. http://www.rfp-templates.com/rfp/for/Research-Synopsis-Write.html accessed on 6

September 2008

8. http://www.helium.com/items/652310-how-to-write-a-good-synopsis accessed on 6

September 2008

9. http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/subjects/english/writing/synopsis.html

accessed on 7 September 2008

10.http://www.creativeportal.org/advice/andrea_semple/synopsis.html accessed on 7

September 2008

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5.0 APPENDICES

ARTICLE 1

Many publishers require that a synopsis be sent before a full manuscript can be

submitted. The synopsis must interest the editor in the story in just a few short

pages. It should be printed on a good quality paper and with a standard font for a

professional look. The synopsis can also be double-spaced to make it easier for an

editor to read.

Step1

Detail any back stories relevant to the main story. Keep this information short,

making every word count.

Step2

Write a descriptive paragraph about the setting of the story. Make the reader feel the

setting, which will foreshadow the tone of the synopsis.

Step3

Begin the storyline with an introduction to the major characters. Make the characters

feel fleshed out, including as much relevant information as possible in a short space.

Step4

Cover the storyline, including every major conflict and resolution. Write the story in

short chapter summaries until the entire book is summarized.

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Step5

Add a few quotations into the summary. Choose quotes that say something about

both the characters and the storyline. Quote directly from the manuscript, using

quotes that are interesting, funny or exciting, but that contain the needed information.

Step6

Keep the entire synopsis in the present tense to generate a feeling of excitement and

relevance. Keep the length of the synopsis to five pages or less. Read the

publisher's writing guidelines to find to the exact length each publisher prefers. Be

prepared to write several versions of any manuscript's synopsis in order to fit the

guidelines of different publishers.

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ARTICLE 2

Ten ways to write the perfect synopsis

1. Keep it short.

Two pages maximum. A single page is often enough.

 

2. Be brutal.

Edit like you've never edited before. Avoid baggy language. Make sure each

sentence is no longer than it needs to be, especially in the first paragraph.

 

3. Tease.

The trick to a good synopsis is to give a flavour of your novel without giving the

whole game away. Don't detail everything that happens. Don't over explain. Just

provide the central premise, and a few of the juicier events.

 

4. Go for the present tense.

Consider the following two phrases: 'Josie's marriage was falling apart' and 'Josie's

marriage is falling apart.' The second one is instantly more immediate, and involves

you, because it is happening right now.

 

5. Read book covers.

As I've said before, the blurb on the back of a novel is exactly the style you should be

going for. After all, this is how publishers sell their own books.

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6. Do something a little different.

The top agents can get as many as one hundred submissions a month. Clearly it

helps if you can stand out. You've got to reach out from the page and grab them by

the throat (or whichever part of the anatomy you'd prefer).

 

7. Experiment with the voice.

Matt often uses the second person voice when he is writing a synopsis. So instead of

writing 'the novel is about a man called James Smart. He has six days to save his

marriage with Josie', he'd go for 'You are James Smart. You have six days to save

your marriage'. Obviously this approach doesn't work for every type of novel, the

point is that by doing something a little different you will stand out.

 

8. Don't introduce all the characters.

Don't bombard agents with thirty characters. Stick to the two or three main ones.

Otherwise it will be too much for them to take in.

 

9. Proof read like crazy.

I know I've told a lot of you this already but the first time I sent out my synopsis I

spelt the word synopsis wrong. Having synpsis at the top of the page is not a good

way to start. . .

 

10. Finish on a great sentence

Make sure you finish on a great sentence. Something that gives enough, but leaves

them itching to read the novel. The classic way to do this is to close on a question, or

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a series of questions that draws on the main theme of a novel. Such as 'can

someone ever recover the person they've left behind?'

Writing a Novel Synopsis

Who needs a synopsis?

Anyone beginning a novel, contemplating one, or who has just completed one.

When is the best time to write the synopsis--before or after the book is

written?

Either time can work. You can write your synopsis first, before you even begin to

write the book. This will help you with your plotting and the synopsis can be a guide

for you while you write. It is much easier, by the way, to write a synopsis before you

write the book. You don't get bogged down in all the details, mainly because you

aren't aware of all the details yet. Of course, what often happens is that once the

book is finished, you need to go back and change your synopsis. The book will

probably take on a life of its own and there is no reason you have to follow your initial

synopsis to the "T. But you might find the rewrite much easier when you have an

initial synopsis to work with.

There is another reason to write a synopsis before you write the book. Once you

already have an agent and you are discussing future projects, you can present your

ideas in this one-page synopsis format for your agent to look at and give her opinion

on.

What is a synopsis?

1) It's a narrative summary of your book--with feeling.

2) It's written in present tense.

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3) It's written in third person.

4) It's written in the same style of writing your book is written in. If your book is

"chatty," then your synopsis is, too. If your book is serious, literary, filled with dialect,

or any other style, so must your synopsis be.

5) The synopsis introduces your main characters and their main conflicts, all woven

together in the narrative. (It does not list your characters.)

6) Weaving, by the way, is important. One paragraph should flow logically to the

next. If you are switching ideas, you need to make sure you build in a transition to

connect your paragraphs.

7) You do not have to include every character or every scene, plot point, or subplot

in your synopsis. But your synopsis should give a clear idea as to what your book is

about, what characters we will care about (or dislike), what is at stake for your

heroes, what they stand to lose, and how it all turns out.

8) Yes, you must put the conclusion to your novel in your synopsis. No cliffhangers

or teasers. Agents and editors want to know that you know how to successfully

conclude your story. (Often agents don't read the synopsis until after they've read the

entire ms--but not always.)

Synopsis Format

In the upper left hand corner you should have the following info:Synopsis of "Title

here"Genre:.................Word count:By__________ Single space your synopsis.

(Synopses longer than one page should be double-spaced.) Its paragraphs are

usually indented, with no spaces between paragraphs. You do not use a cover page

or any fancy headings or fonts.

Synopsis Checklist:

Does the opening paragraph have a hook to keep the reader reading?

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Are your main characters' conflicts clearly defined?

Are your characters sympathetic?

Can the reader relate to them and worry about them?

Have you avoided all grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes?

Have you hit on the major scenes, the major plot points of your book?Did you

resolve all important conflicts?Did you use present tense?

Fiction Writer's Connection

PO Box 72300

Albuquerque, NM  87195

Phone:(505) 352-9490

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ARTICLE 3

Thursday, August 30, 2007

How to Write a Synopsis

Much like my haircuts, this is a blog post that I have put off for quite a long time. How

to write a synopsis. It's like my own personal kryptonite. I've been meaning to post

about this for such a long time, but then I'd think, "How in the world am I supposed to

give advice on how to write a synopsis? Ohh! I know! I can write about The Hills

instead!!"

But I shall put it off no longer. Today's post will be about how to write a synopsis.

I'm starting now. I can do this.

I mean it. I'm going to do it.

Starting now.

Ok, really starting now.

The reason for my recalcitrance is that there's really no one way to write a synopsis.

Everyone has a different idea of what a synopsis should entail, how long it should

be, whether it should be single- or double-spaced, whether it should include all of the

plot or just the really important stuff... I mean, how I can even begin to summarize

this and offer any advice is frankly beyond me.

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But here is the thing to know about synopses: A synopsis is not an opportunity to talk

about every single character and every single plot point in a "and then this happened

and then this happened" fashion. A synopsis needs to do two things: 1) it needs to

cover all of the major characters and major plot points (including the ending) and 2) it

needs to make the work come alive. If your synopsis reads like "and then this

happened and then this happened" and it's confusing and dull, well, you might want

to revise that baby.

A good place to start for a model on how to write a good synopsis is to mimic book

cover copy, only also include in the synopsis what happens in the end. The blurbs on

flap jackets and on the back of paperbacks are usually good synopses -- they're a

hybrid of plot points but with a bigger sense of what makes the book unique and

interesting (although discard the stuff in cover copy that talks about the author -- that

doesn't go in a synopsis). You want to strike a balance in the synopsis between

covering the plot and characters, but also conveying the spirit and tone of the book

and smoothing over gaps between the major plot points you describe.

So in the synopsis, you definitely want to capture how the novel begins and the hook

and include all of the major climaxes and the big climax at the end. Between those

points introduce major characters and their relationships, and make sure you're

conveying the core of the conflicts between all of these elements. But then, rather

than just filling in with more and more plot and more and more characters, connect

the dots between them with your own summarizing, in order to make the synopsis

easy to read and compelling on its own.

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Easier said than done, I know. Synopses are tough. Like mosquitoes (my war

against them is going better, btw).

How long should a synopsis be? Unless the agent specifies otherwise or you have

found better synopsis-writing advice elsewhere (the odds of that are pretty good,

frankly), I'd shoot for two to three pages, double-spaced. If it's longer or shorter than

that I don't think anyone is going to be angry, but that should be enough to do what

you need to do.

So there you have it. It's done. I did it. Thank goodness. Now about that haircut I've

been putting off...

POSTED BY NATHAN BRANSFORD AT 12:25 PM

LABELS: WRITING ADVICE

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