In the development phase of creating our projects, we should all create a short synopsis. In this blog, you will learn what goes into a synopsis and how to write one quickly.
One thing is for sure, you will absolutely need a synopsis for any creative project. 9 times out of 10, you will use this short synopsis to hook buyers from film studios and television networks to get a pitch, possibly film festival submission committees, or to hook celebrity talent that will ultimately be cast in your project, so it had better be a good GREAT one!
The technique I use below is one way to get to the core of what your project is really about.
But first, I want to set the first rule…that is your short synopsis should include at least five, if not ALL of story elements; character, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. I know…I know that was cryptic, but the importance of only using five of the story elements is an entirely different post! Now for the tip…
One thing I like to do is use an AutoSummarizing tool for this. (Microsoft Word used to offer it right on your computer but doesn’t any more but you can use any free online tool. I use a combination of two- Autosummarizer.com and toolsfornoobs.com.) The first thing you want to do is to copy and paste your long synopsis or overview into the online auto summarizing tool to look for what they think is the summary of your project. You can find out what they think is relevant, and they will highlight key words and sentences within your text. You’ll quickly find out what is “coloring and fluff” and what is the “core” of your synopsis.
Next, you want to break up your synopsis by paragraphs and copy and paste each into the summarizer to see what is “key” in each paragraph. You should copy and paste these “key” sentences and words into another document to play with the text. This is the basis for building a short synopsis
Next, (and this is the good part!) you have to check your synopsis against the five (or six) story elements to make sure you have all the elements included into your short synopsis. If not, go back to your long synopsis or overview to determine which sentence best describe each element. This should make your synopsis fail proof. It will at least allow you to narrow down what is most important to mention. Let me know if you think this post is helpful in the comments below.
(Don’t eva say I never gave you nothing! 😊)