Most writers hate writing synopses, and no wonder. After you've agonized over several hundred pages to make your prose absolutely perfect, how could you possibly distill that down to a measly ten or twenty pages? Or, in some cases, one or two pages? Writing the Fiction Synopsis takes the reader through a step-by-step process and explains what’s vitally important to put in the synopsis . . . and what you should leave out. (Revised and updated)
Includes additional sections for writing a back cover blurb and for brainstorming using a plotting board.
Reviews
“Bravo! Pam McCutcheon has decoded the synopsis! Writing the Fiction Synopsis is packed with useful information helpful to both the professional and novice writer. I wish I’d had this informative book years ago. Writing the Fiction Synopsis is a must-have tool for all writers. Pam McCutcheon has given a writers a cure for the synopsis headache.”
— Maggie Osborne
Award-winning author of more than 40 books
“I’d been to Pam McCutcheon’s online workshop on synopsis and found it really helpful, so I bought this book, too. (Watch out everyone, I’m going to gush.) This is by far the best book I’ve ever seen on writing a synopsis!! And like you and many others, I’ve gone nuts trying to get my synopsis to say what it needs to say in an interesting and concise way without making it a yawner. I’m also one of those authors who writes a rough synopsis as a road map after I’ve written about 3 chapters of a book to keep me on track. This book makes it so easy. I have all three of the books at Gryphon along with a whole shelf full of reference books and I tell you, the Gryphon books blow the others away. If you buy one book on writing a synopsis, buy this one.”
— Lisa Mondello
Author
“After several years of classes and lectures on synopses, I was totally confused. When Pam McCutcheon taught her method of writing the dreaded synopsis, it all came together and I hit the ‘aha’ response. Ms. McCutcheon makes synopsis writing easy! Every writer will benefit from this book.”
— Kathleen Wells, Ph.D.
