Saturday, January 29, 2011

How SHORT Can You Go?



I think synopses are one of the single most hated entities in writing. I’m not a fan of them even though I tend to write better short. It's hard for me to decide what to keep in a synopsis – especially when a publisher asks for a 1-2 page synopsis. *Gulp!*

This time as I work on two stories, I decided to up the challenge. I decided to summarize each story in ONE SENTENCE. Yes, I’m crazy.

But, you really need to have that sentence if you want to have the question in to story up front right? You have to create your story so that the reader will be asking themselves this question within the first couple of chapters.

I'm hoping this will also help me craft pitches to keep them focused on the romance of the story.



Here’s my question for Ty and Ainsley:

Can Winston Memorial’s most eligible bachelor who’s lost at love find HEA with his best friend’s spunky little sister who doesn’t believe in HEA?

Now I could’ve excluded the character descriptions but those are to help me.
Whittling the story down to one sentence is also an attempt to help me focus. Focus on the story and the characters.

Can you whittle your story down to one sentence?

Abbi :-)

10 comments:

  1. Geez that's a challenge Abbi... once my head's clear of current non-writing dramas, I'll give it a try. I like the sound of your wip btw :)

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  2. Abbi - In every online course I've taken the skill of narrowing down the story to one sentence was lauded as the SINGLE BEST WAY to keep your story focused. It's hard work, but def worth the effort!

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  3. Hey, Rach,

    Yes, you are busy. And, trust me, getting it to one sentence is not easy. Seriously.

    Abbi :-)

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  4. Thanks, Amy! I'm hoping it works to just keep me focused on the internal for the h/h.

    Abbi :-)

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  5. Great idea Abbi! It does sound like a great way to focus your WIPs.

    Ty and Ainsley's story sounds fantastic! I hope they're behaving themselves :)

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  6. Would you believe Abbi I was just trying to do this last night and this is what I came up with:

    "Leila Thompson is desperately trying to become everything that Evan Matthews doesn't want; fortunately she's exactly what he needs."

    Problem is, I know exactly what that means because I know the story but what does it say to someone not familiar with the plot? Is it too cliched or wishy washy?

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  7. Lacey!

    Unfortunately, they are behaving. ;-) I need to ratchet the tension up a notch, I think.

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  8. Hey, Elissa,

    This sounds great. Not wishy-washy. I think the important thing right now is that it works for you as you write.

    I think you could use it as a short pitch as well.

    Hope this helps.

    Abbi :-)

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  9. Oh wow, I love this challenge. I am the absolute worst at summarizing my book. I am so afraid when someone in the elevator asks, "What's your book about?" I say, "Ummm..." so I am taking this challenge and will work on it today!

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  10. Hey, Jennifer,

    I know, it's not easy to do. And you don't have to post one, I was just making a general thought.

    Abbi :-)

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