Unlock Your Book’s Secret Synopsis

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotional and experiential aspects of a book, separate from its plot, to guide effective revisions.

Abstract

The article "Dear Writers: Unlock Your Book’s Secret Synopsis" by Stephenie Edits highlights the distinction between the synopsis of a book intended for agents, editors, and PR, which focuses on the plot, and the personal "secret synopsis" that captures the intended emotional experience of the story. Writers are encouraged to articulate the experience their story evokes for themselves and compare it to the experience of other readers. By identifying the differences between their intended experience and the reader's actual experience, authors can pinpoint the most effective revisions. The article suggests sharing the book with another reader to gain unbiased feedback on the story's experience, which can be facilitated by an editor, whether in-house or freelance. The final step in the revision process involves aligning the author's vision with the reader's experience to create a more impactful story. This process helps writers understand their strengths and weaknesses and the types of experiences they consistently create for their audience. The article concludes with a call to action for writers to better understand their genre and the experiences they are best suited to deliver.

Opinions

The author believes that the plot synopsis serves a different purpose than the personal synopsis, which is about the emotional journey of the story.
Writers are encouraged to reflect on their intended reading experience and how it matches or diverges from the actual experience of readers.
Identifying discrepancies between the intended and actual reading experiences is key to making effective revisions.
Sharing the book with another reader for feedback on the emotional experience is invaluable and can be enhanced by professional editing services.
Understanding the genre and the specific experiences associated with it is crucial for writers to excel and dominate their niche.
The author suggests that many writers do not fully understand their genre, which hinders their ability to deliver a targeted reading experience.

Dear Writers: Unlock Your Book’s Secret Synopsis

You write one synopsis for everyone else. But you write a different one for yourself. The one you write for everyone else — agents, editors, PR — is the plot. That’s what they need spelled out. But you know the plot…

Your secret synopsis isn’t about the plot. What you need to articulate for yourself (or your editor) is the EXPERIENCE of your story. Go from beginning to end. What does it evoke for you? What did you INTEND to evoke?

SEE ALSO: WHAT KIND OF THRILLER ARE YOU WRITING?

Now compare the two. Your intended reading experience vs what you experience as your own reader. You’ll identify the most effective revisions by aligning yourself with those differences.

In what ways did the experience of your own book surprise you? Good and bad. In what ways do you believe you achieved exactly what you wanted? In what ways do you believe you failed to manifest your intended reading experience?

Unless you wrote this for no one but yourself, at some point you need to know what someone other than you experiences when reading your book.

SEE ALSO: MAKE YOUR STORY GREAT WITH THE DISNEY METHOD

So share your book with another reader. Someone who can forget about the plot and tell you what they EXPERIENCED. That may be what your editor helps you do best — whether that be with a publisher or a freelancer you hire (like me!).

The last step? You compare the other reader’s experience with your own. In what ways did that reader’s experience mirror yours? Did anything about the experience work for them that surprised you? Anything that DIDN’T work for them?

It’s okay to ask specific questions after (or to prime them before) they’ve read the book, but make sure they’re only about the EXPERIENCE of your story. Like if it’s a romance, ask your reader to tell you about the experience of your book as a love story.

SEE ALSO: REDEFINING WHAT GENRE YOU WRITE IN

Now you can write the PERFECT revision plan. Your task now isn’t to flail and hope something sticks. It’s to make decisions on how to align your vision for your story with the actual experience you manifest for readers.

Because the more you do this kind of synopsis and revision plan, the more aware you’ll become of your strengths. Your weaknesses. The kinds of experiences you ALWAYS manifest for readers and love to lean into. And the kinds you know you have to work for but are worth it.

I’m gonna guess most of you have no idea what genre you’re writing in (or which one you’d DOMINATE if only you knew to do so).

Which is why we need to talk about something…

Dear Writers: Unlock Your Book’s Secret Synopsis

SEE ALSO: WHAT KIND OF THRILLER ARE YOU WRITING?

SEE ALSO: MAKE YOUR STORY GREAT WITH THE DISNEY METHOD

SEE ALSO: REDEFINING WHAT GENRE YOU WRITE IN

The end (of the article)