I could leave it at that but I do not wish to be hung.
Another option is you can check its plausibility by having someone, who has not read your manuscript, read the synopsis, then tell the story back to you. Even better, have them tell it to a third party who then tells it to you and a fourth party.
What you are checking is things like:
Have you mentioned too many names for people to keep straight?
Is it clear where the climax is and what is at stake for the protagonist?
QUESTIONS TO CHECK BY YOUR READING IT ALOUD:
- Is my synopsis in the present tense and the third person, regardless of the tense and voice of the book itself?
- Does the opening on my synopsis read too much like the book? Don’t forget, the same person is reading the first thirty pages of your book in the same sitting.
- Does my synopsis read too much like a list of events? It should be like a story. Hey, it is a story! It should build suspense and give you quiet moments to recover inbetween.
- If the reader had no information about my book other than the synopsis, would the story or argument make sense? Here is where those reading friends come in handy.
- Does the synopsis make the book sound compelling? You definitely want that editor/agent eager to read your manuscript.
- Does my synopsis present actual scenes from the book in glowing detail, or does it merely summarize the plot?
- Is it clear who the protagonist is?
- Is it clear what is at stake for the protagonist?
- Is it clear what my protagonist wants and what is at stake for him/her.
- Is it clear what obstacles stand in my protagonist way?
- Does my protagonist come across as interesting, unusual person-involved in an interesting, unusual situation?
- Have I mentioned too many characters in the synopsis? Are they each memorable?
- Is it clear where the climax is and what is at stake for the protagonist? Or does it merely list all of the events in the book in the order they appear?
- Does my synopsis make the book sound just like other books currently on the market, or does it come across as original?
Plausibility issues:
- Does my synopsis make the story I’m telling seem plausible?
- Is there an indelible image that the reader can take away? You definitely want it memorable (in a good way).
- Is the synopsis absolutely free of errors of any kind?
- Does my synopsis support the image of the book I want the agent or editor to see?
- Do I need to modify it slightly in order to match the interests of the agent/editor, while retaining the truthfulness of my book?
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