Today I had to write a synopsis for one of my features.  It used to be one of the hardest things for me to do aside from loglines and query letters.  I would sometimes spend weeks, even months revising and rewriting the darned things until it sounded just right only to go back to it months later to see that it didn’t read the way I thought it did.  After writing so many of them, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.

Summarizing 120 pages of your masterpiece into one page or less is agony, but a necessity in this biz.  If you can’t explain the story to someone in a few short paragraphs, how are you going to sell the script?

Here are some of the things I’ve found to help me.  Perhaps you have a few of your own to add.

1. Tell people what your story is about as often as you can.  Be brief, but be engaging.
2. Ask people who read your script to tell you how they see it.  How would they sell it to a friend if they were trying to get them to see it?
3. Start at the inciting incident, map out the major turning points in your script up to the final decision at the end.  Make sure they’re all included your synopsis.
4. Don’t get tangled in the details.  Subplots and minor characters are not as important as your lead and the A story.  Stay focused.
5. You’re telling a story and a story is about a person who…
6. Use colourful language to dress up your synopsis, but avoid empty fillers and cliches like “hilarity ensues”.  Be specific.
7. Tantalize.  Don’t give everything away.
8. If your reader is a producer, give away the ending.  They want to know if it all works out in the end.
9. Read other people’s synopses for examples on how to do it. Then read the matching script.  Does it fulfill your expectations?
10. Read over and over until you don’t stumble over words and phrasing.  Put it away for a few days then read it over again.
11. Get other people to read it and, if possible, have them compare it to the script.  Ask if you left anything important out.

What has helped you craft your synopsis or summary?