A synopsis, as you know, is not only a summary of your story. It is a slice of your writing style. It gives the editor the first taste of who you are and what you write. Because of that,you want to give it the flavor of the type of story you write.

What do I mean? Well, every noun and verb you use conveys a feeling or mood. For example, if you are trying to up tension, and create fear, you might use verbs that generate feelings of fear. Stricken, caught, blindsided, choked. 

If you want to convey feelings of warmth, you might use, embraced, soothe, coo. If you want to create feelings of suspense, you might use: flicker, ripped, tear. The idea is to look at your piece, and choose carefully the words you use to convey both mood as well as to illuminate the story.

 This is the first three paragraphs of the synopsis for my Deep Haven book, The Perfect Match. (Which, incidentally, is being re-released next month!)  It is about the sparks that fly when the new lady fire chief falls for the town pastor. I’m going to bold the words I use to convey mood.

Ellie Karlson just landed her dream job…or so she thinks. In town to helm the three month interim position of Fire Chief for the Deep Haven volunteer fire department, she has big plans to turn this into a permanent gig. It’s taken fifteen years to finally fill the shoes her brother left behind with his untimely death, and she isn’t going to let prejudice, an arsonist, or the chauvinistic town pastor keep her from her goals. But the job she’s sacrificed for is about to cost more than she expects and only by turning to God and holding on tight will she survive.

 Pastor Dan Matthews is feeling burned out in ministry. After three years at the helm of Grace Church in Deep Haven, he has serious doubts that his preaching or his attempts at discipleship are bearing fruit in the spiritual landscape of his congregation. Feeling like a failure, he can’t help but wonder if firefighting is a better job. At least it has instant results. Maybe what he needs is a partner in ministry – a wife, a helper, just as God designed to ease the load. On the night when all his losses seem to flash over, he meets a woman that can only be from his dreams and he can’t help but wonder if God has heard his silent prayers.

 Then the smoke clears. Ellie Karlson may be a cute fireball of energy, but she’s certainly not his picture of a helpmeet. She may be able to haul hose faster than any man in town, and know how to chop down a door with an axe, but last time he looked, those abilities weren’t on his “perfect wife” qualifications. If only she didn’t light his heart on fire and ignite, for the first time, the missing passion in his soul for life and ministry.

 Now, I could have written it: 

Ellie Karlson really wants to be a good firefighter. She’s found a job in a small town and if she does really well, she’ll not only be the permanent chief, but she’ll also feel like she’s somehow made up for causing the death of her brother. What she doesn’t know is that there is someone setting fires in town and she’ll have to catch him if she wants to keep her job. The lessons she learns about God in the process will change her life.

Dan Matthews is tired of ministry. He needs help. But who can he look to? He desires a wife, but doesn’t know the kind of wife God wants for him. On the night when one of his parishioners dies, he meets the new first chief, Ellie Karlson, and starts to wonder if she is the one God picked out. Can he sense God’s will?

 The above paragraph tells the basics, why Ellie wants to succeed, why Dan wants a wife. However, it doesn’t have spark and sizzle. It needs the punch of the various verbs that I highlighted in my synopsis excerpt. And I believe it is THIS punch that makes it stand out the editor.

 So, if you want, here’s a little homework: Go through your synopsis and for each verb, or noun, see if you can rework or find a way to make it stronger, add mood and give it punch. And, we’ve started a Synopsis thread on VOICES.  Send JUST your first 2-3 paras to the group and let’s work together!

 God Bless you as you write today!