Synopsis headache

Iforgotthis · Jul 23, 2014

Hi,
There's this great literary agent I found. Actually amazing, matches my manuscript well (or at least I think so...). On the website it asks for a synopsis of 500 words or fewer.
I don't think I can do this. My story is quite complex, and a synopsis wouldn't make sense without certain details. Cutting back 'unnecessary' words leaves me with 763 words. What should I do? I've been sitting here for the past hour going through several shorter drafts and they just don't match when compared to the actual MS.
Should I send what I have, or just keep trying to cut it back? Would it be better to send a longer synopsis which is easier to follow or the 500 they ask for that would get slightly confusing?
Thanks for your time.

Marlys · Jul 23, 2014

Give them what they ask--it would be far too easy for them to toss your query for not following their requirements.

Once you get to 50 posts, you can post your synopsis in Query Letter Hell and see if people here can help you condense it.

Iforgotthis · Jul 23, 2014

Marlys said:
Give them what they ask--it would be far to easy for them to toss your query for not following their requirements.

Once you get to 50 posts, you can post your synopsis in Query Letter Hell and see if people here can help you condense it.

I've got it down to 510. Just... 10... more...

EDIT: It is done.

Thanks for your help

Marlys · Jul 23, 2014

Well done!

Iforgotthis · Jul 23, 2014

Marlys said:
Well done!

I feel like a word murderer. It isn't pleasant.
Also, it's 1:27am, and I wasn't expecting to be doing book stuff at 1:27am. This day/night is full of surprises.

Marlys · Jul 23, 2014

Those words aren't dead--they're only sleeping.

You can wake them back up when you find an agency that wants a three-page synopsis.

popgun62 · Jul 23, 2014

Wow - my query was 700 words and I thought THAT was long.

InkStainedWench · Jul 24, 2014

I have the opposite problem (well, not with synopses; it's really hard to make them short). I tend to write short, and have trouble with the filling out part.

My WIP is 68,000 words and should be a bit longer for the genre, but anything I add feels like padding. So I don't.

Becca C. · Jul 24, 2014

When I was whittling down a synopsis, as well as cutting words, I cut subplots. My one-page synopsis only contains the main plot, absolutely no subplots whatsoever.

Donna Pudick · Jul 25, 2014

The agent probably wants a 500 word synopsis to pass around to others in the company, so that they can keep abreast of what's been submitted. Or perhaps that's what they use as a pitch to publishers. Most good pitches aren't even that long, especially for a short novel. Some agents require a start-to-finish synopsis, about 3-4 pages to send to mid-list publishers who require them.

The_Ink_Goddess · Jul 26, 2014

Yeah, I think it's an important thing to note that most agents who ask for a very short synopsis KNOW that they're not getting the full story. They often just want the debrief of the main plot. There's a lot of pressure and I felt like I was slaughtering a lot of my darlings, but it's crucial to remember that all agents who do that will know that a lot is missing. It needs to make sense, but don't worry about being brutal.

Synopsis headache

Iforgotthis

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Iforgotthis

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Iforgotthis

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

popgun62

Keeper of the pace.

InkStainedWench

It's a dirty job, but...

Becca C.

Donna Pudick

The_Ink_Goddess

we're gonna make it out of the fire