Synoptic Gospel

Anyone any ideas how to reduce 130,000 words of a novel to a 500-word synopsis?

threeleafshamrock | August 19, 2009 - 08:12

Pick out the dirty bits, add some oohs and aahs. Only write the bit of the sentence that captures the imagination, i.e. If the sentence reads;

I'm coming into you in two seconds darling...as soon as I have finished applying this 'Preparation H to my Piles.
Just write the first bit (up to darling..)

Be careful of 'Mills and Boon' though.

Ewan | August 19, 2009 - 10:20

That'll be a no then. LOL

threeleafshamrock | August 19, 2009 - 10:41

Erm...hire George W's speech writer ;)

insertponceyfre... | August 19, 2009 - 19:14

couldn't you take each chapter and write a tiny summary, and then see what it looks like, and then make it sound exciting?

aren't there a million websites that tell you how to?

good luck with it - it sounds daunting

mcscraic | August 20, 2009 - 22:29

Get together friends or family and give them all a chapter each and ask them to read and then edit it as they see fit .

Good luck .

threeleafshamrock | August 21, 2009 - 08:02

Copy the blurb on the back of 'War and Peace'!

threeleafshamrock | August 21, 2009 - 11:48

Seriously though, if it were me, I would have a look at some previous giant tomes (like W & P or some of Wilber Smith's or Michener's) and see how they did it.