Here's An Idea: Write The Synopsis First!

Say What?

So it's spring break for me, and I've already written three chapters of a new book--that's a lot considering the week isn't even over yet . . .

How? You might ask.

I wrote the synopsis first.

Obviously, this isn't a new thing. Writers have been doing this for centuries (possibly). And though I've known of this advice, I never considered it because, seriously, who wants to write a synopsis at all?

But in this case, it's done me good. My schedule this semester is quite hectic (Er, you've might've notice from the lack of posts) and I haven't been able to write as much as I hoped. But creating a synopsis helped a lot.

Here's why: 


-It's Fast:

Once I got the hang of it, it was easy for me to plan out what I wanted every chapter to look like. So I started with one sentence per chapter and eventually expanded to a paragraph. When I finished, it looked kind of like a Sparknotes layout.

-It helps with the essential theme of the story:

It's always solid to have a good theme that circles throughout the process of the story. It's easy to do that when you can see the main concepts of each chapter on one to two pages.

-Character progression comes easier:

In this book, my main character grows quite a bit. It's nice to plan out his breaking points and the areas that are most essential to him. That way, its easier for me to have the MC reflect on those events later in the story.



Those are the pros I've acquired thus far. The con would be actually writing the synopsis . . . that's the hardest part.

Has anyone else had any luck with writing their synopsis first? I'd love to hear about it. Post your comments below!


Till Next Time,