Synopsis Made Easy

     I think for authors who begin a project with a plot outline, whether brief or detailed, when it comes time to write the synopsis that publishers (and some agents) always ask for, the task is easy. Well, maybe not. I've been writing synopses almost as long as I've been writing full-length fiction: going on seventeen years. And it still isn't easy. Why? You guessed it. While I may write an outline of sorts when I'm half or three-quarters of the way through a novel, I never begin a new novel with an outline. So, of course my outline only covers what's left of the novel.
     In my synopsis-writing experience, I've tried different styles.
     In one, I begin the synopsis by writing in one sentence what significant event opens the novel. After that, I write in one sentence how the novel ends. Then, I write ... you got it ... one sentence that defines the middle of the novel. From there, I fill in around ten more sentences, five that fall between the opening and the middle, and five between the middle and the end. Each entry is a singularly significant event, and it usually follows the format of a standard plot plan.
     A second method I've tried is to simply list the standard plot points required for every good novel, then write a sentence that shows what event occurs in my novel to fit each point.
     A third method I've tried is to print off page one of every chapter of the completed novel. Using each chapter's text, I write randomly about what occurs in that chapter. In this method, I wind up with a long synopsis. But when I've written the last entry about the final chapter, I go back and edit the synopsis, cutting unnecessary, unimportant, or duplicate information, and tightening wherever possible ... in the same manner I use when editing the actual novel.
     A long time ago I read a fascinating study on the Internet written by Bill Johnson who used Clancy's Hunt for Red October as the model for his instructions on how to write a synopsis. You can still read some of it at http://www.storyispromise.com/wsynop.htm. The most significant thing I remember in Mr. Johnson's instruction is that the synopsis should open with what the novel is about (its theme), instead of the protagonist's action.  I highly recommend Mr. Johnson's essay for anyone who is writing a synopsis, even if you already have a number of them under your belt. Following his instruction, writing the synopsis does seem fairly easy.
     For what it's worth (maybe 2 cents?), for my next synopsis, I plan to create a Word document, write a statement of my story's theme, then create a numbered list of each point in the standard plot, and fill in the blanks below each numbered item with details from my novel.
     Not only should I end up with a good synopsis, I will discover if I know what my story's main theme is (heaven help me if I don't know what it is) and I'll discover if I've included all of the plot points (or if I've missed any ... oops!) which will tell me whether or not I've written a good novel.