Back in February, I talked about a new process I was trying where I would write the synopsis first before actually writing the novel. And I’ve since finished two WIPs using this method, so I thought I’d give a little update.
Has it helped me actually write the novels? Nope. Not even a little. Both WIPs were so completely different from the original synopsis that I had to cut about 2/3 of the synopsis to match the story.
And yet, I’m going to keep doing it. Why? Because it makes the synopsis writing a little less painful. Even though I had to change the majority of one synopsis and about half of the other one, it was so much easier to open an already written document and begin editing, deleting, tweaking, adding.
When after going through the long, hard process of getting a draft finished, staring at a blank page and realizing you have to sum up your 50,000 (+) word story into 3-5 pages is just… paralyzing. It’s too much.
Having some words already written… even if I end up deleting them ALL took some of the edge off of the pain of synopsis writing.
Don’t get me wrong… it still sucks. Just a little less.
Nicole Helm 