Synopses

[EmilyMiller]

He was referring to calamari - squid, in other words - which I don't think is what you are writing about.

I might have figured that out, hun .

Em

 

[gunhilltrain]

I might have figured that out, hun .

Em

It used to be that I couldn't abide the thought of eating calamari. Then for some reason I tried it. It's pretty good either fried or in a tomato sauce. It can be in a salad too. Rather mild tasting by itself, which is why it needs some kind of additional flavoring. A popular item in most Mediterranean countries. I know, it does look weird for those not used to it.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/squid-and-calamari-selection-and-storage-1807810

 

[AwkwardlySet]

It makes perfect sense to make a synopsis for what you intend to be a long series, especially if it's a slow burn one. For each chapter individually? I'd say no need, unless there is some significant shift from the series up until that point.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Do you write a synopsis on multi-chapter work?I’ve not done much multi-chapter, and when I have, it’s been a series of short pieces. No need for a synopsis as the pieces themselves are so short.

But soon I’ll have a three instalment story of 10k, 20k and 30k words. I’ve written a synopsis of episodes one and two for episode three. But I’ve put it at the very end (with a note at the beginning) so that it doesn’t inconvenience those who have read the first two bits.

What do you do? Or does it vary?

Em

It varies. Usually when I start I have an idea how it will finish but not with HOT AND FUZZY which I am currently putting off finishing even though I have less than 2 weeks to do achieve my deadline.

I’d be a procrastinator but I can’t be bothered.

 

[jehoram]

I do it for my own personal use on long stories, just so I can remember who did what and when, and which personal names I've used for which characters, and who is married to whom.

 

[MetaBob]

I can think of several different things that might be considered "synopses". They're similar but should be thought of as serving different purposes:

Teasers
Another example of the sort of thing I posted last time in this thread:

Next in chapter 4:
Quršu | Callie stakes her claim.

Author notes

Notes:
Sati (Setenaya) was a major character in Book 2 of this saga, Cascade Fire. Aphrodite is another of her many names.
Mari was the titular character in Book 1 of this saga, Were-Tigress.

The story so far
This might be what you're thinking of when you say "synopsis". Traditionally, in a multi-book series, the author catches up the reader with what happened in previous installments without including a synopsis. Needless to say, I don't always do that, but I do always at least think about doing that. Example:

Synopsis of Book 1: Were-Tigress

Bob, a loving husband and father, finds a grimoire and begins learning magic, then meets two compelling women: Morgan and Mari. Morgan is young and stunning while Mari, older and intending psycho-sexual hypnotic ownership over Bob, becomes a were-tigress in order to forcibly and repeatedly seduce him. Bob's conscious mind submerges along with his memory and much of his ability to reason and speak. Lost in the system, he becomes homeless.

Synopsis of Book 2: Cascade Fire

Bob encounters Sati, a goddess, who takes him to a school she founded to teach magic and martial arts. The students are mostly intelligent, capable, beautiful and talented young women. As Bob de-ages, he and one of them, Callie, fall deeply in love. In a raid of a dark mage's sanctum to acquire a grimoire, one of the mage's thrall bodyguards, Mariano, is freed. Bob's conscious mind returns.

Blurbs
This is advertising, and appears on the back cover of the printed book, or in the Description for an online book. It can't give too much away. Example for my The Dog Whisperer:

A BDSM Femdom Romance.

Can a handsome, divorced Ph.D. engineering professor accept his first female-led relationship? Can a beautiful, independent, never-married older woman find happiness allowing herself to be as vulnerable as she is dominant?

Carmen has a wonderfully supportive circle of friends, but is estranged from her dysfunctional family and wonders what else life has to offer. She's a dog trainer who is also adept at adjusting the behavior of abusive men, conditioning them to please women.

Drew's wife divorced him for a wealthier man. Two years later and still heartbroken, he visits his elderly parents to help with their care; his mother suffers from advanced dementia.

It is the first summer of Covid-19. Carmen and Drew meet while walking their dogs and feel an instant attraction. She senses his unexplored submissive tendencies, has his health and history checked, then seduces him in her home gym, taking her pleasure several times before allowing his, which she promises will be the best he's ever experienced. Carmen and her friends expose Drew to BDSM practices he'd never dreamed of and is uncomfortable with, struggling when those experiences become intensely kinky, painful, degrading, and semi-public, but Carmen keeps her promises. They earn each other's trust as their loving relationship deepens. She lets herself be open to her feelings for Drew and reveals her deepest secret as they create an unfamiliar kind of relationship together, which opens her estranged daughter's heart to reconciliation.

Full-on synopses
For one of my mainstream novels, I wrote a long prologue, a beginning to Chapter 1, and a 9500-word chapter-by-chapter detailed synopsis of the full novel, with intent to give a prospective publisher confidence that I knew enough about what would happen in the rest of the book that I could finish it, pretty much by filling in the blanks. It also helped me in case I dropped it for a while, which of course I did. A publisher (and an agent) will probably want a synopsis, particularly from a new writer.

Roadmaps
I do these for my own use, as a quick reference for who did what to whom and when. It can be just a list of chapter teasers, perhaps with word counts, timeline, and notes to myself. An example for my Senioritis, which is unfinished:

1 (4482). Matriculation: (3) Analingus
2 (1680). Terms: (4) starts
3 (1935). Tests: paddling
4 (1834). Café: Meeting Chloe
5 (3967). Lunch?: Chloe breastgasm
6 (4576). Syllabus: Nia spanks Chloe, Marc gives Nia breast attention, Chloe spanks Marc, Marc gives Chloe cunny
7 (4126). Tutorial: Nia slaps Marc, Marc masturbates
8 (5653). Progress: Nia punishes Marc’s nipples and cock, Marc rubs Nia’s feet to orgasm
9 (6410). Therapy: Marc fucks Nia to a full-body O while Nia licks Chloe to a smaller one, Marc massages Chloe to orgasm while Chloe gives Nia cunny
10 (2100). Failed: Marc starts fucking Chloe to a full-body O, but Nia jacks him (5) into Chloe instead.
11 (7085). Revised: Nia hypnotizes Marc with a laser pointer. Mani-pedi, shaving (6), Nia’s lipstick applied.
12 (4092). Dinner: Chloe leaves a message for her agent. Makeup, dressing, dinner out, then another nap with cuddling. We meet Kari.
13 (3279). Exercises: Stretching, lifting, forms,
14 (5834) Lesson: Nia will flatten Marc, Marc will reapply lipstick to Chloe’s lips and clean it from Nia’s pussy lips, then she will crush his balls in her pussy. In bed for the night, Chloe will orgasm from Nia licking her nipples while Marc licks her pussy, then Marc, bruised and bloodied, though not on his face, will orgasm (7) hands-free into his own mouth on Nia’s command, Nia using just one unmoving finger on Marc’s cock to get him hard and make him come as Chloe licks her to orgasm.
15 (4776)
16 (xxx)

 

[EmilyMiller]

It used to be that I couldn't abide the thought of eating calamari. Then for some reason I tried it. It's pretty good either fried or in a tomato sauce. It can be in a salad too. Rather mild tasting by itself, which is why it needs some kind of additional flavoring. A popular item in most Mediterranean countries. I know, it does look weird for those not used to it.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/squid-and-calamari-selection-and-storage-1807810

I used to like it, then decided I liked live octopuses more. I wanted to be a marine biologist as a little girl [insert joke about height here], ended up a structural one, more X-rays, less stingrays.

Em

 

[gunhilltrain]

I used to like it, then decided I liked live octopuses more. I wanted to be a marine biologist as a little girl [insert joke about height here], ended up a structural one, more X-rays, less stingrays.

Em

That's notable, because my sister considered being a marine biologist. However, being a practical sort, she thought there wasn't enough money in it (or maybe any money) and she studied business instead. She has always maintained that she made the right choice, so I have to take her word on it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That's notable, because my sister considered being a marine biologist. However, being a practical sort, she thought there wasn't enough money in it (or maybe any money) and she studied business instead. She has always maintained that she made the right choice, so I have to take her word on it.

I didn’t take up the offer of turning my masters into a PhD and went into business instead. I do have some regrets, but it was the beginning of the pandemic and while our lab stayed open, it rather compromised a lot of stuff.

Em

 

[gunhilltrain]

I didn’t take up the offer of turning my masters into a PhD and went into business instead. I do have some regrets, but it was the beginning of the pandemic and while our lab stayed open, it rather compromised a lot of stuff.

Em

We all have some regrets. "If only I knew then what I know now." Probably I'd just make some whole new mistakes. In any case, whatever I've learned would only be truly valid for maybe 1982. It's too obsolete now to be passed on to younger generations.

 

[Duleigh]

I'm not a fan of the idea with or without ewoks. It kind of reminds me of opening a story with "Please vote and comment" when you know you're going to get neither one. If you can't get it done with a little exposition in the opening paragraphs, you're flogging a room temperature horse.