For Authors: How to Slay the Perfect Synopsis

I'm teaching at Storymakers this year and thought I'd share my resources/handouts with all the class participants. The first thing I share in the class is the general outline of what a synopsis should look like. Coincidentally, this looks very similar to the "Save the Cat" or "Hero's Journey" outlines you may have seen before. I've added some key questions to ask yourself. Although this will greatly help you write your synopsis, it is also a great guide for writing your book from the start or to help in the revision process, especially if your story isn't quite working.

Link to my "How to Slay the Perfect Synopsis Worksheet"

The thing I use the most that helps me in the writing process, as well as write my synopsis, is what I call my WRITING BIBLE. It's basically a spreadsheet where I keep track of all my book details like chapter word counts, chapter summaries, purpose, and more! It has saved me so many times. I know you can do similar things in Scrivener, but I like to see all these details in grid form like this.

Here's a filled-out version of my Writing Bible of my latest work in progress Tri Me:

Here's what the blank one looks like:

Link to a blank copy of Robin's Writing Bible. 

If you didn't catch my class or would like to view other awesome classes for writers, you can still sign up for the Storymakers virtual conference and access to all the classes for the next 90 days here.