I got the blog up. I got the Facebook page up. I got the Twitter feed going (243 Followers after three days! Yeah!)

So now I had to write the book synopsis. I carefully perused several authors’ professional advice on this. They all sounded pretty much the same: write in the present tense, third person. Summarize, but put in the emotion. Try to carry through the “voice” of the novel.

So I sat down and began to write. Five pages later, I had to admit to myself that this wasn’t a synopsis; it was a rehash, and a dull one to boot. How could I leave out the bit about Tzintzimitl stealing the silver feathers? That’s too important because it affects what the characters do later. Or the part about Jumlin kidnapping Sierra and nearly sacrificing her to an evil god?

I noted my frustration on Facebook and Twitter. I’ve read enough from other writers to know that the book synopsis is a knotty problem, and I thought maybe someone, somewhere had the solution. I thought it was a forlorn hope, as all the advice I have read to date has been discouragingly cookie-cutter.

To my astonishment, a young friend, Erica Chase (the beautiful, talented, intelligent and accomplished Erica Chase), posted a URL on FB to a blog post that outlined a simple approach to writing a fictional book synopsis. I tried it—and by the end of the day I had a book synopsis of one-and-a-half pages that I think does the job pretty well. I’ll sit and brood on it, of course, and pester relatives and friends to read and criticize, but what a gift!

If you’re a fiction writer, you’re probably just a wee bit curious at this point (I hope). Maybe you’re thinking that I will jealously guard this secret, like Aunt Maisie guards her recipe for cheesy-bits-with-nummy-things.

But no. Not only do I have an open and unselfish nature, but you could also find it on the Internet, just like the beautiful-and-talented Ms. Chase. Or you could go look at my FB page (http://www.facebook.com/mannegishi). So here it is, and may the Force be with you:

http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/write-by-number-synopsis-recipe/