I believe that a story's synopsis is one of the most important aspects to a well-developed story. The synopsis is the window to a story's soul. It tells the readers what they will get within the pages of your story and will dictate whether or not they decide to read forward. A carefully crafted synopsis will definitely aid in gaining reads here on Wattpad.

However, please be warned. Cultivating a synopsis that fully grasps your story's essence is not always easy. And if it's easy for you, then you're either a wizard, an extremely lucky person to have a knack for synopsis writing, or you're rushing through it and therefore producing low-quality work.

✖ WHERE TO BEGIN.

Before you can write your synopsis, you must know how your story will pan out. Yes, you can write the synopsis without fully knowing the pathway of your protagonist, but to ensure a beautifully crafted synopsis, I highly recommend knowing these following things:

          1. Who is your protagonist and what is it they need/want?

          2. What is the main conflict of your protagonist?

          3. How is your protagonist going to proceed?

          4. What is the character arc of your protagonist?

          5. Will your protagonist achieve their goal and assuage the main conflict?

          6. What is the theme(s) of your story, and what is it that you want your audience to learn by the time they're finished reading the book?

Answer those 6 questions and keep them in your notes. You can always refer back to it if you feel like your story is swaying from its original plot. Besides those core 6 questions, knowing other facts about your protagonist and your story will be a good idea to add to your synopsis arsenal. Fact such as:

          ↳ Story setting. Is this a real town or a fictional place?

          ↳ What is the atmosphere of your story's setting? Is it a small-town feel, big city, predominantly Caucasian, low-income, etc.

          ↳ How old is your protagonist? Are they a teen? College-aged? Or maybe they've just hit 30.

          ↳ A fun fact about your protagonist — something that makes them unique but also is an important feature about them that will be helpful for readers to know. Are they an avid boxer? Are they huge fans of science and love chemistry? Or is your protagonist Japanese and is adjusting to find a balance between their Asian roots and their American atmosphere?

There's a reason why this chapter on writing a synopsis comes after the chapters on Characterization and Chapter by Chapter outlines. I find it easier to develop a synopsis, once I've put in all the work of building my characters and figuring out the plan for my story.

✖ SET THE MOOD.

Firstly, get yourself into the mood. Relax yourself and set your space for success. If you want to wake up and start writing because you're excited, then go for it! But if you need a little time to get the creative juices flowing, start with a good meal or snack.

Something not too heavy, otherwise food coma will arise and that's no good for productivity haha. Make yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. You can even opt for a little alcoholic libation if that's your steez — a glass of wine, a simple cocktail, or even a White Claw. Have some water by you too. Hydration is great for your health, and can help stimulate your brain for a more creative writing experience.

Now, set your space! If you're writing on a laptop, pick a spot that's intriguing for you. If that's on your bed, at a desk, on the floor of your mom's closet, or outside on a patio, set up shop there. I love writing at local cafes, or in less congested coffee chains like Starbucks a town or two over. When I can't get to a cafe, I like to set up my space similarly.

          ↳ I like to have the TV on in the background to mimic the sounds of people in a cafe. I always pick a show that I won't become entranced by because it's a show that I've watched several times -- something like Pretty Little Liars, The Office, or Friends.

          ↳ I like to make my own iced coffee and drink it out of my favorite tumbler with a glass straw. I always have some kind of snack with me too.

          ↳ I actually have a coffee-scented candle that I like to light, and I have a window open for fresh air.

          ↳ I write at a table. I do have a desk in my room but it doesn't garner enough brain stimulation for me because it faces a wall. So I borrowed my mom's foldable table. It's the perfect size to hold my laptop and my drink. I even use my bed as a means to sit on, instead of my actual desk chair.

The important thing is to pick an ambiance that's perfect for you. Light a candle, or play some soothing music. Maybe you love to write in a noisy place? Spray perfume in the air, or a room deodorizer. Air purifiers and essential oil diffusers are also great to have around to keep airflow consistent. I don't have either, so I just keep a window open.

This next tip is a little weird if you're writing from home, but put on an outfit that makes you feel good. I personally just like wearing a pair of loose fitting shorts and a tank top, because it's comfy and works for me. But by all means, put in more effort if you like. Wear jeans, or your favorite shirt. Throw some makeup on your face or do your hair. When you feel good, you feel confident, thus your productivity levels increase.

I know not everyone has the luxury of owning a computer and many of you write on your mobile phone. That is 100% okay, and I still believe you should set up your space for success.

If you're writing on a phone, sit somewhere comfortable. If you want to sit on your bed, go for it. Or maybe set up a cool writing oasis in your room, in a closet, or in your living room. Open up a blanket on the floor and toss in some pillows. Spray fabric freshener if you have some, and if you don't, there's some easy DIY recipes for fabric spray you can look up.

Grab a tray (even if it's a cookie sheet or a large casserole dish), and use that as a stable apparatus to hold any drinks or snacks you want nearby. Continue perfecting your writing oasis till it feels right — open a window, use a diffuser, or light a candle.

Make the space yours.

✖ WRITING YOUR SYNOPSIS.

Pull up your notes, and a blank page on Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Text Edit, or whatever platform you use to write on. Properly title your document to your liking and immediately save.

Now write... for 30 minutes.

Set an alarm for 30 minutes and just write your synopsis. Don't worry about spelling, grammatical errors, or trying to make it sound good. Just write your synopsis and dump everything from your brain, onto that document for 30 minutes.

When your alarm goes off and your 30 minutes are up, save your rough draft. Now open up a NEW document but don't close up your previous work. Read through your work and use the new document to make your edits.

Take your MF time.

There's no need to rush. If you're writing for yourself or for Wattpad, don't worry about time crunches — those don't exist here. Go sentence by sentence; paragraph by paragraph. If you need a break, take it. Don't force yourself to finish editing if you don't want to. You may get frustrated or uninspired.

Walk away from your computer or phone for a moment and come back to your project when you want to tackle it again. As you write and edit, your synopsis will flourish and it will come together.

          ↳ TIP: Write your synopsis from beginning to end. Write it without any fancy fluff. Once you've written it, then you can go in and add some pizazz to make it sound amazing.

✖ ORDER OF INFORMATION.

          1. Begin your synopsis by stating who your protagonist is. What is their name and what type of person are they? State their place in the world and what they want.

          2. After your protagonist's introduction, it's time to establish what the main conflict is. Whether that's a person, an event, or something unknown, tell the readers that shit is going down. Make sure you mention why the antagonist is the source of conflict. What did they do? What did they take away something from the protagonist? Was it physical, like a bag of cash or important documents? Or maybe emotional/internal, like their innocence or motivation to succeed? 

          3. Now it's time to play up your protagonist's journey. Is it internal, or something physical? Maybe it's both. What are the struggles of your protagonist? What are some setbacks that make this pilgrimage interesting enough to read?

          4. This part might be difficult, but if you're prepared, then it'll take your synopsis to the next level. What are the muthafuckin' themes of your story?

               ↳ DEFINITION: A theme of a story is in correlation to the moral of a story, and can be identified by the character's reaction to the events that occur to them.

               ↳ EX: In the first installment of the "High School Musical" franchise, the themes are following your dream vs. following a parent's dream, stepping out of your comfort zone, and status quo. We know this by analyzing the way the main protagonists move in response to conflict.

Once you've figured out the theme (or themes) of your story, hint to what they are in your synopsis. Don't blatantly spell it out for your readers. Just give a little clue of what your audience may find within.

          5. Lastly, end your synopsis with an "OH SHIT" line. Sum up your entire story in one (or two), provocative sentences. This is usually the hardest for me because you have to capture the soul of your book in one, single swift. And the thing is, you gotta make it so awesome, that it leaves the readers going "oh shit, I need to read this."

          ↳ EX: I've broken down the process using the synopsis for my story, "You're Dope, Girl."

✖ ADD SOME RAZZLE DAZZLE.

So you've written your synopsis, but you've read it through and it still doesn't do your story justice. You know how cool your story is, and how exciting the character's adventure will be, but your synopsis doesn't capture the essence. It feels like it's missing something.

It's time to add some fucking glitter.

Read through your synopsis and take it sentence by sentence. Reword it until you're satisfied with it. Don't be afraid to use a Thesaurus and replace simple words with synonyms that pack a bigger punch, and convey your story with justice. Don't over do it though — too many big, fancy words can feel off-putting. Unless you're writing a 20-page college term paper (I'm triggered lol), don't worry about having to sound smart. Even if you're an intelligent person who often uses a variety of jargon, it should still flow naturally. 

READ OUT LOUD.

This piece of advice doesn't just apply to your synopsis, but to your story in general... Heck, it even applies to essays, resumes, cover letters, and any documents you will have to write for school or work. ALWAYS read your shit out loud. It might feel funny at first, but do it! Reading in your head will sound different than when you do it out loud. You'll be able to clearly hear if a sentence sounds perfect, or needs a little work. I promise you, this is a really good technique.

✖ WATTPAD DESCRIPTIONS.

Let's talk Wattpad descriptions real quick. A Wattpad description is the summary section of a book when you first click on it. It looks something like this:

So if you'd like, you can add your synopsis in the Wattpad description section. However this is my recommendation: write a shorter version of your synopsis. A 1-2 paragraph that captures the essence of your story.

So what do you do with your full length synopsis? Create a new part for your story and chuck it in there before the start of your first official chapter.

Other optional items you can add in your Wattpad description, are quick bullet points of facts about your story that are enticement points. Essentially, simple details that will aid in enticing new readers to continue forward. Details such as:

          ↳ GENRES: Is your story a comedy? Romance? Tragedy?

          ↳ CONTENT WARNINGS: Is there sexual content? Profane language? Violence?

          ↳ TRIGGER WARNINGS: Is there content that may trigger your readers like bullying, suicide, domestic abuse, etc? This is something I only started doing about 3 years ago, even after I finished a few of my Wattpad stories. I hadn't realized how important it was to add a trigger warning until a few readers of mine suggested I do because some of the content I was writing about was too hard to read for some people. You can even add warnings before the start of your chapters too.

          ↳ DEDICATIONS: Is this story dedicated to anyone on Wattpad? Or maybe someone in real life. Don't forget, you can always officially dedicate to individual Wattpad members in every chapter. However, this feature only works on Wattpad Desktop. If you'd like to dedicate a chapter to someone on Wattpad using a mobile device, you can always tag them in the body.

          ↳ INSPIRATION: Was this story inspired by anyone? Maybe a specific author here on Wattpad? Or maybe a special song?

          ↳ QUOTE PULL: Is there a special quote or line that sums up your story? Maybe it's something a character says that's funny, or motivational, or inspiring? Is it a lyric from a song that inspired your story? Or maybe its a quote from a movie, an iconic figure, or another book. 

Of course, those are only a few things you can add. You can insert anything you see fit.

✖ OTHER TIPS & INFO.

          ↳ LENGTH: This is up to you as an author. This can be as short or as long as you need it to be, in order to get your story across to an audience. However, you don't want your synopsis too lengthy, otherwise you risk losing your readers at the start.

          ↳ PROOFREADING: Ask a friend or someone on Wattpad to proofread your synopsis. Have them look through it for any grammatical errors, sentence structure, and spelling mistakes. Also, ask if it flows well and if it's easy to understand. Have them let you know if there are things that could be improved or if it's ready to be published.

          ↳ RESEARCH: Take the time to read the summaries of your favorite books, movies, and television shows. Take notes. Write down what you liked about it and use it as inspiration to help create yours.

As mentioned before, formulating a synopsis is a wonderful way to entice new readers to check out your book, thus giving you a chance to gain traction and reads. I often get messages from several writers, both new and old. In addition to inquiring writing advice, they also ask how to get people to read their stories. And this is one way to do it.

Write a superfucking, bomb-ass synopsis and you'll definitely gain some interest.