Okay, first of all - take a deep breath. Writing summaries can be more difficult than writing a 250 K word novel. It sure feels daunting. So many words in the novel. How to get that down to such a ridiculous word count? 

Mission Impossible? Not if you know a few tricks. It can be done. Countless other authors have done it (we might have been cursing, but we got there). So, YOU can do it as well. 

Below are some tips and tricks I use when I need to my novels from 90K into 500 words. 

1 - Summarise your novel into ONE sentence. If you can't do that, try to condense it into one short paragraph that addresses what your story question is. TIP -  If you do this BEFORE you even write everything, you also have a nice little "beacon" that keeps you on track during writing. AND you have the nucleus for your Logline. Which is also something the cruel and horrid peeps from Wattpad demand from you. Two big challenges in one go - doesn't that sound good?

2 -  A logline is a one-sentence summary of your story that consists of three major elements: the character, the character's goal and whatever stops them from reaching that goal (circumstances, antagonist etc). Ideally, a logline should list the stakes of your novel, the key conflict. 

3 - Okay, it might sound good, but you still have to do it. I will give you an example, using "Gone with the Tide", my latest (tenth) story that is available for free on Wattpad. When I set out, I wrote a logline that helped me, the author, to stay on track during the creative process. Here it is 

To save the love of her life, Mel will have to kill him. 

So, we have a protagonist (Mel), who has a goal (save the love of her life), but the stakes are high - she will have to kill him (death and murder are among the highest stakes your protaganist can face). A logline doesn't have to be that short, it can also be two sentences if need be - but the shorter and punchier you are, the better. 

4 - Now you have a logline and a nucleus for your story - and your summary. From this core, your plot unfolds and expands. Your key plotpoints make up the "skeleton" of your summary. 

5 - I know - not everybody is a plotter, some people just write away. That is totally fine, but for your summary, you will need to get a grip on your plot structure, to make sure the structure works. That is - you need to know the where your three acts start and end. From the beginning of Act 1 (Introduction/hook), to the entry into Act 2 (character is pulled into journey),  the mid point of your story (i.e. the bit where your protagonist stops reacting and now actively tackles the story question), followed by the race for the climax in act three and the ensuing resolution. 

6 - If you follow the key plot points, you have a good base for your summary. I tend to start with the situation the character finds themselves in at the beginning of the story, list the immediate challenge, pinchpoints from the opposition, responses to that (how does the challenge change when the character acts upon it). Then we are at midpoint, the focus changes, the pinches from the opposition get stronger and the stakes ratchet up. There is a black moment, which also is a good point to address in a summary and from there you then show how the protagonist solves it all and how you land your novel. 

7 - This is IMPORTANT - a summary concerns spoilers. You need to show that you can actually conclude your novel. 

8 - If you find the plot structure approach too daunting (though you should REALLY be very clear about your story structure in your head, otherwise your novel will reflect that unclarity), you can try another trick - write a mini summary for all your chapters. Make them as short as possible (ideally one liners). Then you put these short summaries together and cut as much flab from them as possible, until you end up with your summary. This is less structured than the plot approach, but it might work for you. 

9 - The third approach is to take a really cool short summary of another story and take it as a blueprint for yours. Simply see what another author does and try to "superimpose" your plot over the example. In the next chapter I will give you an example I used for my queries. You are welcome to modulate your summary  on mine (it's not exactly 500 words, but close to it). Perhaps my example is not the most brilliant - but it did a job, and it might help you with yours.