Synopsis Writing Workshop

This is my follow up post to a previous blog "RWA Group Grant Success".

If you are like me, the thought of writing a synopsis will have you scrubbing the toilet in no time *grin*. To try and overcome this hatred of synopsis writing my writing group, WIKS, invited Denise Rossetti to present a 'synopsis writing workshop'.

Three intensive hours focussing on the dreaded synopsis. Wow. Denise covered a series of topics, including:

• why write a synopsis
• what to include in a synopsis
• what to leave out
• some examples

Of course, we were required to write elements of our own as we went along, and then swap with a neighbour or share with the group - nothing like pressure to make you perform *grin*.

We started with an elevator pitch, then we wrote the main emotional steps our hero and heroine take throughout their journey. From these points we started to develop our synopsis.

For me, some of the key points from the session were:

• summary of the plot and a synopsis are very different
• you can't overdo the emotion
• do not hide the ending from the editor (no cliffhangers)
• tell not show
• language is your ally

Now I just have to put the theory into practice!

Face to Face Group

I've been lucky enough to join a local face-to-face RWA group. Newly formed, we've met just a handful of times, but it has become a much anticipated event. Calling ourselves WIKS (Writers in KinShip), we meet once a month over lunch to discuss the highs and lows of our writing (ie chat *grin*).

Our small group has a diverse range of genres and experience, but we seem to have slotted together really well. Hopefully we'll continue to share our writing journeys for a long time to come.