시놉시스 작성법: 단계별 가이드

If you have ever stared at a blank page trying to condense your 90,000-word novel into two pages, you know that writing a synopsis is its own particular kind of misery. The synopsis is almost universally dreaded by writers, and for good reason: it asks you to strip away everything that makes your novel a novel -- the voice, the pacing, the sensory detail, the emotional texture -- and reduce the story to its bare narrative bones. It feels reductive. It feels clinical. It feels like explaining a joke.

But the synopsis is also one of the most important documents in your submission package, and learning to write a good one is a skill that pays dividends far beyond the query process. A strong synopsis demonstrates that your novel has a complete, coherent narrative arc. It proves you can tell a story from beginning to end, including the ending. And the process of writing it often reveals structural problems in the novel itself -- problems you might not have noticed from inside the manuscript.

This guide covers what a synopsis is, what agents and publishers actually want from it, and a step-by-step process for writing one that does your novel justice.

What a Synopsis Is (and Is Not)

A synopsis is a concise, present-tense summary of your novel's complete plot, including the ending. It is written in narrative prose (not bullet points or outline format) and covers the main storyline from beginning to end. It is a companion document to the query letter, and together they give an agent or editor a full picture of what your book is about and how it unfolds.

A synopsis is not:

• A teaser or back-cover blurb. Those are designed to entice without revealing the ending. A synopsis reveals everything.
• A chapter-by-chapter summary. Nobody wants to read "In chapter one... In chapter two..." A synopsis follows the narrative arc, not the chapter structure.
• A critical essay about your own book. Do not analyze your themes, explain your symbolism, or tell the reader why the story matters. Let the story speak for itself.
• A selling document. The query letter sells. The synopsis informs. Write it in a neutral, professional tone, not a breathless marketing voice.

Standard Length

Most agents and publishers who request a synopsis want one to two single-spaced pages (or two to four double-spaced pages). Some specify a particular length -- always check the submission guidelines. When no length is specified, aim for two single-spaced pages. This is roughly 500-700 words.

Some agents request longer synopses -- three to five pages, or even a full chapter-by-chapter breakdown. These are less common but not unheard of, particularly for nonfiction proposals. For fiction, the short-form synopsis (one to two pages) is the standard.

There is also an ultra-short format sometimes called a "one-paragraph synopsis" or "pitch paragraph." This is essentially an extended version of the query hook -- three to five sentences that cover the protagonist, the conflict, and the resolution. It is occasionally requested and is a good exercise even when it is not, because it forces you to identify the absolute core of your story.

Format

Unless the submission guidelines specify otherwise:

• 12-point Times New Roman or a comparable serif font
• One-inch margins
• Single-spaced (some agents prefer double-spaced -- check their guidelines)
• Present tense, third person (even if the novel is first person or past tense)
• Character names in ALL CAPS the first time they appear (this is a convention, not a universal rule -- some agents find it helpful, others find it distracting; use it unless told otherwise)
• Your title, name, and contact information at the top or in a header

Step-by-Step: Writing the Synopsis

Step 1: Identify the Core Story

Before you write a word, identify the core story your synopsis needs to tell. This is the protagonist's journey from the beginning to the end of the novel -- their goal, the obstacles they face, the choices they make, and the outcome.

If your novel has subplots, secondary POV characters, or parallel storylines, you will need to make hard choices about what to include. A two-page synopsis cannot cover everything in a complex novel. It should cover the main plotline completely and mention secondary elements only when they are essential to understanding the main plotline.

A useful exercise: summarize your novel in five sentences.

1. The protagonist's situation and the inciting incident.
2. The protagonist's response and the central conflict that develops.
3. The midpoint event that changes the game.
4. The crisis -- the lowest point or the moment of greatest tension.
5. The climax and resolution.

These five sentences are the skeleton of your synopsis. Everything else is connective tissue.

Step 2: Write the Opening Paragraph

The first paragraph of your synopsis should accomplish three things: introduce the protagonist, establish the setting (briefly), and present the inciting incident. The protagonist should be introduced with their name, a defining trait or situation, and their central problem.

Example: "ELENA VASQUEZ is a trauma surgeon who has not slept more than four hours a night since her brother died on her operating table two years ago. When the hospital board threatens to revoke her privileges over a malpractice complaint, she discovers that the complaint was filed by someone who should not have known about the case -- someone connected to the clinical trial her brother was enrolled in before his death."

Notice what this paragraph does: it introduces the character (trauma surgeon), establishes the emotional context (brother's death, guilt, insomnia), presents the external problem (malpractice complaint), and sets up the mystery (who filed it and why). In four sentences, the reader knows who, what, and why they should care.

Step 3: Follow the Arc, Not the Chapters

The body of the synopsis tracks the narrative arc. This means following the cause-and-effect chain of the main plotline, not recounting events in the order they appear in the manuscript.

Use the connective tissue of motivation and consequence. Every event should lead to the next through the logic of "because of this, the protagonist does that, which causes this." If you find yourself writing "meanwhile" or "also" frequently, you are listing events rather than tracing an arc.

For each major story beat, include:

• What happens (the event)
• Why it matters (the stakes or emotional significance)
• What the protagonist does in response (their choice or action)

You do not need to include every scene. You need to include every event that changes the direction of the story. If you can remove a beat from the synopsis and the remaining narrative still makes sense, the beat probably does not need to be there.

Step 4: Include the Emotional Arc

A common mistake in synopses is writing pure plot -- a sequence of external events with no internal dimension. The result reads like a Wikipedia plot summary: accurate but lifeless. A good synopsis includes the protagonist's emotional journey alongside the external one.

You do not need extensive interior monologue. A single sentence can carry enormous emotional weight when placed at the right moment: "For the first time since her brother's death, Elena asks for help." "Elena realizes that the conspiracy she has been chasing is less terrifying than the possibility that her brother's death was simply an accident -- meaningless, unpreventable, and nobody's fault."

The emotional arc is what gives the agent or editor confidence that your novel has depth beyond its plot. Include it. It makes the difference between a synopsis that reads like a summary and one that reads like a story.

Step 5: Reveal the Ending

This is the part that writers resist most. You must reveal the ending. All of it. How the central conflict resolves. Whether the protagonist achieves their goal. What they gain and what they lose. How they have changed.

There is no suspense in a synopsis. This is not a failure of the format -- it is the point of the format. An agent or editor needs to know that your story has a satisfying resolution before they invest the time to read the full manuscript. A synopsis that ends with "Will Elena discover the truth in time?" or "To find out what happens, read the book" is an immediate red flag. It signals either that the writer does not understand what a synopsis is, or that the ending is weak and they are trying to hide it.

Reveal the ending confidently. If the ending is strong -- and it should be, because you are submitting this manuscript -- the synopsis will be stronger for including it.

Step 6: Revise for Clarity and Concision

Your first draft of the synopsis will almost certainly be too long. That is fine. It is easier to cut a long synopsis down than to expand a short one. Go through it with these priorities:

Cut secondary characters. If a character is not essential to understanding the main plotline, remove them from the synopsis. This is painful if you love your subplots, but the synopsis is not the place for them. A two-page synopsis should include no more than four to five named characters -- the protagonist, the antagonist, and two or three essential supporting characters.

Cut secondary plotlines. Same principle. If the romance subplot does not directly affect the resolution of the main conflict, it does not belong in the synopsis. If it does affect the resolution, include only the parts that connect to the main plotline.

Cut description. The synopsis is not the place for atmospheric writing. "Elena drives through the rain-soaked streets of Chicago" can become "Elena goes to the hospital." Save the evocative prose for the manuscript.

Cut explanation. Trust the reader to follow the story. You do not need to explain why events are significant -- if your summary is clear, the significance is self-evident.

Combine and compress. Look for sequences of events that can be condensed into a single sentence. "Elena interviews three witnesses, each of whom gives a different account" is better than describing all three interviews separately.

Tone and Voice

The synopsis should be written in a neutral, professional narrative voice. It is not the place for your novel's distinctive voice -- a first-person Southern Gothic novel's synopsis should not be written in first-person Southern Gothic. Present tense, third person, clear and direct prose.

That said, "neutral" does not mean "flat." The synopsis can and should have energy. Use strong verbs. Be specific rather than vague. "Elena confronts the hospital director" is better than "Elena has a meeting." "Marcus threatens to expose her" is better than "Marcus creates a problem." The synopsis should move with the urgency of the story it describes.

Avoid qualitative judgments about your own writing. Do not write "In a thrilling twist" or "In a deeply moving scene." Describe what happens and let the agent or editor decide if it is thrilling or moving.

Handling Complex Narratives

Multiple POV Characters

If your novel has multiple point-of-view characters, your synopsis should still focus primarily on the main protagonist. Introduce secondary POV characters when their storylines intersect with the main plotline. If the novel is a true ensemble with no single protagonist, you may need to track two storylines in the synopsis, but be aware that this makes the synopsis significantly harder to write and longer by necessity. If you can identify one character whose arc is the spine of the story, use that character as your synopsis anchor.

Nonlinear Structure

If your novel uses flashbacks, dual timelines, or other nonlinear structures, your synopsis should generally present the story in chronological order. The synopsis is about the story, not the telling of the story. If the nonlinear structure is essential to understanding the novel -- if the mystery depends on the order in which information is revealed, for example -- you can reflect that in the synopsis, but clearly signal the timeline shifts so the reader does not get lost.

Unreliable Narrators

If your novel has an unreliable narrator, the synopsis should tell the true version of events. The synopsis is for the agent, not the reader, and the agent needs to understand what actually happens. Note the narrator's unreliability briefly if it is central to the novel's concept: "Though Elena insists the accident was sabotage, the synopsis reveals the truth she cannot face: it was her own exhaustion that caused her brother's death."

Common Synopsis Mistakes

The Laundry List

The most common mistake is writing a chronological list of events without cause-and-effect connections. "Elena goes to the hospital. She meets Dr. Park. She finds a file. She calls Marcus." This is a sequence, not a story. Every event should be connected to the next by motivation and consequence.

Too Many Characters

Introducing more than five or six named characters in a two-page synopsis creates confusion. The agent cannot track that many people in that short a space. Merge minor characters, refer to them by role ("her colleague," "the detective"), or cut them entirely.

Vague Language

"Elena must confront her past." What past? What confrontation? Vague language in a synopsis signals either that the writer has not figured out the specifics or that they are trying to create false suspense. Be concrete. "Elena discovers that the clinical trial her brother joined was never approved by the ethics board."

Editorializing

"In a shocking revelation..." "Readers will be surprised to learn..." "In the novel's most powerful scene..." Let the events speak for themselves. If the revelation is shocking, it will be evident from the content. You do not need to label it.

Withholding the Ending

Already covered above, but it bears repeating because it is so common: reveal the ending. Always. Every time. No exceptions.

The Synopsis in Context: Your Query Package

The synopsis does not exist in isolation. It is part of a query package that typically includes:

• The query letter: A one-page letter introducing yourself and your book. The query letter sells -- it is designed to make the agent want to read more.
• The synopsis: A complete summary of the plot. The synopsis informs -- it is designed to demonstrate that the story works from beginning to end.
• Sample pages: Usually the first five to fifty pages (as specified in submission guidelines). The sample pages prove you can write -- they demonstrate voice, craft, and the ability to execute on the promise of the query and synopsis.

Each document has a different job. The query makes the agent curious. The synopsis makes them confident. The sample pages make them excited. When all three are working, the agent asks to see the full manuscript.

Understanding this division of labor helps you write a better synopsis. You do not need to sell the book in the synopsis -- that is the query's job. You do not need to demonstrate your prose style -- that is the sample pages' job. You need to demonstrate narrative competence: the ability to set up a compelling premise, develop it through escalating conflict, and resolve it in a satisfying way. That is all the synopsis needs to do, and doing it well is enough.

A Process for the Synopsis-Averse

If you are among the many writers who find synopsis writing genuinely painful, here is a process designed to minimize the suffering:

1. Write the five-sentence summary first. Inciting incident, conflict, midpoint, crisis, resolution. Get the bones on paper before you worry about flesh.
2. Expand each sentence into a paragraph. Add the essential cause-and-effect connections. Include the protagonist's emotional state at each major turning point.
3. Read it aloud. Does it sound like a story? Does each paragraph flow into the next? If you hear "and then... and then... and then," rewrite the connections.
4. Cut mercilessly. Remove every character, subplot, and event that is not essential to the main arc.
5. Show it to someone who has not read your novel. If they can follow the story and understand the ending, the synopsis works. If they have questions about what happened or why, revise.

The synopsis is not your novel. It will never capture what makes your novel special -- the voice, the prose, the moments of quiet beauty or devastating emotional precision. That is not its job. Its job is to prove that underneath all of that, there is a solid, compelling story. Write it clearly, write it completely, and trust your novel to do the rest.

Draft your synopsis in Plotiar. Use documents for the synopsis itself and flowcharts to map your plot arc before you write -- so you can see the whole story at a glance. Try it free.