This week, I have been working on a synopsis for a university assignment. I am currently on the third or fourth iteration, having read various different pieces of advice on synopses. Another reason for rewriting was that I managed to finish the first draft and the plot has changed very slightly from my original plan. There were still a few problems to iron out; explanations for character actions which I haven’t quite decided upon, and would affect the verisimilitude of the story being one of these wrinkles. Happily, one which was solved when I was writing the synopsis – the very process of summarising the story in a few key points required me to look at what the main points were, and to reflect on whether other points were actually important to the story. I found that a character, while important to the plot, did not need to be exactly as I had originally planned him. Changing his nature a little meant that other actions were much easier to explain and justify.
The WIP in question is one I have thoroughly planned out; lots of detail on the cork board, a plot structure, character profiles, and yet trying to pinpoint the key elements helped to refine the story, its themes, and its characters even more.
Yet again, the course has given us an activity which has served more than one purpose, and had a positive impact on my work in an unexpected way.