I've read that a good synopsis should give a summery to the entire story, including the ending, but because I am restricted to 500 words, I find that impossible. There are simply too many thing that I cannot leave out, otherwise nothing of what the character does and will do, will make sense. Is that a problem? Can I send in a synopsis of just the first act or will my story be dismissed outright if I don't provide more context?
A synopsis is an overview of the whole book. And, yes, if you don't provide that, it's unlikely an agent or publisher will request to see more. Think of what's written on the back of books. Short. Engaging. To the point. It's like that, but you show all your cards.
You have to figure out and define the overarching concern of the book. That's what goes in the synopsis. No sub-plots, threads, relationships between characters*. Just the biggest, most central concern of the novel. 500 words should be more than sufficient to do this. *Unless the relationship between characters IS the overarching concern of the novel.
Well, the concern of the book is for the MC to find out the mysterious circumstances behind his father's death. There is a witch involved (that may or may not be a witch), as well as an hidden figure behind the scenes. In this world there are also ghosts which the MC can communicate with (or at least listen to) which is the only lead he has to find the answer. I know it's unlikely that you may be able to help, but, if you find anything that I should change (or maybe even cut!) Please suggest it because I am at my wits end. This is the first act: Tom lives in a small village that overlooks ruins where nobody goes to. In those ruins lives a witch. The people are afraid if the witch but Tom becomes curious and sneaks into the witch's home. There, he hear voices that scare him away, but when he comes back home, the voices are still there and he tells his father about it. The father gathers the villagers and they captures the witch. While awaiting trial, Tom visits the witch once more to have the curse removed. The witch gives him tasks which he follows, and at the end of the week, the curse is removed. Tom came to like the witch and is sorry to see her die. Afterwards, lights come from the edge of the woods and skulk the village every night. People are afraid and say that the spirit of the witch is there to haunt them. Tom's father seem particularly scared, panicky even, and one night he disappears. The villagers look for him everywhere except in the woods where the light was. Tom goes there anyway, following the light, and finds his father's corpse. Then, he is engulfed in light and wakes up in the meadow with his mother by his side. He told what happened but nobody went for his father's body. They hold a funeral and the family tries to manage the farm without his father but their crops turn bad and they are forced out of town, to his mother's relatives in the city.
The main idea of all of this is... Tom is cursed. Tom’s father goes missing. Those are the main things to address in a synopsis. The main character and his reason for doing something. You can add a line about the witch, but the rest has no business in a synopsis.
This, basically? Tom lives in a small village with his parents. There's a witch nearby that curses him. The villagers captures the witch and after her death his father disappear and end up dead in the woods. Without their father they cannot maintain the farm and they are forced to move to his mother's relatives in the city.
That’s definitely better, but it needs some pizazz. Try doing the whole story like that. Just do the whole story bare bones in one paragraph, then you can sprinkle in some details and beef it up. It’s definitely easier to start small and build it up than it is to start big and pare it down.
Another thing to watch for, @Stammis, is grammar. I know that English is not your first language, but you’ve got a healthy dose of improperly conjugated verbs. That would need to be cleared up (here and in the actual novel) before you shop this around. If, that is, you plan to shop it around in English markets. If you’re just writing in English here for the sake of getting help on ideas, then disregard this message.
500 words is not a lot at all! I would try to get the essence of the whole journey down though. Journey tips: https://www.youtube.com/user/clickokDOTcoDOTuk/videos
