I’m so thrilled to share a little bit more about Descent with you today.  I love this mini-synopsis, but hated writing it!

If any of you have ever tried writing a book synopsis, or pitching your books to a colleague, you know that condensing your original 70,000 words into 150 seems impossible. I have several friends that will attest to the fact that this task made me insane for a month or two.

I probably went through five completely different versions of my mini-synopsis, and each one got better. The smartest thing I did during this process was walk away… twice. I remember wanting to pull my hair out at one o’clock in the morning the first time, stressing over adjectives. Leaving the two paragraphs alone for a week, and focusing on something different gave me some objectivity, so that when I went back to it I could be honest and admit that it was a bunch of poop!

The second time I walked away from my synopsis was to read and review another YA novel. I didn’t choose to leave the WIP (work in progress), but I was working on a deadline. The few days I spent in another author’s YA world was just what I needed. I gained some perspective on what it is that I want the reader to know before the story even begins… And, that took admitting that less is more. I hate this mentality in reference to my accessories, so my would I implement it in my synopsis? Well, that’s simple, to get them so intrigued that they want to open/buy the book and read more.

Ollie Miller’s summer has been socially miserable, but she’s ready to leave all of the hurt feelings behind and move on with her life. When curious earthquakes begin to shake and rip open the foundation of her small town the ground becomes as unsteady as her feelings for her best friend, Mateo.
When they fall, they fall hard…

They descend into a cavernous wonderland that is both mysterious and breathtaking. Ollie, Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis just want to find a way back home, but instead they find Gabriel. He is a stranger to them, but he is no stranger to the labyrinth of caves underground. Together they begin a treacherous journey filled with ancient secrets, unexpected truths, and uncharted feelings.

 

I am pretty sure that I’m not the first author to struggle with this, so if you have any tips for writing a synopsis, please share them. I’d also love to know what you think of Descent‘s synopsis. Please feel free to leave all of your comments below!