For Writers of Original Fiction

The summary


Note: This is a general observation and is not intended to single out any person, community, group or genre.

Have you ever noticed that some posted chapters or snippets receive more attention than others do? It may be due to presentation or lack thereof.
I've observed in many communities and individual blogs that the posts with no intro or summary or posts with rambling, vague or dull summaries can be less successful in drawing in readers and eliciting reader response than the posts with intros and summaries that shine. So, how do you entice readers with your intro or summary? What makes a good summary?

What is a summary?
n. A usually brief restatement of the main points or facts.

What is the purpose of a summary?
The purpose of a summary is to tell the reader what happens in a brief and concise fashion, condensing and paraphrasing the original text into a short highlight of the main points. It will give the reader the gist of the text but it will not get into the minute details, you will leave the details for the reader to discover as they read your work.

The summary is your first impression so you will want to make it interesting enough so people will want to read your work, a good summary will make people want to read your stuff and a bad one may make them pass you by. Yes, writing a summary can be harder than you think so don't be afraid to spend some time on it.

Note: A summary is not quite the same thing as a synopsis, which is what you present to agents and publishers.


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As a potential reader, what do you want to see in an intro or summary? What will draw you in and make you look behind the cut? What turns you off?

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If anyone would like to work shop his or her summary, synopsis or query letter, go ahead and make your own new post. You could ask, "Would you Keep Reading?" Please state if it is a summary, synopsis or query.