I. What is a Synopsis?

A synopsis is a brief summary that gives audiences an idea of what a

composition is about. It provides an overview of the storyline or main points
and other defining factors of the work, which may include style, genre,
persons or characters of note, setting, and so on. We write synopses for all
kinds of things—any type of fiction or nonfiction book, academic papers,
journal and newspaper articles, films, TV shows, and video games, just to
name a few!

The amount of detail and information revealed in a synopsis depends on its

purpose. For instance, authors often need to provide a lengthy synopsis
when proposing a book, article, or work to potential publishers or editors —
in that case, a synopsis will include a full plot overview (which includes
revealing the ending), signs of character progression, detailed explanation
of theme and tone, and so on. This article will mainly focus on the short
synopses you see every day on websites and other media outlets.

II. Example of a Synopsis

Here’s an example of a short synopsis of the story of Jack and Jill:

Jack and Jill is the story of a boy and a girl who went up a hill together. They went to fetch a pail
of water, but unfortunately, their plan is disrupted when Jack falls and hits his head, and rolls
back down the hill. Then, Jill falls too, and comes tumbling down after Jack.
As you can see, the synopsis outlines what happens in the story. It
introduces the main characters and the main plot points without being overly
detailed or wordy.

III. Importance of Synopses

Synopses are extremely valuable and necessary pieces of writing for

authors, film makers, TV producers, academic writers, and many others.
 On one level, it’s what actually helps a book get published or a film
or TV series get made—a successful, well-written synopsis can
convince the person in charge of publication or production to bring a
work to life
 On the other hand, synopses grab the attention of potential
audiences and can convince them to read, watch, or listen
 Also, they help researchers find what they are looking for and decide
if a piece is relevant to their field
Without them, audiences and readers would never know what something
was about before reading or viewing it! Thus, the importance of synopses is
twofold: it both helps works get made and then helps them reach the right
audiences.