Jay's Synopsis Formula

Jay's Synopsis Formula
will work on your Novel.

 by JayDirex

It does not matter if your story is slice of life about a GENDER-BENT BLOB OF ENERGY. My synopsis formula works. All you have to do is Describe your Genre then answer these FOUR QUESTIONS and you can create a great synopsis.

0. Describe the Genre:

1. Who's the Main Character(s)? 

2. What are they about? (What do they do?) 

3. What is the conflict that broke up the normal? 

4. How do they attempt to resolve the conflict?

EXAMPLES

Story: The Villainous Lee Twins 

0. Describe the Genre:  

 -- An action packed shoot-em-up!

1. Who's the MC? 

 -- The Twins, Bro and Sis.

2. What is he/she they about? (their normal thing) 

 -- Kick ass Bounty Hunters/wild pair.

3. What is the conflict that broke up the normal? 

 -- A high-risk bounty job goes wrong, now crews trying to kill them.

4. How do they attempt to resolve the conflict?  

 -- Lock-load and shoot their way out- who knows if they lives or dies

SYNOPSIS:

-- Notice how each question is answered in order below:

In this action packed shoot-em-up, we meet gutsy twin bounty hunters, Bro and Sis. A wild pair who thrive on snaring high-reward fugitives. 

One day a dangerous job goes violently wrong, and the twins become the target of two murderous crews out to kill the bounty they're transporting. 

Trapped between warring sides, BULLETS FLY as the siblings go full metal jacket to guard their bounty and stay alive!

Assassin girls, Baka Twins, Battle Rifles, Crime, Action Packed! 

Story: Rica Wants Him Dead

0. Describe the Genre: 

 --  Crime/Drama/Romance

1. Who's the MC? 

 -- Teen Ko

2. What is he/she they about? (their normal thing) 

 -- Kick butt Assassin, one of the best.

3. What is the conflict that broke up the normal? 

 -- He rescued a mob boss kidnapped daughter, now bad-dudes trying to kill him

4. How does he attempt to resolve the conflict?  

 -- Seeks help from dangerous girl from his past- who knows if he lives or dies.

SYNOPSIS 

 -- Notice how each question is answered in order below:

In this Crime/Drama/Romance, we meet Teen Assassin, Ko, one of the best in the business. After rescuing a Korean mob boss’s five year old daughter from kidnappers, he becomes a hunted man in New York City. 

On the run and desperate to protect the child, Ko discovers there’s only one person willing to help him: the beautiful and deadly Rica Reyes, a villainous Teen Rifle Girl from Ko’s past, who once tried to kill him. 

Out of options he's forced to trust Rica and accept her aid, but Ko is no fool, and he knows that the price Rica will extract for her help could cost him everything. 

Teen Romance, Tsundere, Light Novel, YA, Assassins

DO YOU KNOW WHY THIS SYNOPSIS
WORKS WITH ALL STORIES?

Because your story is about 

1. CHARACTER(S)

2. Who do a normal thing.

3. Suddenly something abnormal happens--conflict.

4. The character(s) now has to resolve this conflict.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Original Post by JayDirex

Writing Adult or Romance? There IS a Difference.

Mage & the Succubus
Romance or Adult?

 

 ----- Original Message ----- 

A quick question about romance...

I'm writing an adult story about a succubus who yearns to be with a human and forms a loving attachment with him. The story was meant to originally be kind of short and sweet, but has evolved into something much longer. I'm now debating on breaking it up in two books, where the first book ends before they formally get together. But I wanted some advice from romance readers. Are you ok with the ultimate payoff (the two characters getting together) taking a while to reach? Or do you need that payoff before the end of the first arc of the story? 

 -- Romance Confused

First:
-- Do you want this story to be ADULT?
or
-- Do you want this story to be ROMANCE?

 

Do you want to Write
Adult or Romance?

There IS a difference.

In fact, there's a huge difference. Romance and Adult are two completely different Genres. Each focuses on, and details, different things. They also have different Plot patterns. 

Additionally, Adult fiction is split again into two different sub-genres. Erotica and Adult Adventure fiction, AKA: Erotic Romance. 

Romance

While Romances can have Adult scenes, the Focus of the whole story is on Feelings and Emotions and DRAMA, so those are what need the highest detailing in the story. Dramatic secrets, angst, pining, misunderstandings, and Sexual Tension all need to be lovingly Detailed for pages and pages.

 Adult scenes in these stories can easily be cut down to mere kissing scenes, and still satisfy your Romance reading audience.

The Plot only needs to frame the two main leads, and give them the occasional reason to Do things, like; show off for each other and possibly the occasional rescue, or escape.

The Love Confession generally happens in the second to last chapter, with the very last chapter being reserved for a wedding, a love scene, or some other show of happiness and affection. The End.

 

Adult

Adult stories focus on Action. Sex Action specifically, so Describing everything is Paramount. 

The flowing silks, the sweeping vistas, the glittering palaces, the sweat dripping down her thigh... These scenes should appear in the Readers' minds as clearly as a Motion Picture -- especially if you are writing for a Female reading audience. 

 

Erotica

Erotica is short and simple. The whole story focuses on the getting Sex, having Sex, then maybe a paragraph or two on what happened after Sex. The ending could even be as simple as: They fell asleep.

The Adult action scenes are loving detailed in cinematic style: what the characters look like, what they feel like, what they smell like, what they taste like, what they sound like. Everything else is Unimportant -- including names. Locations are merely stages for the characters to have sex. 

Basic Erotica Plot:

They saw. 

They conquered.

They came. 

 -- The End. 

Adult Adventure AKA: Erotic Romance

If you're writing Adult Adventure fiction, the focus is on Action, but that Action is split between the Adventure and the Adult. The very least being 60% Adventure to 40% Adult.

And those Adult scenes need to be HOT, like Erotica -- and just as thoroughly Described.

Adult Scenes in these stories are ideally used to show the Progression of Affection as it grows between the two main leads. In other words, the closer the couple gets, the hotter and possibly kinkier, the Adult Scenes should be.

The PLOT in Adult Adventure fiction needs to be fully functional. As in, a real Plot for an actually full blown, fully realized Story.

Unlike a Romance, where the Plot is merely decoration and window-dressing to frame the two main leads, in Adult Adventure fiction, the PLOT is just as important as the Characters, and the Sex. 

In fact...

The PLOT should be what compels the main leads to have Sex -- regularly.

Example:​

~~~~~~~~~~~~​

A succubus and a scholarly mage are trapped in a closet.​

 

The succubus has a crush on the mage, so she's been skipping meals because no one else compares. However, she's gotten very hungry. The mage rubbing up against her smells delicious.​

 

The mage has a crush on the succubus. She's so pretty and has been very attentive as his secretary with no hint of her...appetites. The succubus rubbing up against him smells of sugar coated strawberries -- and sex. He's getting hard fast, and isn't sure what to do about it. Also, his magic has been running a little low from all his work on a new spell. He could really use some...input from a willing magical source.​

​

The busty succubus blinked at the handsome mage holding her in his arms. "Um, Mr. Mage, why are we in the closet?"​

​

The mage sighed and closed his eyes. "I am so sorry, Ms. Succubus, but if I go out there, that Dark Scholar will try to drag me off to their Tower. They want my latest spell, you see." He lifted his chin and gazed into her eyes. "If I left you out there, they'd probably kidnap you as a hostage and likely do...bad things to you." He took a deep breath. "And...I just can't let that happen to you."​

​

Ms. Succubus gasped and tightened her arms around his shoulders. "I mean that much to you?"​ 

​

"You're--" He swallowed hard. "Your my secretary. Of course, I...care what happens to you." He winced. "And...I'm a little low on magic at the moment. I haven't had time to...recharge."​ 

The succubus's stomach took that moment to grumble.

​

Cue: Sincere affectionate dialogue that leads to the succubus confessing her hunger, and the mage volunteering to assist her.​

The main problem I see, is that
one of your main characters is a Succubus. 

This implies to the Readers that the story is going to be Adult, because succubi appear almost exclusively in Adult stories.

If you decide that Adult is Not the way you want to go, then you may need to change the Succubus into something Less sexually-oriented.

Also...

Watch how you Label your story.

If you Label your story Adult, the Readers will Expect Sex.  

Romance often has Love Scenes, so that label is safe to use. Just make sure you've got a heart-pounding angst-driven Drama for the Romance readers because that is what they are looking for.

 ☕

AFTER the Basic HORROR Story Idea

Another:
A Japanese mystery horror story about a boy who transfers to a middle school with a cursed class and becomes involved in a series of gruesome deaths.

You have a cool Horror Story IDEA.
What's Next?

----- Original Message -----

You know the basic idea in a horror school story; terrible incidents occurred at school, mysterious accidents, disappearances, and murders. Mostly the stuff of bad memories and ghost stories… Our heroes think it's a good idea to test these stories and are dragged into an inner dimension of hell by the ruthless psychopathic ghost who's main goal in life was being her bullies sole murderer. (And killing other innocent people along the way.) Eventually through her interactions within the protagonists she begins to show a kinder and sweeter side behind closed doors and frees them.

 -- Wanna Write a Horror School Story

 

It sounds like you have a basic idea.
Now comes The Hard Part:

 

From: Another

Who the Main Point of View (POV) Character?
WHO is Telling the main overall Story?

Traditionally, stories are Not told from the Hero's point of view, (POV,) nor the Adversary/Villain's POV. They're told from the POV of the Victim; someone Wronged by the Villain (Monster,) then Betrayed by the Hero. 

In Another, the character Mei Misaki is Wronged by the monster by being forced into playing the monster's part as a Proxy monster making her an Outcast to her whole class. She is Betrayed by the Hero when he accuses her of being behind one of the murders.

Sometimes the story is told from the POV of an Ally to either the Hero or the Monster; also Wronged by one then Betrayed by the other. However, this is rare in Horror stories. It is far more common in Other World/Isekai stories.

• Note: In Romances, the Adversary/Villain and the Hero are often the same character.

It's your story though, so do as you please. 

However....

 

 

If you choose to tell the story from a Monster's POV, you might want to consider using a Gothic story structure, rather than the ordinary Adventure plot; AKA: The Hero's Journey, that most common Horror stories use. 

In a Nutshell:​

Horror Story: "There are Monsters! What do we do?!"​

Gothic Story: "I'm a Monster! What do I do?!"​

Gothics tend to focus on the Monster's struggle between their Human nature, and their Monster nature -- while dealing with people trying to kill them.

• Examples: The Wolfman, Frankenstein, The Count of Monte Christo, The Matrix, Spider-Man. For Anime: Ergo Proxy, Shiki, Another, Tokyo Ghoul, Darker Than Black...

If you're interested, here's a couple Links:

• Gothic Story Structure.
• So you Want to Write a Gothic - TV Tropes

How LONG do you want to make this story?
What is your target Word Count?

​

WHY is this Important?​

The shorter the Story, the smaller the cast of characters you'll need.​

• Short Story: 5000 to 10,000 words.
  • One POV character, one Ally, one Adversary
• Novelette: 10,000 - 20,000 words
  • One POV character, 2-3 Allies, one Adversary
• Novella: 20,000 - 40,000 words
  • One POV character, 2-5 Allies, 1 Main Adversary, 1 lesser Adversary
• Category/Light Novel: 40,000 - 60,000 words
  • 2 POV characters, 2-3 Allies for each POV character, 1 Main Adversary shared by both POV characters, and 1 lesser Adversary for each POV character.
• Novel: 60,000 - 100,000 words.
  • Up to 3 POV characters, 2-3 Allies for each POV character, 1 Main Adversary shared by ALL POV characters, and 1 lesser Adversary for each POV character.
• A series? 
• New Villain each episode, or every three episodes.
  
• One major Boss Villain working behind the scenes per season.
  

You CAN add more characters, but each POV character added = additional plot to be Solved before the story Ends.

• Remember: Each POV character is telling Their Own Story, which means Each of those stories need a satisfying END.

Also, Adversary simply means: the one that particular POV character is Against/Opposing.

 

Example: In a story told from Darth Vader's POV, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda are Minor Adversaries with Darth Sidious being the Main Adversary.​

 

Most Importantly:

 

 

 From: Another

 

What do you want to SAY with this Story? 

What point are you trying to Prove with this story? 

 

THIS is your Premise.

• Revenge?
• Redemption?
• Justice?
• All Three?

Want to make this story even more Complicated?

Make Each of the main characters have their own Personal Premise, Proving or Disproving them through the Results of their Individual Stories.

• Oh wait, you're supposed to do that. Never mind.

 

Once you know these things,
the story will practically write itself.