I’ve been working on a side project for a writing competition with my writing group. The assignment is to write a one-page synopsis and the first five pages of a proposed novel. Here is what I’ve learned from the experience.

A synopsis differs from a blurb in a couple of different ways. A blurb gives you a glimpse of the characters, their inner struggles, and the overall theme of the story. The goal here is to draw your readers into the story. Blurbs appear on the back cover of your published novel.

However, editors and agents typically expect a synopsis. It lays out the major action points of the story and summarizes the character goals and character arcs. You should not use it for your book cover as it gives away the ending as well.