How to Write a Plot Synopsis THE EASY WAY (Fiction Writing Advice)

Need to write a synopsis for your novel or screenplay? Here's easy mode.

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[WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Here's what a FULL BREAKDOWN of the 11 steps of the Indiana Jones example looks like (from the Wikipedia article):

*1) OPENING IMAGE - An image/setting/concept that sets the stage for the story to come.*
In 1936,

*2) PROTAGONIST INTRO - Who is the main character? Give 1-2 descriptive words and say what he/she wants.*
American archaeologist Indiana Jones recovers a golden idol from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. Cornered by rival archaeologist René Belloq, the idol is stolen and Jones escapes in a waiting seaplane.

*3) INCITING INCIDENT - What event/decision/change prompts the main character to take initial action.*
After returning to America, Jones is approached by two Army Intelligence agents. They reveal Nazis are excavating Tanis, and one of their telegrams mentions Jones's old mentor Abner Ravenwood. Jones deduces the Nazis are searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which Adolf Hitler believes will make their army invincible. The agents recruit Jones to recover the Ark first.

*4) PLOT POINT 1 (LOCK-IN/Break Into 2) - What is the first turning point? What action does the MC take or what decision does he/she make that changes the book’s direction? Once he/she crossed this line, there’s no going back.*
At a bar in Nepal, Jones reunites with Ravenwood's daughter Marion—with whom Jones once had an illicit affair—and learns Ravenwood is dead. The bar is set ablaze during a scuffle with Gestapo agent Arnold Toht, who arrives to take a medallion from Marion. Toht attempts to recover the medallion from the flames, but only burns its image into his hand. Jones and Marion take the medallion and escape together.

*5) CONFLICTS & CHARACTER ENCOUNTERS - Now in a new life, the MC meets new people, experiences a new life, and meets the antagonist/villain.*
They travel to Cairo, where they meet Jones' friend Sallah. He reveals Belloq is assisting the Nazis, and they have fashioned an incomplete replica medallion from the burns on Toht's hand. Nazi soldiers and mercenaries attack Jones, and Marion is seemingly killed, leaving Jones despondent.

*6) MIDPOINT - What is the middle turning point? What happens that causes the MC to make a 180 degree change in direction/change in emotion/change in anything? Again, once he/she has crossed this line, there’s no going back.*
An imam deciphers the medallion for Jones; one side bears a warning not to disturb the Ark, the other the correct measurements for the "staff of Ra", an item used to locate the Ark; Jones and Sallah realize the Nazis are digging in the wrong location. They infiltrate the Nazi dig site and use the medallion and the correct staff of Ra to locate the Well of Souls, the Ark's resting place.

*7) WINNING SEEMS IMMINENT BUT… - What happens that makes the MC think he/she will win? She seems to have the upper hand, but then oh no! The antagonist defeats her and rushes off more powerful than ever before.*
They recover the Ark—a golden, intricately decorated chest—but are discovered by Belloq and the Nazis, who seize the Ark and seal Jones and Marion—who has been held captive by Belloq—inside the well. The pair escape through an opening and flee with a truck carrying the Ark. Alongside Marion, Jones arranges to transport the Ark to London aboard a tramp steamer.

*8) BLACK MOMENT (All is Lost) - The MC is lower than low, and he/she must fight through the blackness of his/her emotions to find the strength for the final battle. What happens here?*
The following day, a Nazi U-boat intercepts the steamer and seizes the Ark and Marion; Jones covertly boards the U-boat. The vessel travels to an island in the Aegean Sea, where Belloq intends to test the power of the Ark before presenting it to Hitler. En route, Jones ambushes the Nazi group and threatens to destroy the Ark, but is forced to surrender after Belloq deduces he would never destroy something historically significant and also wants to know if the Ark's power is real.

*9) CLIMAX - What happens in the final blow-out between the MC and the antagonist?*
The Nazis take Jones and Marion to the test site and restrain them. Belloq ceremonially opens the Ark but finds only sand inside. At Jones' instruction, he and Marion close their eyes to avoid looking at the opened Ark, as it releases spirits, flames, and bolts of energy that kill Belloq, Toht, and the assembled Nazis before sealing itself shut. Jones and Marion open their eyes to find the area cleared of bodies and their bindings removed.

*10) RESOLUTION - Does everyone live happily ever after? Yes? No? What happens to tie up all the loose ends?*
Back in Washington, D.C., the United States government rewards Jones and Marcus Brody for securing the Ark. Despite Jones' insistence, the agents state only that the Ark has been moved to an undisclosed location for study by "top men".

*11) FINAL IMAGE - What is the final image you want to leave your reader with? Has the MC succumbed to his/her own demons or has he/she built a new life?*
In a large warehouse, the Ark is crated up and stored among countless other crates.

[gregpellicone]

You really have some of the best videos on writing that I have come across, and I have been watching videos on writing for a good 7 to 8 years now. I’m surprised more people aren’t aware of you

[scottsteele]

To answer your question directly; no, but boy were you a big help in that.

I am in the beginning stages of a new novel of an untried genre to get me out of a writing rut I am in. I typically do family action novels but am working on a femme fetale. I admit I am struggling a little bit, but that uneasiness just means I am growing as a writer.

Thank you Mr. McNulty for your videos. You must often ask yourself, “are these worth doing still”, and I assure you they are appreciated. If you ever get to Maine, look me up and I’ll gladly buy you a coffee.

[JHauthorartist]

Thanks, Brandon! Excellent information!

[virginiezainabuakimana]

You made my evening! This makes more sense to me. THANK YOU!

[jamesaorrauthor]

Thank you, this is so easy to follow! Your videos are the best and they give me confidence!

[s.fla.beekeepingmangoesand]

You asked so I'm responding. I don't write with a plot in mind. It just seems to happen. I start with a begining or an end. Once I've come up with both I fill in the middle and achieve most of what you described. Thanks for posting.

[TheoEavon]

Thank you so much this was so easy to understand 😊

[oluwatomisinoluwaseyifunmi]

Thank you very much 😊
Very helpful to me

[WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Does your current story hit on some or all of the steps in the Hero's Journey? Let us know!

[tri_phobians]

Thanks a lot sir, totally understood it. ❤️❤️

[maxvoroshilov]

Thanks, it was awesome! Strange the link didn't seem to work...

[AlfoidianChronicler]

I've actually wanted to start writing a story a young man's journey through the galaxy as he winds as a bountyhunter with a girlfriend whom he is fervently admiring of and his tremulous relationship with his family that he hasn't seen in 20 years. Sidenote. The characters are anthropomorphic humanoids that live for a few centuries or millenia

[juandediosreyes]

Hello. What about not revealing the plot twist at the end of your story but, instead, finishing the synopsis with "and if you want to know how the hero manage to win, you have to read the complete story"?

[flingstrike]

Hey Brandon, thanks for the great advices, I have a question. I am writing on the first book in what I have planned to be a trilogy, I have major plot points planned out for the other two books and come along way on the first book. So my question is, when pitching the first book for the publisher, is it worth mentioning that this is gonna be part of a trilogy that I have a plan with or is it better to just mention it as a single story?

[patnampavithra]

Do you read manga? I mean I saw a book behind you which says uzumaki, which is from the anime naruto. Please don’t mind I was just curious.