Culture Street

If you are interested in writing then you really should follow Joanne Harris (@joannechocolat) on Twitter. She gives lots of helpful tips on writing and her ten tweets that she routinely shares are gems.

Her recent list of tips is all about writing a synopsis. Take a look ...

1.I don't know a single author who actually *enjoys* the process of writing a synopsis. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

2. But, for debut novelists, your first synopsis is probably the single most important thing you'll ever submit. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

3. If your synopsis isn't right, people are less likely to read your manuscript. So, take time to get it right. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

4. Your synopsis should be no longer than a page of A4. 800 words is plenty. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

5. It should give the basics of your story without necessarily including all the details. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

6. It should indicate what audience or age group the book is for without sounding like an advert. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

7. It should say where your main story is set, and indicate clearly who the protagonist is. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

8. What it shouldn't do is speculate about how popular it will be, or how your friends loved it. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

9. In the same way, this isn't the place to explain in detail the circumstances of how you came to write it. ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

10. Most of all, what it should do is entice the reader and make them want to try the book... ?#TenTweetsAboutYourSynopsis

Joanne Harris is the author of Chocolat. You can buy the book here.