How do I write a one-page synopsis?
- A synopsis summarizes the entire plot, ending included.
- It is written in present tense, third person.
- Follow only the main plot and protagonist; cut subplots and minor characters.
- It conveys cause and effect, not just a list of events.
- One page means ruthless compression, not a teaser.
Write a one-page synopsis in present-tense third person that tells the complete story, ending and all — agents need to see that the plot resolves. Follow only the spine: the protagonist's goal, the major turning points, and the resolution. Cut subplots, minor characters, and most names. Show cause and effect ("because X, Y happens") rather than a flat list of events, so the story reads as a coherent arc compressed onto one page.
Chapter i·Why it matters
The synopsis is the document writers dread most, usually because they treat it like back-cover copy and try to preserve suspense. Its actual job is the opposite: prove to an agent that the whole story works, including a satisfying ending. Knowing it is a complete, spoiler-included summary of the main thread — not a teaser — turns an impossible task into a manageable compression exercise.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Present tense, third person throughout.
- The protagonist's goal and central conflict up front.
- The major turning points in causal order.
- The actual ending, spelled out.
- Only main-plot events; subplots and minor names cut.
- Cause-and-effect connective tissue, not a bare event list.
Chapter iii·Example
A writer compresses her 90k mystery to one page: present tense, the detective's goal stated in the first lines, four turning points each leading causally to the next, and the killer revealed at the end. She strips out two subplots and five named characters. What remains is the spine of the book, legible at a glance.
WriteLoom's Pitch studio keeps your synopsis beside your outline, so compressing the plot to one page draws straight from the structure you built.
See the Pitch studio