|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:26 pm
Welcome to our Guild's first Workshop. This will serve to focus on writing Summary writing only. Anyone can join, and post to add to the experience. As always, members must be respectful and polite with all their posts.
Truthfully, when it comes to writing summaries for something, I do not claim to be the best. Though compared to many I have seen on ff.net, I would say that I can at least write something that 1- actually showcases my story, 2- is comprehendible, and 3- is not just a self explanation about how bad I write summaries and yet the story is awesome.
Therefore, we shall begin with some basics on Summary writing. This is an open discussion, if you feel you have something to add in advice to fellow writers please post it. We will try to compose a list of tips for writing summaries here, and I will keep adding to it as more people post.
Members are free to post summaries and or links to stories and summaries and ask for advice on their own work, as well as offer critique of others.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:45 pm
Tips For Writing A Summary
First remember that when you write a summary, you want to condense the main ideas of your story so that it fits into the given 255 character limit. Roughly 100 words or less. To do this for short stories is always easier than longer ones, what you have to remember is to just focus on letting the readers know where you will be taking them if they read your story.
things you might want to consider when writing your summary:
- what you need to be able to do is identify the
major points,
major characters,
and/or actions of the plot (You don't want to waste time and space discussing unimportant details)
- don't talk about yourself as a writer (it might be fine to mention that the fic might be your first or whatever in an author's note in the story but leave things like that OUT of the summary.)
- Try to Spell Check and Reread it aloud to yourself to make sure that it makes sense and that you are not missing a word or something.
- use a quote from your story sparingly, and make sure that when you do it showcases who and what the story might be about, or will be intriguing enough to bring in readers.
- the summary should be able to be understood by anyone who hasn't read it yet
- choose words and select material for your summary that are objective and fair
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:30 am
I have a question:
Does this count as talking about myself as the author?
Frog: This is why you don't want Ashera to get bored the evening before the final battle. Really just a bunch of random pairings that I wrote about. Kind of rediculous. Chapter 9: Disk Change! Please read! Ch. 10 and up are much better than the rest.
"Frog" is my penname by and by, I have to put in there because I wrote it and not my sister. It's supposed to be a crack fic too. I'm just wondering if that information about the "Disk Change" should be placed there or not, since that's where I made a big shift in my way of writing the series.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:43 pm
I liked the "Chapter 9: Disk Change!" part. It made me laugh and was really the only attention grabbing thing about the summary.
"Really just a bunch of random pairings that I wrote about," and "Please read! Ch. 10 and up are much better than the rest."
These parts downplay your confidence in your writing. If you're not confident, then why should someone read it? Then again, that might just be me. I look at a story and try to decide if it's worth my effort to try and read it. This summary doesn't really inspire me to click the link.
It might better taking some stuff out. Like this:
Frog: There's a reason you don't want Ashera getting bored the evening before the final battle. Chapter 9: Disk Change! [crack fic]
What fandom is this from? Is Ashera normally a crazy/silly character? What's the actual plot line of the story or is it true to it's crack title and doesn't really have one?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:01 pm
I meant for the "Please Read!" part to be more for the information on the disk change, but I see what you mean.
It's for the Fire Emblem fandom. And Ashura isn't really a crazy character. She's the Goddess of Order for one. But I didn't know anything about her personality when I began writing it because I don't think the sequel had even been announced yet, so I just gave her an almost childlike personality that gave her a short attention span.
And yeah, it's pretty much all crack. There's no plot at all, it's kind of just a bunch of one-shots about various pairings I drew from a hat. And to be honest, I'm not terribly confident about this story. Almost every chapter from 1-8 makes me cringe away from the computer screen simply because it's well......so cracky?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:56 pm
Okay, I found your story on FF.net. You've got a nice Author Note at the top of the first chapter. I'd just insert the bit about your writing style changing (evolving if you will) round about Chapter 10 into that AN. They're going to read that before they start reading the actual story, so it gets that bit out of your summary, but still allows it to be read. If they're clicking on anything labeled "crack" they'll be expecting wierdness and mayhem anyway.
I think everyone is a bit overcritical of their own work. I know there are whole chapters of a couple of my stories (in one case, an entire story) that I can't stand to read just because they embarrass me so much. (I know I spelled embarrass wrong, but can't seem to figure out the right spelling.) I just try not to worry about it too much.
And then I get my sister to read it and she praises me and I get happy. I'm so easy to please, though I still cringe rereading it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:51 pm
I didn't think of that. Must go do now exclaim
And I'll see what I can do with the summary.
Thank you very much for your advice 3nodding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:36 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:15 am
Does anyone want to submit links or post examples of their summaries for help or feedback?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:12 am
For a story that's not even written yet (or barely):
Title: Blade of the Fayth (working title)
Summary: FFVIIxFFX crossover. Yuna begins her pilgrimage for the good of Spira. There's a man with a blade standing by the road as she and her guardians pass. That blade he holds, will it be for or against the Calm?
I like to think it's nice, especially for a piece of work that barely has a single chapter to its name but...I suppose it never hurts to have a second opinion. Or something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 4:03 pm
to Superna Zherom: I think it sounds good xD I mean a summary should make readers curious enough to click the link right? With that kind of summary you'll definitely get people to want to know who the mysterious person is and what he'll do biggrin
I think my problem with summaries is that most of the time my fanfics get a life of their own confused So.. most of the time my summary will be very general ^^;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:48 pm
@Superna: I agree with Wicked. That is a good, attention-grabbing summary. It gives you the gist of what's to come in the story and already starts forming images in the minds of your potential readers. I like it a lot.
@Wicked: Just remember that you can always change your summary if your story takes a turn away from what you've planned. I've had to change the entire character line up of a story because it rebelled by turning all serious. Oddly enough, the summary didn't have to change because of that, though.
O_o Did I just contradict my point?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:43 pm
Superna Zherom For a story that's not even written yet (or barely):
Title: Blade of the Fayth (working title)
Summary: FFVIIxFFX crossover. Yuna begins her pilgrimage for the good of Spira. There's a man with a blade standing by the road as she and her guardians pass. That blade he holds, will it be for or against the Calm?
I like to think it's nice, especially for a piece of work that barely has a single chapter to its name but...I suppose it never hurts to have a second opinion. Or something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:47 pm
WiCkEdPeGaN to Superna Zherom: I think it sounds good xD I mean a summary should make readers curious enough to click the link right? With that kind of summary you'll definitely get people to want to know who the mysterious person is and what he'll do biggrin I think my problem with summaries is that most of the time my fanfics get a life of their own confused So.. most of the time my summary will be very general ^^;
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:58 pm
I know I have stories where the summary may not match what's going on later in the fic, but it matches with the beginning chapters, so I leave it as is. Is that ok?
Why Do I Always End Up as Bait
Frog: Alys and Selendrile decide to stay in a pleasent looking town. Only thing is, it's not quite as pleasent as they once thought. Drenn is known for it's mysterious disappearences. Will Alys be next?
See, this summary from one of my fics tells the first part of the plot line. But come to about chapter 6-7ish and the plot takes a twist so the summary doesn't even fit half of the fic. So is it ok for me to keep it that way?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
