Synopsis Before the Manuscript?

Artwork by Leandro Bassano. Image by Peter via Flickr.

When writing a fiction work, every writer has their own method. Some begin with a spark of an idea, while others create an entire notebook containing the complete plot, character descriptions, and details concerning setting and time period. I’ve had plenty of ideas, but I’ve only written one completed novel. However, I have two more in the works, and I can’t help noticing how much more fun I’m having writing them than the first one. 

The completed work is a historical, inspirational romance, which I’m currently working to get published. I am half-way through what I would consider a young adult, high fantasy, and just beginning the second historical, inspirational romance, which is the second of a three-book series.

The idea for my completed novel began with a painting that I was asked to write an essay on in my high school arts and humanities class. The painting was of an old woman, which I found out later was by Italian artist, Leandro Bassano. The woman in the painting looked so sorrowful, and I just knew she had endure a great tragedy in her life. However, I had the power of words, and in my story, all hope wasn’t lost. 

We were asked to write one page about the women – a fictional assessment, of course. In the essay I wrote of this woman’s tragic story, but there was no space left for a conclusion. I couldn’t stop thinking of the woman who I had named, Emma, and because the painting had such an impact on me, I wanted to write a happy ending for her. I received an “A” on the essay and a lovely note from my teacher complementing my writing. That, no doubt, only fueled my interest.

I’ve always loved writing, but this was the first time I’d considered writing a book.

I didn’t begin it immediately. It wasn’t until I was in college, and already married, that the story first came to life. When I completed it a few years later, it was far from great, but nonetheless, something I was proud of and passionate about.

The main reason it took me so long to write it was my busy schedule (working and going to school full-time), but another big reason was my lack of planning. I began with only a few solid ideas and the rest was not thought through very well. I spent a great deal of time backtracking the story when I realized something wouldn’t work or didn’t flow properly. As a result, the manuscript ended up being a lot more work than it should’ve been, and not entirely enjoyable.

Recently, I was asked by an agent to come up with two additional story ideas to follow my first book in order to have a three-book series. Since I was already considering this, it wasn’t too hard to come up with a couple of ideas, however, they wanted me to write a five-page synopsis for each story in order to give them a clear idea of the plot.

I had never done this before.

 Figuring out many of the main scenes before writing them seemed like a huge challenge. However, once I finished them (it took me about three weeks), I realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The best part was, I had two additional book ideas already ironed out. This made starting the second book a much more enjoyable feat.

I am curious as to how other writers begin their fiction stories. Does it come from a single idea, or weeks of planning and brainstorming? Do you know how it will end before you begin?

What say you?