With an epic series like Pearseus, it can be tough to summarize the multiple themes and PoVs. So, a few days ago, I approached Angela Elliot to take advantage of her experience writing up summaries (find out about more about Angela and her book, The Finish, on Facebook).
Her ideas were so great, that I had to repeat them here (with her permission, of course).
She explained to me that, when summarizing, I should be thinking about these points:
- Location
- Characters, Good v. Evil
- Goals
- Drivers (usually emotional)
- The stakes (what happens if they fail)
To write a great description, she explained, I should consider what my theme is, not what the books are about. She then said something that made my jaw drop in one of those aha moments: each writer, no matter the book, writes about the same theme every time. This is something integral to us as a human being; it’s what drives us. Each story we tell is an investigation into our theme, only told differently each time.
For instance, Angela’s (and, arguably, everyone’s) over-arching theme is survival, and the things people will do to survive. Sometimes, it’s mixed with secrecy – the things we keep secret so that we can survive. It doesn’t matter what she writes, or what style she writes in, or the subject matter; it’s always about survival.
Indeed, most stories are actually about survival in some form or other. Humans are hot-wired to survive in three ways – as individuals, as families and as species. We fight first as individuals – for ourselves. Secondly, we fight for family/tribe/country. Finally, we fight for the species. Knowing this makes it easier to formulate an overview.
There are lots of references to there being 21 kinds of stories, or 30 stories, or 7 stories etc… in the world – and that all stories fall into one of the categories cited. However, in the end, there is actually only one story: the story of the quest. A quest for true love. A quest for treasure. A quest for a new planet. A quest to capture someone. A quest to win the war. A quest to survive in the face of a storm, or ghost, or enemy. It’s always a quest. THE quest.
So, in order to write a summary, what you need to do is expose the quest underneath. You can then be fairly functional and matter of fact in a series outline, e.g. The Pearseus series an epic fantasy/sci-fi story told over four books. You then move on to the quest, for example:
“Following an unspeakable crime, the men and women on the planet realize that they had been brought there to face the remnants of humanity’s ancient past and the consequences of a long-forgotten sin. As their world crumbles all around them, they struggle to live, love and survive.”
As for a single-line description of the series, I have come up with this description of the underlying theme:
Humanity. Rebooted. Then, rebooted again.
What do you think of it?
Thanks, this was really helpful! I always struggle with this.
It’s one of the hardest jobs for any writer! That and the tag line. Some people claim they spend more time working on these than their books 😀
I have to start thinking about this Nicholas so this is useful advice to refer back to, thanks!
So glad you found it interesting! Thanks 🙂
Excellent info. I hadn’t thought about a blurb in those terms. Saving this along with all my other favs. 🙂
Music to my ears. Thank you 🙂
As I think of my memoir, sure enough, it’s about survival and my quest for love and acceptance. Remarkable!
There you have it 🙂
Thank you, Nicholas, for the great advice you shared in this short and easy to understand post! I shared with my TribeWriters. For sure it will help those who struggle with summaries, as I do.
How about a post for introductions to non-fiction books? Do you have anything on it?
I would love some help there!
Happy 2015!
Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t written something about non-fiction issues. A good idea for a future post, I guess. 🙂
I will tell you this: my PhD examiners thanked me during my viva for giving them an interesting thesis to read. “Finally, a thesis that’s not boring,” was how one of them put it. So, I guess the secret is simple: treat it as if you’re telling a story; not as if spouting facts. In other words, use the facts to support your story, and not the other way around.
Once you’ve done this, the introduction should fall into place: instead of referring to your facts, refer to the story behind it all and introduce that.
Mind you, this only works for non-fiction works that are aimed at a wide audience, not academia. Although, as my example shows, there ways to make an academic work interesting, academia has pretty specific rules about these things 🙂
Great advice! This is something I struggle with – and so far to date, it’s the best explanation I’ve found on how to write a good summery. And as for your single-line descriptor – love it. Simple, yet intriguing. Well done and thank you!
That’s so sweet of you to say, thanks! 🙂
Loved this post Nicholas – well done. Very helpful and informative, thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thanks, glad you liked it! What I love about social media is that you ask a simple question, and people rush to offer so much wonderful advice! Angela was such an inspiring and generous person; it never ceases to amaze me…
Great post! Timely as well, as I was just having this conversation with a colleague. Everything I write seems to involve the afterlife and abuse of authority. As I sit here and think about work I have in the “pipeline” for the next couple of years…it turns out they’re about the afterlife and abuse of authority!
We can never escape who we are 🙂
Thank you Nat, so happy to see you here! As an avid follower of your blog and newsletter (head off to https://www.nat-russo.com/ everyone and join in, you won’t regret it), and as a *big* fan of your book, I’m thrilled! 🙂
One of your best posts, Nicholas! Extremely useful, concise and comprehensive. Love the one-liner!
Thanks! Angela was great. So glad you like the new one-liner! 🙂