I know you will include them. I was just saying that a synopsis is different from notes, because it specifically contains what the reader can actually read, in the order the reader can read them. And when you write it like that it gives you a good idea of what the reader can understand purely based on what you intend to tell in the story.

And there is also information in notes that belong to the story but not the synopsis.

For some functions, the synopsis is useful. For some functions the notes are more useful. For some other functions, synopsis with notes is more useful. I think it just depends on what you want to do.



[Edited by - Wai on April 28, 2010 5:29:03 PM]

Thank you so much for your insight. You have really helped me to sum up my 10 page proposal into 3 sentences. You're a legend!

Ooh flattery! [wink]

Sorry all that it's taken me more than a week to get back to this, it was a rather hectic week. After this I'll put up a separate thread where people can post synopses for critique. Meanwhile, on to the next story type: the trickster tale!


Along with the hero monomyth, the trickster tale is one of the oldest story forms known to man. While hero stories are about honor, bravery, endurance, and power, trickster tales are about cleverness, bargains, humor, accidents, poetic justice, and Aesop-style morals. The two genres are like brawns vs. brains.

A trickster tale of course has a trickster character, or occasionally two two try to trick each other. Traditional examples of trickster tales are folktales about Coyote, Fox, Anansi the spider, Brer Rabbit, Loki, the Boy Who Cried Wolf, and the Emperor's New Clothes. There are Chaucer-era trickster tales called Fabliaux (alternate spelling Fableau). Modern examples of trickster characters include Stone Soup, Bugs Bunny, Spy vs. Spy, dirty jokes about traveling salesmen and farmer's daughters, and a vast array of rogues and con-men in movies, novels, etc. An interesting example of tricksters outside the context of fiction are stand-up comedians. Trickster tales are indeed similar to elaborate jokes, and often end with a punchline when the trickster's trickery either is revealed to the victim, or backfires on the trickster.

The construction of the trickster tale usually begins with the trickster wanting to do something he shouldn't. This usually exemplified whatever personality flaw the story is aimed against. Laziness, greed, wanting to be more famous/popular, and covetousness are very common subjects. If the story is aimed against the victim instead of the trickster, the moral may be about gullibility, vanity, blind following of rules/tradition, or short-sightedness. So, the tale begins with a description of one of their characters who either habitually exhibits this bad trait, or is tempted by a particular situation.

After the introduction of the character and situation comes the con (comparable to a comic villain's clever plan). Typically the trickster pretends to be something he is not - he may pretend to be a different gender, pretend to be wealthy or have a treasure, pretend to be old, pretend to be a hard worker, pretend to be trustworthy, pretend to have magical power or be a great warrior or a political official, pretend to be highly religious, or pretend to be very admiring of the victim. The victim is taken in, optionally after a test to see that the trickster is what he claims. If the trickster fails the test, the story ends here, usually with the trickster getting beaten or chased out of town. If the trickster passed the test or there is not test, then he has the victim's trust.

The trickster starts getting the victim to do things. It may be something small at first, or for a shorter story may skip directly to the major gamble: the trickster tells the victim to do something, promising it will be to the victim's great benefit, but actuality it will benefit the trickster and harm the victim. There may be a third character who sees the trickster for what he is and tries to warn the victim. Usually this insightful person will be ignored or ridiculed. If the victim heeds the warning, he and the insightful person will turn the major gamble into a trap to catch the trickster red-handed, or cause the trickster to injure or defeat himself.

If the victim does not heed the warning, the trickster will pull off the major gamble and gleefully try to get away with his prize. In a story targeted against the victim, the trickster will get away with the trick and the victim will often be publicly humiliated, possibly with the result that he learns his lesson. In a story targeted against the trickster the victim will realize that he's been tricked and apologize to the insightful person. Then the insightful person will help catch the trickster, retrieve his prize, and punish the trickster. A third ending is also possible - the "victim" does not realize he as been tricked and remains quite happy with whatever "worthless" object the trickster has traded him or whatever way of life the trickster has persuaded him to lead. Then either both go away happy, or some unrelated harm may come to the trickster, usually because of his ill-gotten treasure.

Cool thread... but I just sort of think up randomly and place them if I can into the story. lol.