The competition is being run by an Irish newspaper. The winner gets a novel deal and €20,000 cash.
The entry requirements are for the first 3,000 words of a novel, and a one-page synopsis.
My concerns are as follows: firstly 3,000 words is rather short. I’ve written more than this already, and the story’s only just starting. How can anyone make a judgement based on what is likely to be nothing more than prologue or groundwork for the rest of the book? Or, more constructively, how can I best represent my writing based on such a small number of words?
Secondly, I have no idea how a plot synopsis should be written. Do explain individual characters and their development through the story? Should I just deal in larger issues such as themes? How should I approach this task?
Any advice, particularly from published authors, would be gratefully appreciated!
Yes, 3000 words is short, but an editor can tell if the book is publishable in that short a time frame (a friend of mine who was a first reader at a major publisher once said that he could tell if a book is publishable within ten pages – and that it was unpublishable with just a paragraph.)
What they are looking for is you ability to write publishable prose. Send them the first 3000 words of the book, since that will show them enough to make a judgment. If it makes them want to read more, even if they can’t, you’re in the running.
The one-page synopsis is more problematic; most synopses for novels run much longer than that (say, 10-20 pages). Basically, just summarize the major plot elements without getting bogged down in motivation. Normally, you quote particularly good bits of dialog in a synopsis, but you don’t have the space here. Just concentrate on the plot elements and you shold be OK.