Summary Help

by SeeMeInTheShadows Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:44 pm

Sometimes the summary of a fic comes very easily to me. This is not one of those times.

Basically, I'm writing my own version of Garage Kids which should be up in a couple of months, but I want to have a summary already written so I can use it to sort of base my works around. It will be darker than CL, an epic-lengthed piece, with a couple of OCs.

I just want thoughts on the following summary, what your impressions would be, how you would change it, what you think the story would be about, etc, etc. Basically, I want a summary that makes you want to click (which is what all summaries do).

For a virtual world, Xanadu casts a dark and dangerous shadow. But throw in a mad professor, a group of runaways with a secret, and an ally with an ulterior motive and everything becomes just a little more deadly.

I don't have every detail worked out, but that's pretty much the summary I have at this moment in time. Of course, this could change, but what do you think? I'll take any suggestions I can get, because this summary has not come easy to me at all. Cool

by SMARTAgentKC Fri Apr 27, 2012 12:02 am

looks good to me, It allows the readers to ask a ton of questions and draws them into the story.

by PeaceKeeper2014 Fri Apr 27, 2012 1:20 am

Well, I like so far, but can I have help with one for my upcoming fan-fiction cross-over, "Battleship: Code Lyoko"?

by SeeMeInTheShadows Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:26 am

Yeah sure. I don't care if you make a new thread in the Peer Review or if it's a summary problem you have, I don't mind if we let this thread become an all purpose summary discussion and review for everyone.

And thanks guys, I'm always a little iffy about summaries.

by Stella Luce 333 Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:45 am

I like it! It gives peple just enogh to descrbe what will happn, but still makes you wondr what will actlly happn...

by **AeonFrodo** Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:28 am

That summary is actually really good. Like everybody else's comments, it reveals the events, but not what's going to happen during them, so you have to read and find out. Not only that, but it really grabs your intended audience. It really shows you put a lot of thought into the summary, thus a lot of thought into the story.

I did the same with the summary for Pretty Hate Machine. Tell people some information, but not all of it. Here's the summary.

One devastating event sets off Ulrich on a dangerous path to self-destruction. Can his friends help him before it's too late?

I made sure I told the info, without telling the exact details of it. So, it's an effective strategy to get readers to read your story, and if your story is good enough, they'll read it for more than one chapter.