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[RokofAges75]

What makes a good summary to you?

As a reader, do you prefer detailed summaries that give you a good idea what the story's going to be about, or vague summaries that leave you wanting to know?  What kind of summary makes you actually click on a story to give it a try?

As a writer, what kind of summaries do you usually write?

[Purpura Lipstick]

I like summaries that leave me wondering what is going to happen, intriguing me.  I think I write those kind too.

[Rose]

I prefer something simple, intriguing. The summaries that are turn offs are the ones with way too much detail. You know what ones I mean, the ones with like two paragraphs and is almost like a short story in itself. Short, simple and too the point. Vagueness is also sometimes way better cause then it can get me curious.

[mare]

I agree pretty much with both Lore and Rose. I am turned off by the long summaries. If the summary is more than a paragraph I bypass the story completely because I already know for me the person is too wordy lol

The things that draw me in are the simple ones that don't totally give away what the story is about but gives enough detail to let me know it's the kind of thing I would want to read.

That's what I try to do when I write a summary, but it's easier said than done. lol

[mare]

She had a dream. He had a secret. They had a deal. In exchange for her silence, he’d make her dream come true. But at what cost?

^
Good summary Julie.

[Rose]

She had a dream. He had a secret. They had a deal. In exchange for her silence, he’d make her dream come true. But at what cost?

^
Good summary Julie.

Agreed

[Pengi]

I tend to write wordy summaries that describe the character more than the actual story (see the summary for The Time Watcher for example). I do feel that shorter summaries are more effective/better, though. I get intrigued by summaries that seem random, but obviously have something important to do with the story. Cos then I wanna know WHAT it has to do with the story.

[Purpura Lipstick]

She had a dream. He had a secret. They had a deal. In exchange for her silence, he’d make her dream come true. But at what cost?

^
Good summary Julie.

Agreed!

[Rose]

I tend to write wordy summaries that describe the character more than the actual story (see the summary for The Time Watcher for example). I do feel that shorter summaries are more effective/better, though. I get intrigued by summaries that seem random, but obviously have something important to do with the story. Cos then I wanna know WHAT it has to do with the story.

Yours isn't that bad. Have you seen some of the other summaries that go and basically tell the entire plot? Those ones are the ones that suck lol. Cause then it's like, what's the point. Yours drew me in, because it described Nick, totally had a point, and had me wondering why.

Summaries are hard to do. About as hard as titles. The key is to catch people's interest enough to make them click, and it's not easy lol.

[myconfession]

Summaries always tend to piss me off a little. I never know if I'm giving too much away or not giving away enough to intrigue the reader. Sometimes they come really easily for me and sometimes they don't.

Titles are always the easiest for me... I tend to come up with them sometimes before I even come up with the story. I base a lot of my stories around music, so sometimes I'll use a line from a song or the title of the song. Then I develop the story from there.

[RokofAges75]

She had a dream. He had a secret. They had a deal. In exchange for her silence, he’d make her dream come true. But at what cost?

^
Good summary Julie.

Thank you!!  That was the first of five different summaries I had written for this story (ask Rose LOL), and the only reason I wrote four more is because I thought this one was too vague.  I'm glad people seem to like it!  I hoped it would be intriguing, but at the same time, I figured people would want a better idea of what the story was about LOL.

[Rose]

Thank you!!  That was the first of five different summaries I had written for this story (ask Rose LOL), and the only reason I wrote four more is because I thought this one was too vague.  I'm glad people seem to like it!  I hoped it would be intriguing, but at the same time, I figured people would want a better idea of what the story was about LOL.

I told you that you shouldn't be second guessing. Not that I'm not guilty of that....lmao.

Sometimes vague is good cause it makes us click to find out exactly that. 

[RokofAges75]

I kinda go both ways with the summaries.  As a reader, I like a general idea of what I'm getting into when I click on the story, but a short, intriguing summary works too.  Sometimes it's fun to not have a clue and click on a story just to see what the summary even means.  I don't like the super long summaries that tell half the story or the whole back story leading up to that point.

As a writer, I think most of my summaries are the shorter, vague kind because I don't like to give too much away.  Sometimes, like with BMS, Undead, and 00Carter, I get longer with it.

[RokofAges75]

Summaries always tend to piss me off a little. I never know if I'm giving too much away or not giving away enough to intrigue the reader. Sometimes they come really easily for me and sometimes they don't.

Titles are always the easiest for me... I tend to come up with them sometimes before I even come up with the story. I base a lot of my stories around music, so sometimes I'll use a line from a song or the title of the song. Then I develop the story from there.

I'm the same way with summaries; once in awhile they do come really easily, but usually it takes several revisions to get the perfect one.

Titles are the same way for me - sometimes the title comes to me right away, and I don't even consider anything else, and other times it takes me days to get even a working title I like.  I can't start writing a story without a title, so it's frustrating.

[myconfession]

Definitely, I can't write on a story until I have at least a good, solid title. So agree with you on that one lol