Learn a Four-Act Plot Structure. This will give you a solid foundation for your book and help you write that dreaded synopsis.
I'm a published novelist with two acclaimed novels Trafficked, published by Penguin, and This Is Not a Love Letter, published by Disney-Hyperion. My practical guide to writing a novel is coming out in 2026, published by Penguin: The Busy Writer's Guide to Finishing a Novel in 100 Days
Creating a compelling plot is a challenge, and you're busy; you don't have time to mess around with multiple drafts. Follow this easy four-act plot structure, and you can be confident that you have a solid story.
First, write your elevator pitch. Then, write one paragraph for each act of a four-act novel plot structure. It's fast, clarifies your story, and keeps the fun and imagination in the drafting process.
There are a bunch of novel plotting techniques: a three-act plot, a four-act plot, a five-act plot, or a six-act plot. No matter what, you need the key plot points listed here. The four-act plot structure will be an efficient way to write a quick synopsis or outline so you can get started and not go off track.
You can plot your novel with a lot of detail, but this method will help you get a good solid grasp on what your story is without taking out the discovery process of writing your first draft, which is what "pantsers" love. "Plotters" can plot all the scenes in great detail within each act.
This synopsis writing will not only help with your storytelling structure, it will also help for all of the people who need to write a synopsis for literary agents, editors, or contests, like the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for teen writers.
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