Wednesday Wonderings - What Came First?

Pt. 2 of 2 of The Dreaded Synopsis Posts

There is an age old question among writers – what came first, the synopsis or the book?

What I love about the writing world, is no two writers are the same. Everyone is unique and has a different way they like to do things. The oddest difference I’ve encountered so far are the writers who like to write the synopsis first, and those who like to write it last.

I myself can’t even comprehend writing the synopsis first. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants author. I rarely plan in great detail and find I work better going in blind and letting my characters surprise me.

But like I said, no two writers are the same.

There are of course writers who have to plot every detail, lest they get lost along the way or are swallowed whole by the storyline. For them, I can imagine writing the synopsis first.

If I did it first, I think I’d get the worst dose of writer’s block known to mankind.

Pros and Cons can be tallied for each side, and am sure both would give very persuasive arguments which is better and why.

So you tell me – what came first, the synopsis or the book?