The summary of a story must be short, smooth and concise. Fortunately, it's not that difficult!
Steps
Part 1 of 2: While Reading
Step 1. Read the story
It will be very difficult to summarize a story without even reading it. So open that book or put your headphones on and listen to it on your iPod. Don't trust the summaries you find online, as they aren't always accurate.
- As you read, you need to remember what the central idea of the book is. In The Lord of the Rings, for example, the central idea could be how the thirst for power (represented by the Ring) is a power linked to evil, or that even the actions of an insignificant person (like a hobbit) can change the world..
- Focus totally on the book. Don't get distracted by anything, not even the music.
Step 2. Take notes
You will need to take notes as you read so that you have a point of reference for writing the summary. Ask yourself: Who? Thing? When? Where is it? Because?. They will be the basis for everything you need to include in the summary.
Step 3. Find the main characters
You have to know what the novel is about and therefore what the characters are are not important to the story. If you're reading one with lots of characters, you don't have to write them all down.
- For example: in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone you will write that the main characters are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. You might also mention Hagrid, Dumbledore, Snape, Raptor and Voldemort because they are important figures in the development of the plot.
- You won't have to mention Peeves the poltergeist, or the dragon Norbert, because even though they play an important part in the story, they don't influence it enough to be mentioned in the summary.
- A shorter story, like Little Red Riding Hood, is easy because you'll only have to mention Little Red Riding Hood, her grandmother, the wolf, and the hunter (or the woodcutter, depending on the version).
Step 4. Note the context
The context is the place where the facts take place. It could be tricky if the story you are reading is set in multiple places. If that's your case, you'll need to expand on this part more.
- Continuing the Harry Potter example: the main events take place at Hogwarts, so you could write something like 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the UK',
- For a story like the Lord of the Rings, which takes place in a much larger territory, you can explain that it is called Middle-earth and then mention some places like the Shire, Mordor and Gondor. You don't have to be too specific (for example there is no need to mention the Fangorn forest, or the Minas Morgul tower).
Step 5. Write down the conflict of the story
This includes the main problem the characters face. There doesn't have to be a bad guy. Like in Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings.
- For Harry Potter, the main conflict could be Voldemort's attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone and thus threaten the wizarding world again (and kill Harry).
- For example, if you are summarizing the Odyssey, the main conflict will be Ulysses trying to return to Ithaca. The whole story is driven by his desire to return home and all the obstacles he finds in his path.
Step 6. Write down the main events
They are the most important parts of the story. You don't have to write down every single action of a character. In fact, that's what you've been asked to do. Look for events related to the main conflict, or that help resolve it.
- For Harry Potter, some main events could be Harry finding out he is a wizard, or Harry meeting the three-headed dog and of course Harry, Ron and Hermione defeating Voldemort.
- It might seem simpler for a shorter story like 'Little Red Riding Hood', but you should only jot down the most important moments like Little Red Riding Hood meets the wolf, or when she is devoured after mistaking her for grandma and the arrival of the hunter.
Step 7. Write down the conclusion
This is an important event, which pulls the strings of the conflict of history and solves the problems. Even in a book that is part of a saga there is usually some sort of conclusion to the main story. Beware, there are spoilers in the next steps!
- For Harry Potter, the conclusion is to defeat Voldemort. The story after this event is not relevant to the summary, even if it is relevant to the story itself. You don't have to tell the final conversation between Harry and Dumbledore, nor the points awarded to Gryffindor that allow the house to win, because they are not part of the Voldemort storyline.
- For Little Red Riding Hood, the conclusion is the appearance of the hunter who saves her and her grandmother.
- For the Lord of the Rings, the conclusion is a little tricky to put into a summary, because you might stop at the destruction of the Ring, but (especially if the central idea of the story is the importance of an insignificant person's actions) you might to mention the return to the Shire and Frodo's departure from Gray Bridges.
Part 2 of 2: Writing the Summary
Step 1. Organize your notes
The hardest part is over, reading the book! If you've taken notes, you're ready to write the summary. Arrange them according to the chronology of the story. See where the story begins and ends and how the main character evolves in the meantime.
- Continuing the Harry Potter example, you must seek out how Harry goes from finding out he is a wizard to defeating Voldemort.
- As for the Odyssey, follow Ulysses on his path, from the moment he loses all his men and his arrival on the island of Calypso until he defeats the Suitors and convinces Penelope of his identity.
- In a short story like Little Red Riding Hood, she tells why Little Riding Hood goes into the woods, how she is tricked, eaten and then saved.
Step 2. Write the summary
It will be so easy now that you have all your notes sorted. All you have to do is write a paragraph covering the key points: who? Thing? When? Where is it? Because? You should have already covered them in your notes. Remember to also write the title of the book and the author. to
- Remember to focus only on the main story. Don't digress about Harry's Quidditch matches, or his distaste for Malfoy.
- Likewise, don't quote the story directly. You don't have to copy conversation excerpts from the story in the summary. You have to briefly mention the gist of a conversation (like 'When Harry and his friends find out through Hagrid that the Philosopher's Stone is no longer safe, they try to stop the thief.').
Step 3. Get inspired by these summary examples
It's easier to write something down if you've read some examples and understand how to use words and incorporate all the various elements into one comprehensive text.
- 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J. K. Rowling 'tells the story of an 11-year-old orphan named Harry Potter, who discovers he is a wizard and begins attending an English wizarding school, Hogwarts. While there he discovers that his parents were killed by a cruel wizard, Voldemort, who was destroyed when Harry was a newborn. With his friends, Ron Weasley, who comes from a family of wizards, and Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of their year, Harry discovers that the philosopher's stone, which gives eternal life, is hidden on the third floor where students do not. can access. When Harry and his friends discover thanks to Hagrid that the Philosopher's Stone is no longer safe, they try to stop the thief: they are convinced that it is Professor Snape, who hates Harry. When Harry finds the stone, he discovers that the thief is actually Professor Raptor, possessed by Voldemort. Due to a spell cast by Harry's mother, Harry manages to defeat Quirrell and forces Voldemort to flee. '
- Homer's epic Odyssey tells the story of a Greek hero, Ulysses, and his decades-long journey back home to the island of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and son Telemachus await him. It begins with Ulysses imprisoned by the nymph Calypso until the Greek gods force her to free him. The god Poseidon, who holds a grudge against Ulysses because in one of his past voyages he blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus (his son), tries to sink his ship, but is stopped by Athena. Ulysses lands in Scheria, home of the Faeci, who offer him a safe passage and ask him to tell about his journey so far. Ulysses narrates all the adventures lived by him and his men: the journey to the land of the Lotophages, the blindness of Polyphemus. His relationship with the sorceress Circe, the lethal Sirens, the journey to Hades and the fight against the sea monster Scylla. The Faeci bring him back safely to Ithaca, where he enters the palace disguised as a beggar. In Ithaca, thinking that Ulysses is dead, Penelope's suitors took possession of the palace, tried to kill his son and persuade his wife to marry one of them. Penelope, convinced that Ulysses is not dead, rejects them. Organize a tournament with Ulysses' bow, which only he is able to use. When the hero uses it, he kills all suitors and is reunited with his family. '
- These summaries cover the main events of the stories they refer to. Phrases such as When Harry Finds the Stone were used… instead of explaining what exactly it took to find it because that is not the purpose of the summary. They are short and focus only on the main characters, such as Ulysses, Penelope, the gods, etc.
Step 4. Review the summary
Make sure you have checked it well and that there are no spelling and / or grammatical errors, that the events are in the right order and that the names of characters and places are spelled correctly. Better have a friend read it too to see if you missed something. Once reviewed, the summary is ready to be delivered!
Advice
Remember that the summary must be short, not longer than the original story
Warnings
- Do not include your opinions when writing a summary, unless specifically requested by your teacher.
- If you're writing an essay, you shouldn't just summarize the text.
