Play-by-Play
Play-by-play is a style of writing that excessively rehashes the events of a story, conveying every detail as much as possible and thus regulating the reader's imagination toward exact portrayals of various illustrations and ideas.
Play-by-play involves overboard descriptions, including but not limited to:
the premise of the story (setting, tone)
character appearances/personalities
descriptions of interactions (either character-based or in other forms such as relationships between two entities; for example, two nations)
Do your best to avoid play-by-play writing in your synopses.
Not Acceptable:
On the night of her roommate's death, Sheena is sitting alone eating onigiri, when a little girl waltzes down the hallway, covered in blood, smiling.
The highlighted texts present very precise details of specific moments. But what Sheena is doing when a blood-covered girl waltzes by is not relevant to the comprehension of this synopsis.
Acceptable:
On the night of her roommate's death, Sheena met a blood-covered girl who remained jubilant despite the condition she was in. (Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai)
It is enough to mention that Sheena met a blood-covered girl who is in good spirits.
There may be cases where many aspects feel equally important to note; as a result, play-by-play can affect not only particular sentences but also entire paragraphs.
Not Acceptable:
[...] With support from team captain Shinichiro Oda and vice captain Misao Aoki, Seiin aim to win the prefecturals and become Fukui's representatives at the Spring Tournament. This, however, turns out to be an ambitious goal, as Fukui only has one spot in the tournament but two very talented teams that could claim it. The school that stands in Seiin's way of being the prefectural representative at the Spring Tournament is Fukuho Technical High School. Led by the "Demon Bazooka," Subaru Mimura, Fukuho is the seven-time prefectural representative for Fukui and is also aiming for a spot in the Spring Tournament. Mimura is especially vying for the top spot after a promise he made with Fukuho's team manager, Mitsuomi Ochi, to take him to the center court of the tournament before their graduation that year. It is a battle between Fukui's two volleyball geniuses to see who will triumph and represent the prefecture at the Spring Tournament.
The highlighted text contains excessive descriptions of the adversary team and its leader. While Fukuho's history of winning and Mimura's motivation may appear relevant to understand Seiin's challenges, providing too many specific details risks creating the opposite effect, deviating the reader's attention from the main point and even generating confusion.
Most of these elements are not necessary for the story's comprehension and should be left to the reader's discretion when they watch the anime.
Acceptable:
[...] With support from team captain Shinichirou Oda and vice captain Misao Aoki, Seiin aim to win the prefecturals and become Fukui's representatives at the Spring Tournament. To do this, they will need to beat Fukuho Technical High School, the reigning champions of Fukui. Will Haijima's team defeat the odds, or are they doomed to repeat his history of losing? (2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu)
Choosing the key points can prove difficult, especially when various aspects seem to be directly connected to the central idea; yet this step is critical to avoid play-by-play writing. In this case, mentioning that the adversary is none other than the current champion is sufficient to indicate the difficulties that Seiin must face to achieve their goal.
The simplest way to determine whether or not a detail should be included in a synopsis is to consider whether that detail helps the reader—especially someone new to the series—better understand the story or not at all.
An approach to this is to proactively proofread your entire draft over the course of the writing process.
For instance, after composing a sentence or two, take a moment to review the new content and its incorporation with the rest of the synopsis.
Pay close attention to how you have constructed the flow of information; if a section awkwardly stands out or the original context from it can be understood without certain specific details, it may be a good idea to condense the text or omit it altogether.
Another aspect to be wary of is calls-to-action, a set of words or phrasing that shifts the text from a neutral point of view to directly addressing the reader, subsequently breaking the omniscient third-person POV. Do not use calls-to-action in your writing.
Not Acceptable:
On a never-ending, futile mission to change her socioeconomic status, follow Dejiko, her sidekick Petit Charat—also known as Puchiko—her royal guardian Gema, and her competitive coworker Hikaru Usada as they try everything in their power to overturn the soul-crushing mundanity of working in retail.
Acceptable:
On a never-ending, futile mission to change her socioeconomic status, Dejiko, her sidekick Petit Charat "Puchiko," her royal guardian Gema, and her competitive coworker Hikaru Usada try everything in their power to overturn the soul-crushing mundanity of working in retail. (Di Gi Charat)
Overall, strive to maintain a neutral third-person perspective throughout your synopsis. If you are still confused about what may be considered play-by-play or calls-to-action while you write your synopsis, feel free to reach out to a coordinator for further advice.
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