Firstly, I am not a writer, I am a reader.
Secondly, I just have always wanted to encourage writers to have more confidence in their writing.
Thirdly, especially summaries.
Which brings me to my main reason for posting.
Please, please, as a reader I beg you, don't write degrading things about yourself, summary etc... in the summary! It puts me off even clicking your story.
In the (so) many years I have been reading fan fics it has always driven me crazy when authors have a decent/ok/fine/good summary, then end it with "I know the summary sucks, but read my work!!" No, your summary is fine, and until the last moment I was ready to give your story (which I know is hard work!) a read.
Then, you deprived me of all motivation, by saying that it sucks.
If you as an author think your own writing abilities suck at a summary, what does that leave for the actual story?

So, please, please, have confidence in your hard work, and abilities. Take the advice of other members as it comes in reviews, and develop your talent from there. But don't start with a negative note.

I really love reading what so many people work so hard at, I wish all authors the best of luck and I hope that this post can help you to have confidence in your writing!

Ganbatte!!
Zoku

I second this!

New writers, in no way does it do anything positive for you to end your summary with words like, "I know its a bad summary, but at least give it a try," or "I suck at summaries."

I have seen this many times, and like the OP mentioned, it can be really off putting. I think that most of us realize, when settling down to read a piece of fanfiction, that the author is most likely not a professional writer. We don't expect perfection!

If you're unsure about your work, ask questions, take the constructive advice of your readers, attempt to get tips from your favorite authors, and hone your skills!

I used to be a TERRIBLE writer! But, I kept at it, learned a few things along the way, and now I do fairly well. It can be the same for you, just don't discount yourself right out of the gate by making negative comments about your work!

The problem I have with summaries is I feel like i'm either too vague or too specific. I know when I'm reading fics I hate vague summaries and I don't tend to read those fics. Most of the time I'm writing I don't usually have a complete outline spelled out in my mind or on paper so summaries are difficult.

What do you suggest, summarize what I have there or where I think my story is going?

The most difficult skill of an author is probably to break down the basic plot of a story into a summary. You have to be short, concise, and be able to transfer enough detail across to the reader in a couple sentences so that they have an idea of what the story is about.

Personally I find oneshots easier to summarize than multi-chaptered ficlets. Oneshots are oneoffs, generally short, and have a small plot. The larger multi-chaptered ficlets can change in terms of plot regularly. My suggestion for oneshots is to pick out the main concept of the ficlet and write two more points that relate to it and summarise those.

For multi-chapter ficlets you might want to be more flexible. The summary could change if the plot changes, but if you have overall one main idea that the story is about, stick with that as your starting point. For example if you have a ficlet that's about Sesshoumaru and Kagome attending high-school, it would be a good idea to use 'high-school' as part of your summary. If you need to flesh out that main idea, take perhaps one or two more main points and use these to flesh out the core idea.

An example summary might be:

Kagome Higurashi, the shy and quiet new-girl, has drawn the attention of the high-school heart-throb, Sesshoumaru Taisho. She's caught between a rock and a hard place. She tries to avoid the smitten youkai, and, conceal her spiritual powers least he find out that she's more than just another pretty face in the crowd.

It really depends on how many words you actually can fit into the summary since some sites actively give the author a limit on the number of 'characters' that they can use in the text-box where you put in your summaries. From my experience, it's best to be concise, but also to the point, but that can be difficult to do too.

~ Pyre

The problem I have with summaries is I feel like i'm either too vague or too specific. I know when I'm reading fics I hate vague summaries and I don't tend to read those fics.

This falls under the category of "To each; their own" I would suggest using a summery style that you like, and would want to read. You never know who reads what! ^o^

Most of the time I'm writing I don't usually have a complete outline spelled out in my mind or on paper so summaries are difficult.

Again, I am not a writer, but I was an English major, so I will say:
You should always have a rough idea of your story before you start, even a basic:

Setting: Modern times blah blah blah office
Characters: Sess, Kagome, Inu, and others plus one bad guy
Relationship: Boss, little brother's best friend/ secretary
Start: Becoming aware of each other, denial

Middle: acceptence, making moves, danger

Climax: Drama/near death!!

Final: Safety, Proposal, acceptance.

You should be able to put a rough outline together, since you have an idea for the story. Also, writing one will help you pull and pool ideas together and lead you to your story. Might also help keep your story from getting away and ending in a dead end that you didn't intend or know how to get out of. As well as, of course, writing a summary!


What do you suggest, summarize what I have there or where I think my story is going?

Pyreite gave some good advice, and I would add to it:

Both. I think the first chapter of a story is where you either get or lose readers, so summarize that, with a little tease at the end of the summary to convince potential readers to follow it to the end.
For example,off the top of my head, following my pretend story outlined above:
Big boss Taisho would have never thought he would care for anything his little brother had, until SHE appeared. Knowing of her for years was nothing like truly meeting her for the first time... as his assistant. Office politics,Bad guys, family feuds, ice cream and major contracts, where will it all end?

And just in writing that, more of the potential story already has come out. So now I have little pinpoints to follow as I write, which can help keep a story moving forward. And that is just the first draft!

Since you are a writer or are aspiring to be one, helping yourself prep can become a great asset!

Good luck and I hope that the good advice from Pyreite and what I could come up with help you out!!
*^_^*