What is the best way of writing a summary

When writing a summary, the goal is to get the basics down in a plain, clear style. Check out these tips for writing a summary of a book, story/article, event, or meeting.

• Take notes. While reading a book, or attending an event, take notes of the important plot twists and significant episodes. Ask the basic questions: who, what, when, where, and how.
• Set the limit. How long (or short) does your summary need to be? Does it need to be a couple sentences, a paragraph, or a page?
• Use your own words. You aren't rewriting the book/story/article. You are explaining in a nutshell what happened in your own words.
• Write a draft. Write down what you think is must-know information about the event/story; aim to attain a good overview of the plot/event and its theme/atmosphere. Imagine that you are explaining what happened to a friend, and you want to be as clear and concise as you can.
• Look over your draft. Did you include all the essentials? Is it the length that it needs to be? Cut out unnecessary parts as needed. Make sure you include the main hooks on which the event/story hangs, the key ideas.
• Don't give your opinion. A summary is simply a distillation of what occurred or was written. Your opinion on what occurred is separate from the summary.
• Does it make sense? Read over your summary and make sure it makes sense to you. Then give it to another person and see if it makes sense to them.
• Practice. It takes work to be able to write good summaries. Simply keep trying to write clear, concise summaries in your own words of various pieces – and you will improve.