![]() It will help you understand what makes it stand out, what makes it unique. You can usually get away with six to eight sentences or so when you’re discussing the story.īut figuring out your logline sooner than later will absolutely help you market your project in the long run. Sure, in a query letter for a novel or screenplay you can write a little bit more than two sentences. Yes, at a certain point you’re going to need to come up with a way to pitch your project in a couple of sentences. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but some people stand by it. You don’t even have to have started it! I’ve heard famous authors say you should come up with the logline before you write a single word. You don’t have to be finished with your project yet. No Matter What Part of the Writing Process You’re In, Try to Boil Your Project Down to a Logline Do what you need to do to ensure that your latest writing project is attractive to your potential readers! Just get to the story, the main character, the dilemma. Notice that none of these three examples necessarily gives away the genre of the book, and so if the genre comes through in your pitch of the story, you likely don’t need to explicitly state it. “A popular girl has the opportunity to relive her last day over and over again to see if she can change her ways and alter her destiny.” (“Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver) ![]() ![]() “A boy grieving for his crush receives a box of tapes sent just before her suicide that implicates thirteen people in her death - and he’s one of them.” (“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher) “A kid with legendary bad luck must survive a juvenile detention camp’s secret agenda and unearth the truth about his family curse.” (“Holes” by Louis Sachar) Here are three samples of loglines from Kole’s book… And in as few words as possible, you should be able to get across your genre, who your main character is, the main set-up and conflict, and what the problem is for that character in reaching his or her goal. In two sentences or less, you should be able to tell another person what your book or script is about in a way that makes that person want to read it. The genre, the protagonist, the set-up, the problem or the hindrance to said goal.” “The logline is a sentence that delivers all the necessary information about a project. In her craft book “Writing Irresistible Kidlit,” author Mary Kole features a clear definition: That brief sentence or two that can make a world of difference in your writing career. Not only do you need to revise your novel or screenplay to the point where it’s ready to be queried, but you also have to often write a 1–2 page synopsis, which is a tedious process but necessary for most agents and editors.Īnd then, of course, there’s the logline. There’s a lot that you’re asked of as a writer, I know. Trying to figure out how to pitch this particular project has given me many a headache, especially since I’ve been working on it for two and a half years. It has two POV characters who only slightly intersect with each other until the very end of the narrative. I’m struggling with this right now actually with my MFA thesis novel. The worst thing you can do is spend a year or longer on your latest novel, and then discover there’s no clear way to market the thing in a concise way to the people who matter - literary agents and editors. In fact, the earlier you figure out your dynamic, electrifying pitch, the better. I just gave it everything I have, and now I have to find a way to pitch the thing in one to two sentences? You might think, I just put six months into this script or novel. This is especially the case if you write screenplays or novels, although figuring out a logline for your latest short story can be helpful, too.Ī logline can seem annoying at first. If you want to become a successful writer, it’s vital you learn how to write loglines.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |