As aspiring authors, we have nightmares about the golden opportunity. You’re at a conference. You enter the elevator at the hotel. There in the elevator is your dream agent (or editor, or publicist), and they smile and ask about your book. You blink, your brain goes dead, you stammer and fumble over your words, and get sidetracked in the setting. Then the elevator dings, doors open, they smile, say “Nice,” then walk away leaving you hanging mid-sentence. You blew it! Nightmare.
The notorious ‘Elevator Pitch’ has haunted writers for decades. How can you sum up your entire book in just a few sentences that succeeds in introducing the character, telling the storyline – internal and external, hooking the listener (or reader), and leaving them wanting more? It sounds horribly daunting.
It isn’t.
What is a Logline?
Creating a logline for your story is a vital bit for your marketing toolbox. A logline is only a few sentences long, but you’ll use the information you glean from its creation in multiple marketing opportunities, including the elevator.
Creating a logline for your story is the ultimate summarizing experience. You take everything, sift out what’s important, sift again for what matters, then chop that into tiny pieces and grab a speck of each. That’s a logline. Two to three sentences of pure story, that just happens to include it all and spark interest too.
Whew.
Can’t I just get someone else to do that for me?
You can, but you’d miss out on some vital learning. The process of crafting a logline makes you deeply analyze your story in a way that won’t happen otherwise. It helps you streamline your own thinking. This process is probably more valuable than the logline itself.
How to Write a Logline
Writing your logline isn’t as scary as it sounds. As an editor, there are specific elements I look for in a short pitch, so I created a ‘fill-in-the-blank’ formula that will bring you strong results every time. This formula is easy to follow, adds tidbits of character and tone, and even shows tension. It includes all the pieces you need to feel confident when you push the elevator button.
Here’s the formula: When (Protagonist)(Beginning of Story), he (Earth Shaking Event). If he does/doesn’t (Goal/Think Need), he will (Stakes).
If it looks like calculus, don’t worry. I created a video where I walk you through each part of this formula. I teach you the steps for analyzing your story to pull out the needed pieces, and I give you some examples too.
Click here to access the video Crafting a Strong Logline Pitch.
If you’re like me, you need to write things down to really wrap your head around them. This downloadable PDF Logline Creation Worksheet will guide you as you work through this process for your own story.
Identifying the elements that matter most in your story, and then presenting them in a way that leaves the reader wanting more is the goal of a well written logline. The process is a great exercise for any writer, and you come out the other end with a beautiful logline too.
You can even start riding in elevators again.