Logline from a great synopsis
Many of us struggle with this one. How do you take an 80k word manuscript and condense it down into one sentence? I know last year, I couldn't even do it in one paragraph. But, I've been practicing!
Here is my logline for JUST FOR KICKS:
A rebellious orphan will go from snarky to Clarky when she discovers she is a superhero.
So, how did I get this?
I started off with the basic sloppy synopsis. This consisted of random rambling, too much information, not enough of the plot - you get the drift. And then I edited. Yeah, I know, crazy right? You have to EDIT a synopsis! Who knew? :P
Anything that was not important I cut. Do we need to know the friends' name? The fact that she can fly? Do we need to tell the reader all the cool things about our MC? No. The answer is simply no. So, I cut anything non-essential to the plot.
Next, I went through and added in things I forgot. Oh! I forgot to put how she found out she was a superhero! Stuff like that. Then, I cut more. I know, you're thinking: how can she cut more just after adding in details? Well, because once you add those details in, you probably put more junk in their too.
Now, read it. Is it all in once tense? Does it flow smoothly? If not, change it. Once it sounds good and rolls off the tongue then you are almost done. Now, you need to condense this down to three sentences. It's actually easier to work form the bottom up. Don't give me that look. Trust me, once you can put your book into one sentence, three should seem like a breeze.
All you need in a logline is the very basic elements, with some flair. Who, what, why, how. Skip the when and where. An agent should be able to tell the time period from your synopsis without you having to tell them. Where? Well, they can find out when the read a full or partial. The how can be left out, depending on how you write your logline. Mine for example has no 'how'. I have the who and what, really I don't even have a why, I do have a cause and effect thing working though.
Once you have a logline, you can now build to having three sentences. Add that where, when, and how in now. And don't be afraid to rewrite it.
So, as you can see it's very versatile, but you still need to skim. The best way to add flair and give you logline life is too write it the same way you wrote your book. You need to have that same sense of voice in your synopsis AND your query letter. But, that is another post entirely.
Here is my logline for JUST FOR KICKS:
A rebellious orphan will go from snarky to Clarky when she discovers she is a superhero.
So, how did I get this?
I started off with the basic sloppy synopsis. This consisted of random rambling, too much information, not enough of the plot - you get the drift. And then I edited. Yeah, I know, crazy right? You have to EDIT a synopsis! Who knew? :P
Anything that was not important I cut. Do we need to know the friends' name? The fact that she can fly? Do we need to tell the reader all the cool things about our MC? No. The answer is simply no. So, I cut anything non-essential to the plot.
Next, I went through and added in things I forgot. Oh! I forgot to put how she found out she was a superhero! Stuff like that. Then, I cut more. I know, you're thinking: how can she cut more just after adding in details? Well, because once you add those details in, you probably put more junk in their too.
Now, read it. Is it all in once tense? Does it flow smoothly? If not, change it. Once it sounds good and rolls off the tongue then you are almost done. Now, you need to condense this down to three sentences. It's actually easier to work form the bottom up. Don't give me that look. Trust me, once you can put your book into one sentence, three should seem like a breeze.
All you need in a logline is the very basic elements, with some flair. Who, what, why, how. Skip the when and where. An agent should be able to tell the time period from your synopsis without you having to tell them. Where? Well, they can find out when the read a full or partial. The how can be left out, depending on how you write your logline. Mine for example has no 'how'. I have the who and what, really I don't even have a why, I do have a cause and effect thing working though.
Once you have a logline, you can now build to having three sentences. Add that where, when, and how in now. And don't be afraid to rewrite it.
So, as you can see it's very versatile, but you still need to skim. The best way to add flair and give you logline life is too write it the same way you wrote your book. You need to have that same sense of voice in your synopsis AND your query letter. But, that is another post entirely.
No comments have been added yet.
