Loglines – What DoThey Do for You?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author

Day 12:   

What in the world is a logline?  A one or two sentence description of what your story is about. Think of it like a five-second sales pitch.

What Does it Do for You? A well-written logline enables you to answer without any hesitation the question, What is your story about?

In addition, it helps you, the author, stay on track and spot problems within the story structure.

Essential elements of a logline:WritingLoglines

  1. The protagonist
  2. The end goal
  3. The stakes

These elements are critical to include, but be concise and use phrasing that creates interest and hooks the reader.

Here’s an  example from my current work in progress: (Be kind, I’m still toying with it)

When Bostonian Claire Nelson (protagonist) is called home after sixteen years to care for her estranged mother (goal), the secrets of her past reveal a darker betrayal (stakes) and she forced make a choice (goal).

Have you written your logline? To learn more check out: How and Why to Write a Logline for Your Story by Becca Puglisi

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

19 thoughts on “Loglines – What DoThey Do for You?”

  4. Loved this post!! Thank you. I’d never heard of logline – just a ‘pitch’. Liking logline much better and with your example (brilliant by the way), I’m going to start practising writing them.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. These are tough to write! I always have the most difficult time answering the question “What is your story about?” without giving too much away, but wanting to keep in the essentials. I’ve gotten much better at discussing my story in person now than I was last year, and the years before when I was editing, but it’s certainly never easy. Having a logline up front would have been a big help 🙂

    Julianne
    Ink & Stitches – http://blog.jhwinter.com

    Liked by 1 person

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