In film, producers often use loglines to discuss the content of a film. A logline is a summary of the dramatic narrative in a story that makes it easier to encapsulate the idea and sell it. Basically, a logline is the core essence of your story in 25 words or less—the shortest form of narrative summary.
Writing a logline is not easy, but it is invaluable. The ability to summarize your story to hook an agent, producer or reader is a skill you need to learn. So what is the core of your story? How would you summarize it in 25 words or less?
One of the shortest loglines I’ve heard of was six tiny words. The story is that producers sold the screenplay with seven words and no script. I’m not entirely sure this really happened, but it is plausible, there are other projects that have sold on loglines alone. The screenplay? Lake Placid. The logline: Jaws in a lake with a crocodile.
Most loglines are longer than that and a bit more convoluted. The trick is to streamline the story to the barest elements—protagonist, antagonist, protagonist’s goal, the situation, obstacles. It’s not easy to do, so start big. As every writer knows, it’s easier to write long than short.
Start by creating a one-page summary of your story. Then edit it down to an elevator speech—a 1-2 minute summary you can use in a quick pitch session. This is about being concise while ruthlessly cutting out everything but the essential points of the story.
In college, our theater department did five-minute Shakespearean plays followed by a one-minute encore. It was fun, light-hearted and a master class in distilling story down to its key points. There is nothing like seeing Hamlet performed in five minutes to teach summary skills.
Let’s start with a quick definition: A summary is a longer overview of plot and character. It can run 1-2 pages and cover the main plot points. It should come after you have written the large piece. Think of it as a short, short story more than a summary. You still need to hook your reader (in this case, an agent, editor or producer) and keep them engaged until the end. Emotion matters. If you don’t make them care, they are unlikely to pursue the longer form.
The point of a summary is to entice the agent or editor with your idea and leave them wanting more—not by leaving things out, but by creating the framework of a great story that makes them need more detail. Let them become infatuated with your story so they want to spend time in your world and with the people you have created. Love comes later in the process.
The trick to writing a great summary is to know your story intimately. Analyze every aspect of your story, looking for overarching themes and arcs. You should know these already from your plotting, but review your finished work because it can change from the planning stage through edits. Often you will find themes and symbolism after you finish because they get woven into the story without conscious thought.
Once you have your summary, you can begin distilling it down to your elevator pitch and logline. But those aren’t the only things you need to prepare for a pitch. You’ll also need to be able to answer the following questions about your story:
What’s the point?
How does this story matter to you?
What do you want your readers to take away from the story?
What are you trying to say beyond your characters and plot?
Now you don’t want to preach, but you do need to show your passion for the subject, theme and story and know your purpose in telling this particular story. Figure out what connects you to the work. All of these factors will help you in a pitch situation (more on that subject in future blogs), but they also will help you create a better story and identify issues in your current one.
I like loglines because they make me focus on the heart of the story and because they give me something to say when I am inevitably asked, “What’s your story about?”