Writing, promotion, tips, and opinion. Pour a cuppa your favorite poison and join in.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Twitter Pitches: Hell or Helpful?

Image Credit: NASA/SDO, AIA
Describe your 400-page manuscript in less than 140 characters.

I’ll give you a hint. It’s the same answer to ‘What is your novel about?’

Twitter pitches - or loglines - are both approximately the same length, under 30 words. To summarize your novel in so few words and make it interesting is the mark of a good writer. How to keep them legible, informative, and grammatically correct is the bug in the pudding.

Every logline needs the following:
  • Genre
  • Main Character
  • Conflict
  • Consequence.

Piece of cake, right? Eh, not so much.
This week is part Fun and part Submission.
  1. In the Comments section, write a logline/twitter pitch for a famous book or movie without revealing the name. 
  2. Submit your WIP’s logline to beccoff(at)nwmo(dot)com and I’ll post them for review.

To start the creative juices flowing, here is a twitter pitch for a famous book:

In the 1950’s, summer ends with six-year-old Jean’s introduction to racism when her lawyer father defends a black man in the Deep South.
What is the name of the book?

Remember; send the logline for YOUR wip to the above address for posting.
Use comment section on this post for a famous book or movie.

24 comments:

mshatch said...

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - I assume Jean is Scout's real name :)

Anonymous said...

I've tried this and its hard. So I've been using short quotes from people who leave reviews for my books. This seems to work a bit better.

Patchi said...

Thanks for attacking loglines this week!

Here is a favorite of mine:
True love is tested by the perils of betrothal, pirates, kidnapping, sword fights and some kissing.

Huntress said...

Her nickname makes it too easy. Everyone would guess it.
Oh, wait...hm.

Huntress said...

HA! One of my favorites.

Pirates. Dead Man's Chest.

Huntress said...

I find it incredible that I can't summarize in 30 words a story I've lived with for months.

Part of the reason is akin to having my nose pressed against the mirror. No way can I see the whole image.

Like you said, using quotes from other people is a great way to go. They have a truer perspective than ours.

Ellie Garratt said...

I need to do this for my WIP. Thanks for the advice!

Ink in the Book said...

and i thought queries were hard....*sticks tongue out at said logline*

Patchi said...

I guess I was too vague... That's not the movie I was thinking about. I think I need to add "chocolate-coated miracles" to that list.

Huntress said...

*scratching head*
Ya got me beat.

Followers??

Huntress said...

If I didn't know how to cuss already, composing loglines and queries would begin the process.

Alicia Willette-Cook said...

You want Elves? We got Elves! Hobbits? Yup! Epic journeys to throw a ring into a burning pit of hell saving the world from unimaginable evil? Oh yes. And Dragons...

mshatch said...

Wait, I know this one...

Liz A. said...

When's the deadline for submitting pitches? I can't get to that today, but I should try it.

Huntress said...

You have plenty of time. All week.

Huntress said...

tip of my tongue. um, um...

Alicia Willette-Cook said...

Winnie the Pooh! eheheheheheheh

Alicia Willette-Cook said...

Princess Bride?

Nana Prah said...

I think it's very well described and interesting.I got it right away.

Anonymous said...

Great tips I like the idea of this.

To Kill A Mocking Bird?

Patchi said...

Yes!

Brooke R. Busse said...

Someone explain to me how it is Winnie the Pooh? 0-0 Or is this a joke I'm not getting because I was totally thinking Lord of the Rings. But maybe that's the point... -hides head in shame-

Huntress said...

FOTFLMAO

How to Train Your Dragon! *oh crap. No pirates*

Star Wars! *grrr. No dragons. darn, I thought I had it*

Huntress said...

Too easy I know.