What’s your story about? Do you know?
If you don’t, you have a problem.
If you can’t explain what it’s about clearly and concisely, how can you expect your story be clear and concise, or even interesting?
Aim for under 25 words. Better yet, see if you can do it in 15.
Impossible, I hear you say!
Of course not – but we’re talking broad strokes, not detail. Any longer than 25 words, and your ‘audience’ is going to go to sleep. You need to interest them – not fill in the gaps. Overview stuff.
Example: “It’s about a girl from another universe who falls in love with a human boy despite herself.” Not very specific, but better than trying to dump all the details at once. A teaser, nothing more.
Still, its a little vague and not particularly informative. Too broad, perhaps.
How about: “A warrior princess from another universe falls for a human boy while hunting the shapechanger that murdered her parents.” Far more specific, yet still less than twenty words. If they’re interested – they’ll ask for more details.
It also gives a pretty solid impression of the genre and audience.
So, how do you go about it?
Break it into four parts:
- Part 1 – Who the story’s about. Don’t name them, but describe them. ie, A Warrior Princess.
- Part 2 – What they want. Ie, revenge – she’s hunting her parents’ killer.
- Part 3 – What’s standing in their way. In this case, the shapechanger AND the love interest.
- Part 4 – Show the irony in the situation (or the hook). Ie, While seeking revenge, she instead falls in love.
Those parts don’t necessarily have to be in order, but they do have to be there.
If you can do this for each story you write, you’ll not only produce a stronger, tighter story, you’ll also have a better shot at selling it.