THE STORY SPOT

One of our most beloved Story Spot readers sent in a question about query letters that many of you–whatever form your work takes–may find helpful (let us know if you do!) Mote writes:

A friend of mine is thinking about approaching some specialty production companies with a script he’s working on — when it’s finished. I told him, if it were me, I’d include a logline and tell them a little bit about myself, my background, and my writing experience — as well as talk about the script itself. He’s doing some research on production companies, but it would basically be a “cold call” situation. He wants to send query letters to these companies to see if they have any interest in reading his script before sending them an actual copy of it. Do you have any examples of a query letter or do you know of any on the web?

Ah, the query. Ken’s advice to his friend is sound*. For those of you new to the query letter, here’s the deal. A query letter is one standard, industry-accepted method to introduce yourself and your project to a potential development or production partner. Queries are one part of your overall pitch package for your project.

Read on »

Loglines are hard. It’s true. Creating those snappy compressed bites of your story can feel more draining than writing the entire story itself. No one said they were easy but they are essential. Here are a few tips on how to create a great logline for your story.

1. Start with one page. Get out a blank sheet and challenge yourself to say all you can about your story on that single page. If it’s your first try, this will seem impossible but be assured it is not. Try to ignore that naysaying voice on your shoulder and just write. Start with the opening. Jump to the ending. Then insert the middle as best as you can. Write as if you are speaking to a friend you’ve met unexpectedly on the sidewalk. In fact, talking it out often helps. You’ll fill that page in no time. Once you’ve reached the end of paper/screen, stop. Resist the urge to continue writing. Now is the time to find out what can be sacrificed in order to get all of what you want to say to fit on that single sheet of paper.
2. Once you have your page, notice what you had to leave out in order to make the story seem complete within your constraints. You probably lost entire subplots and characters that, while  are important to the whole work, didn’t enhance the shortened version. Being able to identify these aspects is a good skill to develop. A very, very good skill.
3. Read through your single page to find even more opportunities to trim. The goal now is to cut what you’ve written by half. By now, you’ve eliminated characters and sequences of events. Now is the time to go for verbiage. For example, you might want to shorten, “In the sleepy little farm town known as Marcus, Iowa” to simply, “In Marcus, Iowa,” or “In Iowa.” Be ruthless with your red lines; do what you must but KEEP THE FLAVOUR in your effort to employ fewer words. Remember: a lifeless, generic summary is NOT the goal. Keep what makes your story yours. (At this point, you’re probably retching from performing the unholy opposite of creative expression but remember that this is only a tool to get your real story into readers’ hands. To that end, the more concisely you can render the whole, the better.)
4. Getting shorter still. Put your red-lined page aside and start fresh with a new sheet. Rewrite your edited synopsis and marvel at how you’ve managed to tell your story in a way that retains its meaning and still makes sense in 500 words or so.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you have a single paragraph of approximately 100 words that introduces your main character, the setting of your story, the main conflict your character faces and also conveys the beginning, middle, and end of your piece. If you need a refresher, read “The Logline: Your New Best Friend” for more details on your endgame.

Finished? Good work. Now go make yourself a cocktail to celebrate the blood, sweat, and tears shed in condensing your much-loved and hard-wrought tale into a reduction of its glorious self because now you are able to tell anyone about your story, have them understand the broad strokes without their eyes glazing over, then bask as they beg mercilessly to read the entire thing. Congratulations.

Photo credit: westsidecreations

One of the best ways to capture a burning idea, shape a new story, check your premise as you work, and formulate a pitch is through the use of a logline.

What is it? Glad you asked.
Read on »

We spend so much time working to perfect our stories, we often neglect a great little tool: The Outline.

With its partners, treatments and pitches, the outline is not only a compact way to communicate your premise but also a great way to rein in the sprawl of your thinking and focus on the key elements in your and your writing partners’ stories.

Don’t panic. Outlines, as a pre-writing tool, are not for everyone, it’s true. But when you’ve finished a draft and are reasonably confident about the content of your screenplay, novel, memoir, or other long-format work, creating an after-the-fact outline can confirm your hunches and get you on the road to completing the project just a bit faster.

So what goes into these mini versions of your work? Definitions vary across industries but here are some general guidelines: Read on »

Here’s a good giggle. Literary agent Sharlene Martin posts this sample of truly pathetic query letters she’s received (sorry, there simply is no better word). The desperation is palpable, people.

(Scroll down on her page to view)
Query Madness, Writers’ Digest, Nov-Dec 2007

Okay, snarkiness aside, I can see how many of these folks might have thought they would win her over–cut through all the earnest wannabes–with their wit and self-deprecating manner but please! Can an agent sell self-pity? Give people something to work with.

My favourite?

We have written a “self-help” book. It actually is more than just self-help because it helps others also.

Great. I can see the bidders lining up for that one.