Craft Talk: The Five Components of a Great Logline
An Insightful Guest Post from Screenwriter and Novelist Olivia Barry
There are mystical aspects of writing, little tricks that some authors are able to do with their eyes closed, and some that leave us scratching our heads. For example, I’m excellent at titles but horrible at synopses. I can write on the fly, making up story as I go, but outlines give me hives. The 22 steps of John Truby’s THE ANATOMY OF STORY baffles me, but reading his new book THE ANATOMY OF GENRES was like slipping into my favorite jeans. We all have our strengths.
And then you have log lines. People, they are not my strength.
So when I deciphered the “What If” scenario, and Olivia commented, I asked her to come explain it to me, and to you. And she’s given a Masterclass below. So grab your notebook, and get ready to do some valuable story synthesis!
Take it away, Olivia…
After commenting on J.T. Ellison’s (@ The Creative Edge) blog posts on ‘What If’, she asked me if I wanted to write a post on what it takes to write a great logline. Of course, I would. 🤗 I wrote hundreds of loglines over many years while writing screenplays, and this assignment made me, in many ways, revisit my past. So, J.T. thank you for asking 😊. [[de rien, mon amie!]]
📚And if you haven’t yet, please check out The Creative Edge and J.T.’s so well-written and suspenseful novels.
And here we go:
The Importance of a Logline for Screenwriters and Novelists
A logline is the essence of an idea in a sentence or two. If you can, try to condense it into just one sentence. The ideal logline is no longer than 60 words.
And why is a logline so important?
You can pitch your idea at any time → see ELEVATOR PITCH.
🔖 An elevator pitch is usually 30 seconds or less long. The term is often used in Hollywood when writers have the fortune to get into the same elevator with a producer or agent. However, it isn’t that easy, it rarely works. Timing is everything when it comes to deliver a convincing pitch.
You get a sense if your idea is expandable enough to turn it into a novel or screenplay.
You can also figure out what component is missing before you begin outlining, or if you’re a pantser before actually writing your first draft.
🔖 A pantser is someone who writes by the pants of their seats, basically with no outline. Some pantsers work with a minimal outline.
🔖Most screenwriters are plotters, as in screenwriting a dense structure is required.
A powerful logline can save you time and give you some direction.
Personally, I work with a flexible outline. I outline all my screenplays and books, knowing that I will make changes on the way.
The 5 Components of a Great Logline
A logline, sometimes also called slugline, comprises 5 components.
1. The Protagonist ~ Who is your main character? Here, don’t go into detailed descriptions, instead choose one or two adjectives that form a clear picture.
🔖 You want the person who hears or reads your logline to be able to visualize it. Super important!
2. The Setting ~ Think about what makes your setting unique. Why would a reader be attracted to that world? Once again, use only a few words to describe it.
3. The Inciting Incident ~ An inciting incident is when your protagonist is propelled to take action. Something unplanned happened in her or his life to act.
4. The Main Conflict ~ What is the major conflict of your story? In short, what is your story really about?
🔖 This one is complicated but also essential. If you have difficulties coming up with a main conflict, that’s a clear sign that your story might not work. Or, you must make significant changes to make it work.
5. The Protagonist’s Goal ~ What does he or she want to achieve by the end of the story?
Here you can describe just the external goal or the external and internal goal.
The external goal comes usually from an outside force or another character. He/She could face an earthquake or a villain who challenges the protagonist’s values.
The internal goal is an internal struggle the character wants to overcome. The protagonist has to face his/her fear of heights, or she/he needs to learn to speak up.
These are just a few possibilities among hundreds.
Sample Loglines Explained
These are loglines I used to sell some of my work:
✍️ The day ambitious Catherine Hunter is sworn in to become the first female president of the United States, she thought she had it all figured out. But her victory lasts about a second when she finds out she’s pregnant. Now she not only has to run a country but also learn how to be a single mother.
The Protagonist: Catherine Hunter (by the way, you don’t always have to use a name, I just thought it makes sense here). I used the word ambitious to describe her.
The Setting: The White House
The Inciting Incident: She finds out she’s pregnant.
The Main Conflict: To be the first female US president and also an unmarried mother.
The Goal: To become a powerful president and a good mother.
✍️ Impulsive Lil McLean, a struggling business student, bids a million dollars for a romantic dinner with the charismatic heir to a fortune at a high-society charity auction. Her plan to make him fall in love with her and pay for the dinner backfires when she learns that he's broke.
The Protagonist: An impulsive and struggling business student.
The Setting: New York City, and the world of high-society.
The Inciting Incident: She bids money that she doesn’t have.
The Main Conflict: Her plan shatters when she finds out that he has no money.
The Goal:
External Goal ~ To find a way to pay for the dinner.
Internal Goal ~ To be less impulsive and more honest.
✍️ To come to terms with his father's death, seventeen-year-old Billy—obese and misunderstood—trains, with the help of his wheelchair-bound friend, to run the New York City Marathon.
The Protagonist: Seventeen-year-old Billy, obese and misunderstood. (Note that I included the age of the protagonist only because it’s important to the story.)
The Setting: New York City
The Inciting Incident: Note the Inciting Incident is not entirely clear here. It could be his father’s death, but doesn’t have to be. I thought it wasn’t necessary to add more to this logline. We know exactly what the story will be about.
The Main Conflict: An obese kid who wants to run a marathon and is coached by a kid in a wheelchair.
The Goal:
External Goal ~ Run the New York City Marathon.
Internal Goal ~ To come to terms with his father’s death.
✍️ After a horrific accident, which caused a prominent and self-absorbed journalist the temporary loss of his memory, he returns from the Brazilian rain forest back to L.A. in search of his identity, not knowing that his fiancée has found a new life in the arms of his best friend.
The Protagonist: Prominent and self-absorbed journalist. (Note I don’t use his name here.)
The Setting: Brazilian rain forest and Los Angeles.
The Inciting Incident: The accident/memory loss.
The Main Conflict: How to find out who he is without his memory.
The Goal: Find his identity. And later regain the love of his fiancée.
✍️ After receiving devastating news, Liz Taite is on a mission to live her life to the fullest and without regrets. She leaves her cheating husband and moves cross-country, and by doing so, an unexpected world opens up for her. Fascinating people enter her life and she’s led to a magical house with a history. (Three sentences 🤫 and 54 words.)
The Protagonist: This one is slightly different, as I say little about Liz’s character. Still, we get a sense that she’s a determined and courageous woman.
The Setting: New York City/Los Angeles
The Inciting Incident: The devastating news prompts her to step into action.
The Main Conflict: To adapt to a new environment and be open to what life has to offer.
The Goal: Live a life with no regrets. And what doesn’t come through in the logline is that she wants to find a new home, and with that security.
🔖 Please note:
A tagline is a catchy phrase used to promote a book or movie, while a logline is a brief summary of a written word.
A great logline will help you write your synopsis.
And finally, here is a little tip. Write a one-page synopsis before you work on your novel or screenplay. It’s so much easier to write a synopsis early on and then tweak it, instead of having to summarize a 350-page book in one page.
JT here.
Mind. Blown. Thank you so much for this, Olivia! I will be using your advice to craft the loglines of my next two stories in a future post.
We’d love to see your loglines in the comments!