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If you were in an elevator with your dream agent and you had one shot to pitch your story before the elevator door opens, how would you summarize your story in one sentence? Your one sentence pitch is called a logline.


The term, "logline" is borrowed from the movies, but many agents appreciate loglines because a logline lets them know immediately where you're going with your story.


Here's an example for the movie, Little Miss Sunshine. 

Logline:  A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.


 If you've seen the movie you know this logline works because it sums up the entire story in this succinct one sentence. If you haven't seen it, rent it. It's hilarious.


So here's what to think about to write a killer logline for your story:

  1. THE WHO: Your protagonist & antagonist.

  2. THE WHAT: The problem that pushes the protagonist into action.

  3. THE WHERE: The time / place / setting of your story.

  4. THE HOW: The central conflict the protagonist must overcome.

  5. THE WHY: The goal the protagonist hopes to achieve.


If you look at the logline for Little Miss Sunshine again, you'll see it answers those 5 questions in that one sentence. That's what you want your pitch to do.


A good logline can help you expound on your story too, while keeping its heart at the forefront. Master the logline. It's the key to a great pitch.

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I admit I am unabashedly, unequivically, a word nerd. I read the dictionary as a kid for fun. I would pick out a word, learn its meaning, and add it to my vocabulary. Suddenly people weren't "friendly", they were "amiable". Things weren't "confusing". They were"perplexing".


Words are the tools of writers. If we're not careful, our love of language will overshadow the message we want to convey to readers. Remember, the idea is to communicate effectually, not to show-off an above-average vocabulary.


The late William Zinsser said it best: "Words are expensive. Good writing is cheap!"

Whenever I catch myself drowning in the verbose, I remember this quote from his great book, On Writing Well.


I have three copies of the classic. One copy is riddled with highlights and notes in the margins. The second copy is filled with, still, more highlights. The third copy is a pristine copy of the 30th edition. A must-have book in any serious writer's arsenal, I learned more from William Zinsser about the craft of writing than from any other resource on the subject.


9 years since his passing, this blog is an homage to William Zinsser and On Writing Well.

It is for teachers, unsung and underpaid, who nurtured my love of language. It is for their lessons well taught and well learned.


I remember one of my elementary school teachers had a small plaque on her desk that read: If you can read this, thank a teacher. So, here and now, I do.


"Thank you."




Zinsser, W. (2006). On Writing Well (30th ed.). HarperCollins.

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History shows us again and again words are powerful. Words can inspire good. Words can inspire evil. Words can heal. Words can encourage. Words can edify. Words can tear down. Words can build up.


Words have spawned revolutions. Words have birthed, movements, nations, religions-and when put to music- formed the collective soundtrack of our human existence.


Learning to wield words succinctly is a skill with broad applications. A skilled wordsmith may be afforded employment opportunities across many diverse disciplines-just as varied-the salaries.


Of course, employment and a living wage is important. As I write this, I am currently unemployed thanks to the pandemic that still seems to have overarching affects and effects on my life.


But if I am to be honest, employment and finances are not what drives me. Hard to believe? It is true. What drives me is a genuine love for the written word and the art of communicating effectively and affectively with another human being.


This is what motivates me. Good writing moves people emotionally and physically. There is nothing more satisfying than watching someone be moved by your prose. There is no more powerful connection.

I feel most alive when I write. To truly know me, read what I write. I am most authentically me when I write. I do not write because I want to-I have to. Writing is breathing to me. The moment I stop, I die.


I love the entire writing process. Words are this writer's muse. A blank page in my journal teems with possibility. Excitement brews as I write the first words.


Feverishly now more words come. They fill up another blank page. They are soon scrapped and crossed out by my red pen.


I cannot help but smile as I edit. I mold and shape words like a sculptor molds clay or like a painter transforms a canvas. Then, I sigh and mumble to myself, "This is the life."

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