On the verge of recovering from his wife and parents’ deaths, a talented but troubled ghostwriter finds evidence of a murder hidden in his client’s notes. Here’s an early logline from one of my works in progress:
On the verge of a divorce, a bullheaded street-smart cop is trapped in his wife’s office building by terrorists and teams up with a “desk cop” patrolman to thwart them but when he taunts the terrorists, and risks exposing his hostage wife’s identity, he must learn to adapt to change to outsmart the leader and stop what are really thieves from getting away with a billion-dollar heist. In Save The Cat! Strikes Back, Snyder provided this example: of, a has a and with the but when the happens, she must learn the, before, to defeat the from getting away with her plan. Here’s my version of Snyder’s template, which I tweaked by adding where to place Global Story Beats: (marked in red): My favorite comes from Blake Snyder, author of Save The Cat! Strikes Back. Hook (i.e., the wording grabs the target audience’s attention)Īn internet search will net you templates for constructing loglines.Story (i.e., the narrative enables people to envision the entire story).Irony (e.g., Nemo’s dad has to face what he fears to save his son).Goal (e.g., the hero’s want conflicts with need).Core Conflict (i.e., a problem big enough to sustain audience interest).Antagonist Type (e.g., a “jealous” lover).Protagonist Type (e.g., a “childless” couple).
How to Write a Loglineįocus on constructing a sentence or two that will produce the tell-me-more response. Key Principles: Logline word choices and writing styles generate visions and emotions in audiences, and should elicit a tell-me-more response. Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again. In my search for logline examples, I came across Rick Polito’s 1998 upside-down interpretation of the logline for the Wizard of Oz: After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.When a little fish gets kidnapped by humans, it must break out of the aquarium and find his way back to its parents.(Source: ) * Note: It’s ironic the hero must do what he fears the most to save his son. A fish must trek across the thing he fears* most, the open ocean, in order to find his kidnapped son before he becomes fish bait.(Source: ) * Note: It’s ironic “a loving father” would enter the deadly world of drugs for cash, yet it’s the irony that captivates viewers.įor instance, look at the differences in these loglines for Finding Nemo: A terminal diagnosis leads a cash-strapped, loving father* to the hostile world of illicit drug manufacture and its deadly associations.A chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal lung cancer teams up with his former student to cook and sell crystal meth in order to provide for his family, his wife, disabled son, and newborn.A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing methamphetamine in order to secure his family’s future.
For example, I found these loglines for the Breaking Bad TV series: Principles (Not Rules) Drive the Logline’s StructureĪsk writers to create loglines for the same story, the differences might surprise you. The style and word choices grab attention, making people want to know more. What is a Logline?Ī logline is a one-to-two-sentence summary, enabling your target audience to envision the entire story. With examples, I’ll show you how to write a logline for your novel. A story’s premise guides a writer strategically, and a logline interests an audience emotionally.