# **Loglines, aka, your characters one-line intro.** --- ### **What is a logline?** A logline is a one-sentence summary or description of a story. Loglines distill the important elements of your story—main character, setup, central conflict, antagonist—into a clear, concise teaser. The goal is to write a logline so enticing that it hooks the listener into reading the entire story. A logline is not a tagline. A good logline is under 30 words.  ### **Components of a logline are:** [protagonist] + [inciting incident] + [protagonist’s goal] + [central conflict] Ex; When the gods curse a young paladin, he must slay the serpent terror, before it becomes unstoppable.   When writing a logline, make the narrative clear, but with no ending. Use active and visual language. Don’t use “The Hero thinks they…” instead use “The hero struggles with…”. Lean into irony when writing. An unlikely hero, or flawed character reads better in a logline than a pristine hero. 1. Identify the protagonist. List all of your heroes history and physical information. Then select the strongest adjective and proper noun combination that represents who they are. Some examples of strong combinations for your protagonist description include “cheerful paladin,” “elitist monk,” or “depressed wizard.” 2. Describe the inciting incident. The “call to adventure” or “catalyst.” Now that you know who your hero is, what is the thing that blows your life apart? Is it a death in the family? A visit from an old friend? Summarize the inciting incident in a few words like “when her mom dies” or “after becoming a knight.” 3. Highlight your hero’s goal. The hero's goal is the primary motivation for the rest of the action. In the logline, outline what the hero wants or needs with a few quick words. This aligns the story with the character's goals, and creates a level of investment and empathy when obstacles stand in the character's way. Goals can range from a character wanting to kill their nemesis to wanting to find her birth father or reversing the zombie outbreak. 4. Create a compelling central conflict. Write down a list of possible obstacles that will get in the way of your character achieving his or her goal. These antagonistic forces can be people, they can be ideological hurdles, they can be legitimate physical obstacles. Is your character’s journey going to be difficult because there’s a storm out? Select the conflict with the highest stakes (but make sure it still makes sense in your story). Describes this conflict in a few words, like “treacherous journey” or “before the ship sinks.” **Examples:** The nephew of a prominent crime family joins a protectorate order of knights to make his own way in life, but the family business has other ideas. An orphan discovers a talent for magic and joins an ancient order to become the most accomplished mage that ever lived, but magic is dying.  A young woman lies about her ancestral journey and now has to fulfill a prophecy, but she isn’t destined for it.  A gifted street urchin is given the opportunity of a lifetime to train as an incredible warrior, she now has the chance to lift her family out of squalor, but her family has a debt that can’t be paid with coin.