The logline as a revision tool

What a logline is and how perfecting one can help you and your manuscript

A logline is a Hollywood term synonymous with “pitch” or “elevator line.”¹ The idea is that you, a person who is standing on a log in a river for some reason, describe (or pitch) your project to someone in the amount of time it takes for the log to roll under your feet (at which point, you fall into the water, and cannot pitch the person anymore).

Conciseness is paramount with log lining. Because your listener is pressed for time, you need to sum up everything important about your project in the quickest and sexiest and most marketable way you can. Here is an example of a logline I saw during a recent visit to Barnes & Noble (where I discovered that they file “essay collections” in the “fiction” section when I went to buy my buddy Nora McInerny’s memoir Bad Vibes Only. A curious filing system, and content for another post.)

From a recent visit of mine to Barnes & Noble

This Succession comparison is not technically a logline, it is a blurb from bestselling author Emma Straub for the novel in question, “Dava Shastri’s Last Day.”

But guess what? This blurb functions as a logline. It does everything a logline is supposed to do. And what, exactly, is that?

What is a logline, and what does a logline do?

A logline is a one-sentence summary of a creative project, often a film, but for our purposes, books. Loglines distill the important elements of your project into a clear, concise teaser where the reader can easily identify the following:

• main character

• setup

• central conflict

• antagonist

• title of book, if we’re talking about a book

Let’s look at an example of a classic logline that hits all these marks.

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.  (The Godfather)

• main character : Could be the aging patriarch, could be the reluctant son.

• setup: Family saga turned family feud. Botched transfer of power.

• central conflict: The intended heir of the family business doesn’t want the family biz.

• antagonist: The Mafia (but this is just on paper, if you read the book or saw the film, the antagonist is actually Michael Corleone- he is the enemy of himself).

This compelling story can be pitched in one sentence, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple. In actuality, The Godfather is an ultra sophisticated and nuanced story loglined into something that feels compelling and accessible to all, which makes it easier to pitch.

Here’s an example of a logline for a story that isn’t complex at all.