{"id":23091,"date":"2020-06-02T03:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T10:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=23091"},"modified":"2020-05-29T09:27:38","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T16:27:38","slug":"the-secret-to-building-a-one-sentence-pitch-by-patricia-simpson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/02\/the-secret-to-building-a-one-sentence-pitch-by-patricia-simpson\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret to Building a One-Sentence Pitch by Patricia Simpson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist, Patricia Simpson<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cThe Secret to Building a One-Sentence Pitch.\u201d Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Writers use one-sentence pitches for just about everything:<\/strong> query letters, hooks, book summaries, back blurbs and for pitching ideas to editors and agents. We can also use the pitch to guide us as we write our novels. Creating your pitch statement before you start writing a book can become <\/span>your secret weapon.<\/b><\/p>\n

But writing the one-sentence pitch is the most difficult task a writer faces. How do we coalesce the soul of our book into a few words? There is so much going on in our novel. So much to say. How do we refine our thoughts and drill down to the nitty-gritty of our story?<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>One-Sentence Pitch is A Formula\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Well, I have a formula. Yes, a formula. It\u2019s like Mad Libs. You fill in the blanks with words of your choosing and then refine the statement until you are satisfied with the outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use the Mad Libs Approach to Create Your Pitch<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the basic statement we will start out with:<\/span><\/p>\n

When (<\/b>hypothetical situation<\/i><\/b>), then the only way (<\/b>main character<\/i><\/b>) can (<\/b>issue<\/i><\/b>) is to (<\/b>assumption<\/i><\/b>).<\/b><\/p>\n

The next step in building a one-sentence pitch is to replace the italicized words above with your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Choose a phrase for the hypothetical situation in your book.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

This is the situation at the beginning of your story that will change the life of your main character forever. Here\u2019s an example from my new series, <\/span>The Londo Chronicles<\/span><\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypothetical situation:<\/b> the world is blanketed by a nuclear winter<\/span><\/p>\n

2. What is your main character\u2019s name?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Since I\u2019m writing a pitch for a series, I\u2019m going to use a collective noun, not the name of the main character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Name<\/b>: London vampires<\/span><\/p>\n

3. What is the issue you are writing about?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

All great books are created by writers who have something to say. Books aren\u2019t just about plot and characters and action scenes. Books are about people facing a tough issue and making a tough moral decision about the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Examples of issues are:<\/b><\/p>\n