Writing a good logline is critical for pitching editors, agents, film/TV producers or just about anyone. By developing a logline, you also stand to gain a better understanding of your own story and what you are trying to portray. There are over a million “formulas” out there for writing a logline, but this article will concentrate on only one structure.
The source of this information would be from a webinar hosted by Reedsy on Youtube. The guest is Jeff — a professional editor.
To start with, let me make it clear that there is a difference between a hook and a logline. Often, they are confused with being one and the same, but they are not.
A logline is defined as a brief summary of your story that states the central conflict, often providing both a synopsis of the plot and an emotional “hook” to stimulate interest.
A hook, on the other hand, is a short sentence that grasps your listener’s attention.
While building/creating your story before the writing process, you need to set up a few things beforehand. The ideal approach to take while setting the environment and materials for your writing are:
- Write the Premise
- Write the Logline
- Write the Hook
- Outline the entirety of the story
- Start to write the story
In my opinion, however, I would go with outlining your story first (at least a rough draft of it). Write down your ending and main points that would make your story so you can go back to it, and edit as necessary. Then start with the premise before writing the logline, hook, and the story.
Afterwards, set everything as below to better guide your writing, publishing and sharing of information.
Hook
↓
Logline
↓
Premise
↓
Outline
↓
Story
Now, how to develop your logline?
Based on Jeff’s instruction on the Reedsy Youtube Video, the structure is simple. And the order to which to follow each steps can be mess with.
Logline structure/order:
- World
- Protagonist (never name)
- Moral problem (also, how they feel about that situation)
- Goal or challenge
- Opponent (needs to be personified)
- Choice or Decision
- Action
I personally tried out the logline structure, and I got to say the result I got was amazing. It even helped me have a clearer image of what my story is about.
I’ll use 2 of my own work to depict how the logline structure works.
Example 1:
PREMISE:
‘There’s a Pleasure in Pain’ … Renowned Cognitive Behavioural Psychologist, Dr Angelica Buar, soon learns this while working in partnership with Detective Storm Ives in the State Law Enforcement Special Branch.
What is Affair Of The Heart about (My own personal touch on this one only):
It’s about a doctor and a divorced mother working with the state law enforcement and discovers her partner, the detective she likes is a dominant and she must choose if she is okay with getting involved in the world of BDSM.
HOOK:
Thrust into partnering with a detective for the State law enforcement, a doctor and divorced mother discovers her partner is a dominant and is left to choose if this erotic and dark world of BDSM is really for her.
Logline:
World: BDSM, law enforcement, science/psychology
Protagonist: A divorced mother with a painful past that makes her not trust easily. Renowned Cognitive Behavioural Psychologist. Started from ground zero
Moral problem: Doesn’t trust easily. Broken past. Pain
Goal or challenge: To not be afraid of being in a relationship.
Opponent: Detective/partner. Dominant.
Choice or Decision: To trust or not to trust
Action: chooses to trust and experience the world of BDSM
Choosing to become a behavioural psychologist to mend her broken past and to forget about her pain, a doctor and divorced mother is thrust into working with the State Law Enforcement when she challenged their best detective. Working beside him and learning to trust him, she tries not to fall for him or the dark and erotic world he lives in and dominate. Because, if she does, she will have to admit she was still afraid of relationship and what it could bring.
Example 2:
Premise
Born a billionaire and raised by her father to be independent, strong and fearless in a world of bloodshed, secrets, spies and danger — becoming a tenacious and vicious assassin was inevitable. A silent co-owner of Archer & Associate, Phoebe Ziva Smith, had only three goals. To maintain the secrecy of her identity, to protect her family while blinding them from the danger surrounding their lives and to avenge the death of her best friend and father.
Hiding under the identity of Angel while leading Delta Special Intelligence — her Spy Agency — Phoebe’s normal life involved being a mother and the Executive PA of New York City’s most eligible billionaire bachelor. A man who ruled the commerce industry and with whom she had a truculent past.
However, when the danger from her dark world threatens to spill into her normal life, Phoebe has to find a way to keep both worlds separate. Most importantly she has to hunt down her lifelong nemesis before he fulfils his promise to destroy her and murder her family.
HOOK
When a spy’s worst nightmare comes back to haunt her, threatening to destroy her life all over again, she must work out how to keep her secrets and the danger of her dark world away from her family.
LOGLINE
World: Danger and Secrecy, spies, dark, business, billionaire
Protagonist: Single mother, spy, Executive PA, Billionaire
Moral problem: Dark and painful past, distrustful, filled with vengeance and hatred, bitter
Goal or challenge: To protect her family under any circumstances, come out as a winner, to avenge the death of her first family (dad & best friend), keep her identity a secret
Opponent: The guy who killed her first family and want to kill her new family. A powerful criminal, untouchable by the authorities.
Choice or Decision: To protect her family while keeping them in the dark
Action: N/A
In a world of danger and secrecy, a ferocious spy with a dark and painful past has only 3 goals. To keep her sons safe. To hide her identity. And to kill her lifelong nemesis to avenge the death of her best friend and father. However, when the safety of her loved ones are threatened by the man responsible for her tragic past, she must work even harder to protect her family while blinding them from the danger surrounding their life.
To gain more insight into how to develop your own logline, watch this 1-hour educative video by Reedsy.
Feel free to share this article and the video.
Let’s help all the writers and creators out there.
