Sell Your Story in A Single Sentence: Advice from the Front Lines of Hollywood

by Lane Shefter Bishop

Overview

Every writing project has one thing in common—they all start with a single sentence. Writers constantly struggle to answer this question: What is your story about?Finally, a guide by a leading Hollywood insider who actually knows the answer—and now she shows you how to do it yourself! Lane Shefter Bishop, CEO of Vast Entertainment, explains the key to selling your screenplay, novel, or script. This comprehensive guide to opening career doors is the first of its kind, highlighting the tips and techniques for making your story stand out. From tips on character development to hints on points to avoid, Bishop covers all your bases when selling your story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581573688
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	05/10/2016
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	323,295
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Lane Shefter Bishop is the CEO of Vast Entertainment, a book-to-screen adaptation company for television and film projects,www.vast-entertainment.com. Director-member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, her honors and awards include: An Emmy, a Telly, a Videographer Award, a Sherril C. Corwin Award, an Aurora Award, a New York Festivals Award and the DGA Fellowship Award for Episodic Television. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

The Value of a Logline 11

In the Beginning… 13

Chapter 1 What Is a Logline? 21

Chapter 2 Who Is the Protagonist? 27

Chapter 3 What If There Are Two Protagonists? 33

Chapter 4 The Group Perspective 38

Chapter 5 What Does the Protagonist Want? 42

Chapter 6 What If They Don't Know What They Want? 49

Chapter 7 Defining What's at Stake 54

Chapter 8 When What's at Stake Is Already Defined 61

Chapter 9 Only a Sentence 65

Chapter 10 What's in a Name? 71

Chapter 10 Sample Loglines 78

Answers to Chapter 10 Samples 80

Chapter 11 Ageism 84

Chapter 11 Sample Loglines 90

Answers to Chapter 11 Samples 92

Chapter 12 The Adjective Objective 96

Chapter 12 Sample Loglines 102

Answers to Chapter 12 Samples 104

Chapter 13 Be Specific 109

Chapter 14 The Voice 116

Chapter 15 Finessing 124

Chapter 16 Usage 130

Chapter 17 Fiction vs. Nonfiction/Memoir 138

Chapter 18 It's All About the Drama 145

Chapter 19 The Logline Process 150

Chapter 20 Expanding the Logline 166

Chapter 21 Everything Works 172

Chapter 22 Conclusion 178

Loglines Cheat Sheet 182

Logline Samples & Explanations 184

Workbook-Simple Loglines 192

Workbook-Simple Logline Answers 195

Workbook-Complex Loglines 203

Workbook-Complex Logline Answers 209

Acknowledgments 225

About the Author 227