# Your Story In One Sentence



## InkwellMachine (Feb 10, 2014)

It's occurred to me on several occasions that this is a rather necessary thing to determine at some point or other during the development of whatever story you're working on, especially if you plan to do anything commercial with it. 

So, create a one-line summary of your story and post it here. Feel free to articulate your feelings about the sentence you post, but don't add any more to the sentence. Shoot for fewer than 20 words. This is an exercise in exposing things efficiently, not poetically (although you should also feel free to use whatever poetic language you'd like). Expect some good critiques from other members.

These should be left relatively vague so that on-lookers who know nothing about your book (or even the genre, in some cases) can get an idea in the broadest sense of what your story is about.



> A couple examples:
> -"_An ancient order battles an intergalactic empire for political supremacy." -- _Star Wars
> -_"After the world ends, the survivors rally together for the final stand-off between the forces of good and evil." _-- The Stand, by Stephen King
> -_"The Christian tale of creation, decimation, and everything in between." _-- King James Bible
> _-"Following in the footprints of his deceased granduncle, a young man discovers the ancient horror that sleeps beneath our seas." -- _The Call of Cthulu, by H.P. Lovecraft



Good luck, and happy headaches. It's harder than it looks.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 10, 2014)

Drafted to fight unknown attackers, Markus must face the true nature of both his allies and enemies while confronting his own morals and sense of human worth.


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## InkwellMachine (Feb 10, 2014)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> Drafted to fight unknown attackers, Markus must face the true nature of both his allies and enemies while confronting his own morals and sense of human worth.


I really feel that internal struggles are generally part of the package. Any intelligent reader will assume that, under such difficult circumstances, a person will undergo some kind of inner turmoil. This doesn't tell us much about the story, just that some guy named Markus apparently fights some people and has some emotional struggles. Imagine if the summary for Star Wars was written that way: "Some Jedi knights do battle with the Sith and are forced to confront the true nature of this dark menace as well as that of their own brethren." Compared to the one in the OP, that summary uses more words and actually tells us _less_ about the story.

So I think you could pare it down a bit while exposing more of the main conflict/plot arc. It could really be advantageous to shoot for under twenty words. Don't feel discouraged if it takes a while--mine took about a month, and I'm still not entirely satisfied with it.

But these are just my two cents. If you're happy with this one-sentence summary, by all means, use it.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 10, 2014)

Good point.  And regarding the word count, I have a "summary" document with a sentence, a paragraph, and a half page summaries.  I didn't bother to check the word count for the sentence, but I might rework it and see what happens.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 10, 2014)

A psychic shizophrenic rescues her sister from a dying fantasy world, and enjoys it way too much.
An orphaned girl is adopted by an evil wizard, [strike]but forced to[/strike] and must choose [strike]between[/strike] to either join the forces of good [strike]and[/strike] or accept her new home.
During a diplomatic mission, a former sex-bot is stranded on a planet about to be destroyed [strike]by eldritch monstrosities[/strike].
[strike]After humanity is nearly annihilated by insect storms, three survivors struggle to fight off wave after wave of spiders.[/strike] In a post-apocalyptic world where only children can see the monsters, a teenager on the brink of puberty must pretend he's still a kid.
An electrician who finds herself trapped in a haunted hotel must rely on its crazed residents to escape.


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## T.S.Bowman (Feb 10, 2014)

Yanked from his world to face an ancestor in another, Brian Radik faces tough decisions, and a tougher fight.


*Damn. 21 words*

*WOOHOO!!! 19 words!*


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## popsprocket (Feb 11, 2014)

> A pirate lord, branded a heretic by a corrupt church, fights to protect the only peace he has ever known.





> Four teenagers, scattered across a fantasy world, unbalance a delicate peace and tip the scales toward all out war.





> A young woman turns her enemy's own power against them, but unravels a mystery that will cost her her sanity.





> Exchanging his soul for power with a god of war, a magician becomes nothing but a weapon to be unleashed.


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## Blade (Feb 11, 2014)

T.S.Bpwman said:


> Yanked from his own world to face an ancient ancestor in another, Brian Radik faces tough decisions, and a tougher fight.
> 
> 
> *Damn. 21 words*



You could remove 'own' and/or 'ancient'. :smug:


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## Kyle R (Feb 11, 2014)

Cool thread. 

And yes, regarding Gamer's line, usually the pitch is meant to refer to the external conflict, not the internal arc. A good way to think about it is "visual". The logline should describe what anyone watching your story would be able to *see* happening. If it's an internal arc, it's "invisible", and thus, shouldn't be part of the logline. At least, that's how I like to simplify it.

That doesn't mean internal arcs are unimportant! They're tremendously important. They just usually aren't part of the pitch. :encouragement:

The logline for the novel I'm working on:

_A young airship captain must deliver a prisoner cross-country during a war._


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

So, you all realize that this is akin to a pitch for a story, right? That means genre, main character, and central conflict.



popsprocket said:


> A young woman turns her enemy's own power against them, but unravels a mystery that will cost her her sanity.



For example, using this pitch, I can't place the genre. The main character is ... a young woman, with a mystery? The conflict is ..... what's the conflict? Is it turning the enemy's power against them? That seems to be resolved already, so it must be the mystery. But what's the mystery? What sort of dilemma does that bring, beyond "do I look into this mystery or not"?

This isn't a very good story pitch because there isn't really a hook or a central conceit behind all the vague and mysterious terms. You shouldn't be afraid to smack someone over the head with your story! Unnecessarily pulling back details like this just shows that you're not confident in your own storytelling.



KyleColorado said:


> _A young airship captain must deliver a prisoner cross-country during a war._



This one is really good! It's a classic "parcel" story like 3:10 to Yuma (or alt-history like Oppel's _Airborne_), the main character is the airship captain, and the conflict comes with whether or not they can make the hazardous journey (and likely, whether they'll want to in the end, just theorizing). I like this one.

(sorry for using you as a bad example pops :culpability


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## popsprocket (Feb 11, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> (sorry for using you as a bad example pops :culpability



Ah, yeah, I kind of posted that and read them and was like "well those tell me nothing". That one you quoted is kind of funny, because technically I don't have a plot for it... 

As far as what I know about the story at the moment... well that one sentence contains all of it. A girl and a new power source of immoral origin. Stuff will definitely happen. I swear.


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## InkwellMachine (Feb 11, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> So, you all realize that this is akin to a pitch for a story, right? That means genre, main character, and central conflict.



While I agree that this particular summary was a bit too vague to generate much intrigue, I have to disagree with you on establishing the genre and the main character in your one-sentence 'pitch' (or logline, as KyleColorado put it). The story might be about _Charles Dexter Ward, _for instance, but to the prospective audience that name means almost nothing. _A__ mentally unstable young man_ on the other hand would at least give us some idea of who this character is (which is leagues more effective than the name alone). 

As for the genre, that should just be apparent between the setting and conflict. No need to overextend yourself in order to make it clear that the book you're summarizing is a fantasy novel--the fact that it's about a young wizard trying to tame a wild manticore should make that obvious.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

RE: POPS: What about ... a teenaged girl, accosted by dark forces, must choose to either unravel the mystery and break the curse, or use her new powers for vengeance.

That's probably nothing like your story, but I couldn't resist. Now it's a young-adult supernatural story about a "Carrie"-type girl, where the conflict is internal, i.e. how she chooses to harness her new powers.

-- EDIT --



InkwellMachine said:


> As for the genre, that should just be apparent between the setting and conflict. No need to overextend yourself in order to make it clear that the book you're summarizing is a fantasy novel--the fact that it's about a young wizard should make that obvious.



Yes, I agree with this! You'll notice in my own examples that words such as "schizophrenic", "wizard", "sex-bot", "haunted", etc all clearly point to a specific genre. A few times I think I spelled it out too obviously (fantasy, post-apocalyptic) but that's arguably more about the setting than the genre; the "fantasy" one, for example, is much more of a psychological story than a straight-up sword-and-sorcery thing.

This isn't to say that my examples are very good. They're not. If I thought they were good, I wouldn't have put them up.


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## popsprocket (Feb 11, 2014)

It's more like...

_A young woman fights for freedom with the help of a sickening power as humans retake a ravaged Earth.

_And you might as well ignore the fourth logline I gave. It and the one above it are essentially the same story in different settings (maybe with a protagonist shift too), the latter of which I jotted down last night after some inspiration smacked me in the face. It was a better sentence in its 20+ words form. It's really very hard to write a 20 word sentence that contains useful information.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 11, 2014)

Take two:

_As a mysterious enemy attacks, an unwilling draftee must reconcile his reluctance to fight with the knowledge that only he can save humanity._

Drat, 23 words.


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## InkwellMachine (Feb 11, 2014)

_



			As a mysterious enemy attacks, an unwilling draftee must reconcile his reluctance to fight with the knowledge that only he can save humanity.

Drat, 23 words.
		
Click to expand...

_Better. This tells us a whole lot more about the story. The most important detail here, which we missed in the last one, is the fact that this draftee is "the only one that can save humanity," which in turn tells us that humanity is in danger. Very relevant.

I might even cut out the fact that he's reluctant, because that's just something we'll find out during the story--it's not what the story is about. Granted, it may mean a lot for the story, this seems as though it could read _"When a mysterious enemy attacks, an unwilling draftee is the only hope for humanity" _without losing too much of its potency.

Again, those are just my two cents.


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## T.S.Bowman (Feb 11, 2014)

Blade said:


> You could remove 'own' and/or 'ancient'. :smug:



Done. Thanks!


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## Blade (Feb 11, 2014)

Gamer_2k4 said:


> Take two:
> 
> _As a mysterious enemy attacks, an unwilling draftee must reconcile his reluctance to fight with the knowledge that only he can save humanity._
> 
> Drat, 23 words.



​You could drop 'As', 'unwilling', 'his', 'the'.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

Blade said:


> ​You could drop 'As', 'unwilling', 'his', 'the'.



No, that would break the syntax.

In my own opinion, I think the fight between the "unwilling draftee" and the "mysterious enemy" is more interesting than the internal struggle. After all, "unwilling draftee" pretty much sums up that internal struggle perfectly. It means he's there out of duty, not out of free will. Bam, you've instantly freed up space to describe what this mysterious enemy is and why it's a threat.


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## Terry D (Feb 11, 2014)

The story of a boy, a dog, and the serial killer threatening them both.


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## Gavrushka (Feb 11, 2014)

A remnant of mankind is saved from annihilation by a bunch of colour-coordinated female lizards in thigh boots*.



*I lied about the thigh boots... I'm saving that little plot twist for the sequel.


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## Outiboros (Feb 11, 2014)

A few:

- A 25[SUP]th[/SUP]-century neurotechnician creates AI's from living brains, and her patients and their digital twins challenge her views on morality.

- The Garden Gnomes awaken and threaten to overtake the world, and it’s up to a chain-smoking wizard to stop them.

- After the collapse of humanity’s galactic society, four scavengers accidentally awaken an old starship and change the fate of Earth.


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## Kyle R (Feb 11, 2014)

There are two key moments in your story:

1) The Incitiing Incident

and

2) The first Act Break


The Inciting Incident is the first occurrence in your story where something out of the ordinary happens to your main character, something that disrupts their life in such a way that it cannot be ignored.

The first Act Break occurs when your character makes a conscious decision to step out of their normal routine in order to do something about the Inciting Incident. It's called an Act Break because it's the point where you character leaves his or her normal world behind in order to deal with the new circumstances the Inciting Incident has given him.

These two things should be in your logline.

So, a simple formula for anyone struggling with their pitch is:

When *MAIN CHARACTER* (Adjective+Profession) encounters *INCITING INCIDENT*, he must *ACT BREAK*.

For example:

When a struggling writer encounters a thread about log lines, he must find a way to condense his story into a simple sentence!

Keep in mind, you don't need to use the words "encounters" and "must". But, it's a good guide to have those three elements in your pitch. However you arrange them is up to you. :encouragement:


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 11, 2014)

My inciting incident is in my first two or three pages, and my first true act break (where the protagonist actually decides to do things his way) doesn't come until the second to last chapter.  I hope it works.

Still, my updated summary includes both ("draftee", "save humanity").


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## Schrody (Feb 11, 2014)

Matthew Cawley, young geologist finds extraordinary discovery that'll shake everyone's beliefs; cultural, religious, scientific...


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## bookmasta (Feb 11, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Matthew Cawley, young geologist finds extraordinary discovery that'll shake everyone's beliefs; cultural, religious, scientific...



I like this one. It sounds like it could be an interesting work. Let me know if you need a beta reader for a chapter or two.


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## Gavrushka (Feb 11, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Matthew Cawley, young geologist finds extraordinary discovery that'll shake everyone's beliefs; cultural, religious, scientific...



Seconded! - I'd posted on this thread a little flippantly, but this single sentence is gripping. - I'd be happy to read a little too.


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## N J Xkey (Feb 11, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> - The Garden Gnomes awaken and threaten to overtake the world, and it’s up to a chain-smoking wizard to stop them.



This I want to read


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## InkwellMachine (Feb 11, 2014)

_
"An endless industrial revolution sees the creation of the machine that will swallow up the world."
_

That's the logline for the series I'm working on now. I'm not sure I like it. I'd like to say more story specific stuff, but I'm trying to sum up an entire series here, each book with its own cnflicts and maincharacter(s). I'm also trying really hard to keep this from sounding like another I Robot/Matric "evil AI takes over the world" sort of thing.

Thoughts on alternate phrasings?



> A remnant of mankind is saved from annihilation by a bunch of colour-coordinated female lizards in thigh boots


I laughed. I'd read this just to satisy my curiosity.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

InkwellMachine said:


> Thoughts on alternate phrasings?



"As the world's greatest inventors kickstart a global industrial revolution, they find themselves lodged between the wheel of progress and an ancient evil rising from the depths of their factories."

I had to make an educated guess on the main characters. It's almost certainly not right.


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## Kyle R (Feb 11, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> This one is really good! It's a classic "parcel" story like 3:10 to Yuma (or alt-history like Oppel's _Airborne_), the main character is the airship captain, and the conflict comes with whether or not they can make the hazardous journey (and likely, whether they'll want to in the end, just theorizing). I like this one.



Thanks. I like it, too! Yes, it's a "delivery" story, or a "parcel" story as you accurately put it. _The Lord of the Rings_ is one big "parcel" story as well.

And hey! Quit giving away the end to my book!


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## Schrody (Feb 11, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> A few:
> 
> - A 25[SUP]th[/SUP]-century neurotechnician creates AI's from living brains, and her patients and their digital twins challenge her views on morality.
> 
> ...



First and last sounds very interesting! 



bookmasta said:


> I like this one. It sounds like it could be an interesting work. Let me know if you need a beta reader for a chapter or two.





Gavrushka said:


> Seconded! - I'd posted on this thread a little flippantly, but this single sentence is gripping. - I'd be happy to read a little too.



Wow, thanks!  Sure, I'll count on you when I translate it -well, translator, not me, because if I'm gonna translate it... it won't be good  You guys made my day! Oh, and it's a (hard) Sci-Fi, so you don't get disappointed.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

KyleColorado said:


> Thanks. I like it, too! Yes, it's a "delivery" story, or a "parcel" story as you accurately put it. _The Lord of the Rings_ is one big "parcel" story as well.
> 
> And hey! Quit giving away the end to my book!



The ending to 3:10 To Yuma was spectacular, by the way (both my favourite Western and favourite road trip movie). The sherriff gets mortally wounded in the final fight, and the crook defends him from his own gang and carries him to the end out of respect.


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## Pluralized (Feb 11, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> The ending to 3:10 To Yuma was spectacular, by the way (both my favourite Western and favourite road trip movie). The sherriff gets mortally wounded in the final fight, and the crook defends him from his own gang and carries him to the end out of respect.



If you enjoyed that - check out "No Country For Old Men" which is all about the action.


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 11, 2014)

The coin scene from NCfOM was amazing.

I remember they fought for the same oscar. Forget which one took it.

Wait hold on this is off-track. Uhh.
When a veterinarian finds alien parasites in his patients' brains, he must eradicate the threat before it spreads to humans.


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## Kyle R (Feb 11, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> The ending to 3:10 To Yuma was spectacular, by the way (both my favourite Western and favourite road trip movie). The sherriff gets mortally wounded in the final fight, and the crook defends him from his own gang and carries him to the end out of respect.



Yes, it's one of my favorite Westerns, too. Great film. The whole third act was phenomenal. :encouragement:


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## Pluralized (Feb 11, 2014)

Harlan, a manipulative maintenance worker-turned-killer, stalks his victims by lurking about in the steam tunnels beneath the college campus, not caring about conspicuousness, not caring whether they're alone, and not giving the teenagers who use the tunnels for recreational drug use enough credit, Harlan finds himself on the run.

Enough commas?


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## Lyra Laurant (Feb 11, 2014)

A shape-shifting water spirit gets bonded to a human girl by a work contract that sets a deadline to his life.


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## InkwellMachine (Feb 12, 2014)

Staff Deployment said:


> "As the world's greatest inventors kickstart a global industrial revolution, they find themselves lodged between the wheel of progress and an ancient evil rising from the depths of their factories."
> 
> I had to make an educated guess on the main characters. It's almost certainly not right.


It's actually closer than you might think.

The trouble I'm having here is that my series has a lot of MCs to follow, and picking the "most central" of them is a difficult task. I mean, for each individual book it's not so hard, but for the entire series? It's like, two or three generations of pseudo-protagonists.

Ah well. Let's try again anyway. My previous log-line was _"An endless industrial revolution sees the creation of the machine that will swallow up the world."
_*
Series log-line: *_"The industrial revolution spirals out of control, plunging the world into something far more sinister."_
_*--Book one log-line: *"Lost in the wilderness and driven mad with revelation, a brilliant machinist develops something that shouldn't exist."
_*--Book two log-line: *_"A young cartographer sets out to discover the connection between the mechanical sea creatures that have appeared in the oceans and the maelstrom that's been raging at the center of the Iron Sea for the last five years."__
*--Book three log-line: *"A group of refugees cross an ocean teeming with mechanical monstrosities to find shelter from the coming storm."
_
Better?


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## Outiboros (Feb 12, 2014)

Schrody said:


> First and last sounds very interesting!


Thank you! It's hard and soft science fiction, respectively. I've held off on posting anything in the Workshop because I'm terrible at taking criticism and suffer from chronic not-being-a-native-English-speaker. Maybe I'll post a bit sooner or later. 



Schrody said:


> Wow, thanks!  Sure, I'll count on you when I translate it -well, translator, not me, because if I'm gonna translate it... it won't be good  You guys made my day! Oh, and it's a (hard) Sci-Fi, so you don't get disappointed.


Post some of it in the Workshop either way. I'd like to see how someone else deals with hard sci-fi, or even what you define as such.


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## Schrody (Feb 12, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> Thank you! It's hard and soft science fiction, respectively. I've held off on posting anything in the Workshop because I'm terrible at taking criticism and suffer from chronic not-being-a-native-English-speaker. Maybe I'll post a bit sooner or later.



Well, if you put it, we'll take easy on you, I promise.  You don't have to be ashamed. English is not my mother tongue, but we're here to learn, and who'll teach us better than our fellow writers? 



Outiboros said:


> Post some of it in the Workshop either way. I'd like to see how someone else deals with hard sci-fi, or even what you define as such.



I will. I'm tempted to translate it myself, but just for the Workshop. 

Well, Wiki says: (about definition of SF) "Science fiction elements include: A time setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record."

(about Hard SF): "Hard science and soft science are colloquial terms used to compare scientific fields on the basis of perceived methodological rigor and legitimacy. Roughly speaking, the natural sciences are considered hard while the social sciences are usually described as soft"

"The natural sciences seek to understand how the world and universe around us works. There are five major branches: Chemistry, astronomy, earth science (my WIP is mostly geology), physics, and biology."

"Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both.
One requirement for hard SF is procedural or intentional: a story should try to be accurate, logical, credible and rigorous in its use of current scientific and technical knowledge about which technology, phenomena, scenarios and situations that are practically and/or theoretically possible, and later discoveries do not necessarily invalidate the label."

I think the last quote best describes my WIP; it has scientific accuracy (all methods are real), it is at some point logical, and plausible (well, maybe not for everyone, but it has _some_ credibility among scientists). I wanted to write real, plausible SF, so I don't have to pull my hair every time I read it (like some SF movies).


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## Pluralized (Feb 12, 2014)

A skin abnormality, or better yet, a "Tumor," is classified and categorized as an endangered species, which befuddles the young hose, a woman named Hargo, whose skin is now property of the NSA, and her struggle to escape causes earthquakes.


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## Outiboros (Feb 12, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Well, if you put it, we'll take easy on you, I promise.  You don't have to be ashamed. English is not my mother tongue, but we're here to learn, and who'll teach us better than our fellow writers?


I'll be sure to post some scenes that make sense and try to keep my heart rate in the double digits as the criticism comes in. 



Schrody said:


> I think the last quote best describes my WIP; it has scientific accuracy (all methods are real), it is at some point logical, and plausible (well, maybe not for everyone, but it has _some_ credibility among scientists). I wanted to write real, plausible SF, so I don't have to pull my hair every time I read it (like some SF movies).


Have you seen After Earth? Apart from being one of the worst major screen productions of last year, it also has the most bafflingly stupid science mumbo-jumbo in the first half hour or so. Something about an 'asteroid field' of Star Wars-level proportions exploding because there's a build-up of gravity, and it only gets worse from there. M Night Shamalamadingdong did NOT give a hike about plausibility on that one.

But that's the problem with writing hard SF. I'm a biologist - in my hard SF story, I'll put in a little paragraph about ecosystems on terraformed exoplanets, or about cross-contamination prevention in interstellar travel, and I'll get that right, but my explanations of FTL travel or orbital mechanics might have a physicist cringing out of his chair. Sure, I try to keep it in my own field, but the rest is too interesting not to write about...





Pluralized said:


> A skin abnormality, or better yet, a "Tumor," is classified and categorized as an endangered species, which befuddles the young hose, a woman named Hargo...


Not Henrietta? 




Pluralized said:


> whose skin is now property of the NSA, and her struggle to escape causes earthquakes.


Honest question, but why the NSA? Aren't they the information analysts and the ones who monitor electrical communication?


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 12, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> M Night Shamalamadingdong



And here I thought I was the only one who called him that.  (Seriously.)


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## Kyle R (Feb 12, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> Have you seen After Earth? Apart from being one of the worst major screen productions of last year, it also has the most bafflingly stupid science mumbo-jumbo in the first half hour or so. Something about an 'asteroid field' of Star Wars-level proportions exploding because there's a build-up of gravity, and it only gets worse from there. M Night Shamalamadingdong did NOT give a hike about plausibility on that one.



I haven't seen it yet, but according to Wiki, the screenplay was co-written by the screenwriter of _The Book of Eli_. It was also redrafted and polished by three more screenwriters. That gives the project a grand-total of five screenwriter revisions (if you include Shyamalan) before it got into production.

Maybe too many minds working on one project is a bad thing. :grief:


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## Staff Deployment (Feb 12, 2014)

The song "shorty is an eeny-meeny-miney-mo lover" took seven people to write. It has one lyric: "shawty[sic] is a[sic] eeny-meeny-miney-mo lava[sic]".


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## Schrody (Feb 12, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> I'll be sure to post some scenes that make sense and try to keep my heart rate in the double digits as the criticism comes in.



I'm sure it'll be fine, don't worry. 



Outiboros said:


> Have you seen After Earth? Apart from being one of the worst major screen productions of last year, it also has the most bafflingly stupid science mumbo-jumbo in the first half hour or so. Something about an 'asteroid field' of Star Wars-level proportions exploding because there's a build-up of gravity, and it only gets worse from there. M Night Shamalamadingdong did NOT give a hike about plausibility on that one.



No, and I don't attend to. But I unfortunately watched Oblivion. What a waste of time. Good story, but man, did they *beep* it up. What a shame, and it's not even the first movie they destroyed. Some mumbo-jumbo is okay, but come on, make it believable, you gotta put some effort. But I suppose it's target is mostly teenagers, they like everything, even Pacific Rim.



Outiboros said:


> But that's the problem with writing hard SF. I'm a biologist -


 
Then you'll certainly see my novel form a different point of view.  Looking forward to it.



Outiboros said:


> in my hard SF story, I'll put in a little paragraph about ecosystems on terraformed exoplanets, or about cross-contamination prevention in interstellar travel, and I'll get that right, but my explanations of FTL travel or orbital mechanics might have a physicist cringing out of his chair. Sure, I try to keep it in my own field, but the rest is too interesting not to write about...



I don't think you have to worry that much, I mean, it's hard to write a story without putting some fiction, otherwise it would popular science not SF. I do try to write it to be the most scientific accurate, but at some point you have to draw the line, and let your imagination work. I researched a lot about geology, universe, etc., and some theories are more accepted than others, but they're out there, no matter how many scientist believe in them, they're not made up. So if you want to write about I don't know time travel or wormholes (or something else), write it, they all have some base in science, so it won't everything be techno babble. And I don't think any physicist would pull his hair just because you made one mistake, just like any scientist wouldn't. 



KyleColorado said:


> _The Book of Eli_.



Watched it in a cinema, and was so disappointed. It's a dystopian *beep*.


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## Outiboros (Feb 13, 2014)

Schrody said:


> No, and I don't attend to. But I unfortunately watched Oblivion. What a waste of time. Good story, but man, did they *beep* it up. What a shame, and it's not even the first movie they destroyed. Some mumbo-jumbo is okay, but come on, make it believable, you gotta put some effort. But I suppose it's target is mostly teenagers, they like everything, even Pacific Rim.


But... I liked those movies...
Mostly for the effects, though. Oblivion just looked so good, and I liked the drones. Story, not so much. Pacific Rim, well... robots punching giant monsters is a bit of a niche you either love or hate.


Schrody said:


> I don't think you have to worry that much, I mean, it's hard to write a story without putting some fiction, otherwise it would popular science not SF. I do try to write it to be the most scientific accurate, but at some point you have to draw the line, and let your imagination work. I researched a lot about geology, universe, etc., and some theories are more accepted than others, but they're out there, no matter how many scientist believe in them, they're not made up. So if you want to write about I don't know time travel or wormholes (or something else), write it, they all have some base in science, so it won't everything be techno babble. And I don't think any physicist would pull his hair just because you made one mistake, just like any scientist wouldn't.


I know some scientists...
No, I won't even try time travel. That's just a plot hole shortcut. But you're right; science fiction is all about the consequences of future technology, not so much about the technology itself. Think about the great SF writers - Heinlein, Isaac Asimov... The whole Robot and Foundation series are based on the 50's views of computers and nuclear power, and it's all completely ridiculous when you read it now, and yet the Robot stories sometimes come eerily close to reality. I mean, Asimov literally invented the term 'robotics': science fiction in his time, a valid career choice in ours.


----------



## Schrody (Feb 13, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> But... I liked those movies...
> Mostly for the effects, though. Oblivion just looked so good, and I liked the drones. Story, not so much. Pacific Rim, well... robots punching giant monsters is a bit of a niche you either love or hate.



No, don't get me wrong, I love all of them; Pacific Rim, Godzilla, Transformers... if only they were better movies (Godzilla is pretty good, although nothing will beat first Jurassic Park), I don't know, I'm too nit picky when it comes to plausibility, but not with all movies. 



Outiboros said:


> I know some scientists...
> No, I won't even try time travel. That's just a plot hole shortcut. But you're right; science fiction is all about the consequences of future technology, not so much about the technology itself. Think about the great SF writers - Heinlein, Isaac Asimov... The whole Robot and Foundation series are based on the 50's views of computers and nuclear power, and it's all completely ridiculous when you read it now, and yet the Robot stories sometimes come eerily close to reality. I mean, Asimov literally invented the term 'robotics': science fiction in his time, a valid career choice in ours.



True, although the "robot" isn't his term, it belongs to Karel Capek. I really liked I, Robot, and the thought of the future technologies.


----------



## W. Dallas (Feb 21, 2014)

Trapped in a colossal tower, a man must relive his memories to find the events which shattered his mind.


----------



## Cran (Feb 23, 2014)

Outiboros said:


> ... Think about the great SF writers - Heinlein, Isaac Asimov... The whole Robot and Foundation series are based on the 50's views of computers and nuclear power, and it's all completely ridiculous when you read it now, and yet the Robot stories sometimes come eerily close to reality. I mean, Asimov literally invented the term 'robotics': science fiction in his time, a valid career choice in ours.


The original Foundation series was more about "psychohistory" (ie, a "soft" science treated as a "hard" science, according to the definitions provided earlier in this thread), and the whole series came as close to Heinlein's future history/shared universe treatments of mass/mob psychology, but without the latter's interest in sexual and cultural shifts, as Asimov was ever likely to get.  

Yes, Asimov coined the term, robotics, and was the first to set out the Three Laws of Robotics, and then enjoyed many years of finding ways to get around or simply break them.


----------



## Bishop (Feb 27, 2014)

Independent salvage crew stumbles on evidence of galactic conspiracy, race toward the truth to preserve peace against shadowy, malevolent forces.

Woooooo! 20 words. So simple, compared to the intricate web I weaved in the main plot.

Bishop


----------



## bookmasta (Feb 27, 2014)

A story of government corruption, romance, and an uncertain end to be determined by the actions of few.


----------



## Roobearrr (Feb 27, 2014)

A near death experience changes Ebony's life forever and soon she must make the biggest decision, to either save or destroy the world as we know it.


----------



## Apple Ice (Feb 27, 2014)

I'm aware there's some sort of meaningful discussion happening but I can't be bothered to read and just want to do the task. Do you have to have disclaimers for comments? If so, Disclaimer: Bad word

Johnny Jackson loves fat stacks and big booty bitches but all is threatened when the British rear their ugly head.


----------



## Carlos Danger (Mar 10, 2014)

A man walks into a country club.


----------



## Gamer_2k4 (Mar 10, 2014)

...and says "ouch."


----------



## Blade (Mar 10, 2014)

A man develops his analytical intelligence to the point where he is unable to make any sort of decision then resorts to omens and superstition in order to make any headway in life at all.


----------



## SinJinQLB (Mar 15, 2014)

An off-duty New York cop is stuck in a Los Angeles office building and must single-handedly fight off German terrorists and save the hostages - one of which is his wife.


----------



## Schrody (Mar 15, 2014)

SinJinQLB said:


> An off-duty New York cop is stuck in a Los Angeles office building and must single-handedly fight off German terrorists and save the hostages - one of which is his wife.



Sounds like Die Hard


----------



## SinJinQLB (Mar 15, 2014)

I'm calling it Expire Solid.


----------



## Grizzly (Mar 15, 2014)

A guy finds out he's been living in a dreamworld for god knows how long, and when he tries to wake up, the world doesn't react well to being threatened and the dreampeople go to desperate measures to keep him there.


----------



## InkwellMachine (Mar 17, 2014)

Grizzly said:


> A guy finds out he's been living in a dreamworld for god knows how long, and when he tries to wake up, the world doesn't react well to being threatened and the dreampeople go to desperate measures to keep him there.


I would condense it a bit:

"After discovering that he's been spending his life in a world of dreams, a man tries to wake up only to find that the dream isn't so keen on ending."

Any of those phrases could be adjusted, but you get the gist of it.


----------



## Folcro (Mar 17, 2014)

A psychopath searches for the meaning of life at world's end.


----------



## InkwellMachine (Mar 17, 2014)

Folcro said:


> A psychopath searches for the meaning of life at world's end.


The meaning of life in general, or the meaning of his own life? This logline seems somewhat vague, although it sounds like it could be quite gripping if there were a little more information. Just my two cents.





I've also revised the logline for my series a bit:
_With the invention of something that shouldn't exist, mankind straddles the line between industry and eradication.
_


----------



## Grizzly (Mar 17, 2014)

InkwellMachine said:


> I would condense it a bit:
> 
> "After discovering that he's been spending his life in a world of dreams, a man tries to wake up only to find that the dream isn't so keen on ending."
> 
> Any of those phrases could be adjusted, but you get the gist of it.



Sweet, I like this a lot. Thanks Mang!


----------



## A_Jones (Mar 17, 2014)

A young prince discovers heroism in the lack of it, and a young girl discovers who she is has nothing to do with who she once was or what she was forced to become. 

Long sentence.


----------



## -AT (Mar 17, 2014)

A guy starts a new life in a new country and discovers an underground world of not-necessarily-super-but-still-pushes-the-abilities-of-normal-humans abilities.

I couldn't think of a single appropriate adjective....


----------



## A_Jones (Mar 17, 2014)

extraordinary?
I like that word


----------



## -AT (Mar 17, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> extraordinary?
> I like that word



That is quite nice....is it the right word though.....I'll have to think on that.


----------



## Plasticweld (Mar 17, 2014)

All is not as it appears; some people really are rats.


----------



## W.Goepner (Mar 25, 2014)

Genetics and time has allowed us to open our minds, now anything is possible, even flight.


----------



## Rowan (Apr 5, 2014)

"A unique atheistic exemplification of spirituality through more commonplace religious imagery." 11

"In an alternate not-so-distant future a band of rebels find struggle utilizing their psychic abilities against a totalitarian government." 21 words


----------



## InkwellMachine (Apr 7, 2014)

W.Goepner said:


> Genetics and time has allowed us to open our minds, now anything is possible, even flight.


I'm fairly sure this is something that's already happened. I'm referring to airplanes, of course, but you understand my meaning.



> "A unique atheistic exemplification of spirituality through more commonplace religious imagery." 11


Is this fiction or non-fiction?


----------



## Dave Watson (Apr 7, 2014)

Set between the 11th century and the present day, _The Wolves of Langabhat_ is an epic twist on Scots folklore and Norse mythology dealing with Vikings, werewolves, friendship and rock n' roll.

This is the actual hook line I've been using in my submission cover letter!


----------



## Rowan (Apr 7, 2014)

InkwellMachine said:


> Is this fiction or non-fiction?


It is fiction but its an attempt at classical style where nearly everything is a metaphor for real world applicability.


----------



## Gavrushka (Apr 7, 2014)

Spanning two realities, only Hell stands between man and his complete annihilation.


----------



## Schrody (Apr 8, 2014)

- In the 22nd century, virtuality has gone so far, old-fashioned detective who despise technology has to solve a murder by the virtual drug.

- When Marianne decides to go to a field trip, she discovers she's now in a different world, with it's own rules. 

- Contract killer of 12 year regrets the day he met the Old Man, and has to choose; keep working for him so his love could live, or personal salvation?


----------



## Sc0pe (Sep 3, 2014)

Losing her parents, Natalie sets off into a bleak world to get revenge; this however soon becomes bigger than herself.


----------



## Bishop (Sep 3, 2014)

My newest:

Asteroid miner accidentally unearths technology that can change the future for any faction that possesses it. And she doesn't know it.

Cancer patient cryogenically freezes himself in hopes of future cure, is awoken by scout ship at war 3500 years later.


----------



## Pishwi (Sep 3, 2014)

Bishop said:


> My newest:
> 
> Asteroid miner accidentally unearths technology that can change the future for any faction that possesses it. And she doesn't know it.
> 
> Cancer patient cryogenically freezes himself in hopes of future cure, is awoken by scout ship at war 3500 years later.



Gotta say, those sound pretty cool


----------



## Bishop (Sep 3, 2014)

Pishwi said:


> Gotta say, those sound pretty cool



I try to write stuff I'd like to read, and the latter of the two up there is the one I'm most excited about. Last week, I was most excited about the former of the two. My brain's a fickle bastard. In any case, I just had this idea of a fat, pushy salesman in a cancer ward trying to sell false hope through cryogenics, then I thought "You know what, I'm just gullible and sci-fi obsessed enough to be like, 'hell yea, freeze me and wake me up in time for Klingon wars'!" So then it came to the idea of actually working, and now that's _Adrift_ my 5th novel.


----------



## Schrody (Sep 3, 2014)

I'm happy this thread lives!  

My WIP:

Erin must decide the fate of the Universe: without her help, Earth is in danger too.


----------



## garza (Sep 3, 2014)

An enthusiastic young missionary comes to Belize to preach, is converted by white rum and a Creole woman, and turns to running a bar and small hotel. (novel _Sketches from the Life of Paul_ due out next year)


----------



## InstituteMan (Sep 3, 2014)

This is a great concept. Four I am either writing or wanting to write:

#1. Sure, the sentient sexbots who conquered the world are terrible, but are the two women(?) fighting them even worse?

#2.  Brilliance and big dreams might make tug a boy out of the hills, but will the hills -- and a girl -- pull him back forever?

#3.  Minerva was born into a family with everything, endless energy and a flock of robotic servants, but her infatuation with an androgynous vagabond could ruin both rich and poor alike.

#4.  Saddled with law school debt and without the careers they dreamed of, two aspiring attorneys seek life and love through Big Law's maze of deceit.


----------



## garza (Sep 4, 2014)

Am I confused? (A rhetorical question not requiring a definite answer.)

My understanding was that this thread is intended for one-sentence summaries of works already completed. Did I miss something?


----------



## InstituteMan (Sep 4, 2014)

garza said:


> Am I confused? (A rhetorical question not requiring a definite answer.)
> 
> My understanding was that this thread is intended for one-sentence summaries of works already completed. Did I miss something?



I'm not sure that you missed anything other than me possibly being too clever by twice. Those particular questions were hopefully suggesting an answer definitive enough to encapsulate the story.


----------



## Schrody (Sep 4, 2014)

garza said:


> Am I confused? (A rhetorical question not requiring a definite answer.)
> 
> My understanding was that this thread is intended for one-sentence summaries of works already completed. Did I miss something?



I don't think it needs to be finished :scratch:


----------



## No Cat No Cradle (Sep 4, 2014)

All WIP
1. Orphans VS. the end of the world!
2. Hackers learn that a war doesn't end when the violence stops.
3. While multiple space colony attempt to make a long trip to another planet, one gets hit with a stray asteroid and then, as its resources are depletin, it gets held hostage in a game of politics while its people fall apart.


----------



## Bishop (Sep 11, 2014)

Because I'm a WIP whore...

Trooper sent to planet filled with radiation that causes insanity to assassinate a madman with doomsday devices, and only 48 hours before he goes insane too!

Yeah, it's 26 words. #Dealwithit.


----------



## Miles-Kirk (Sep 11, 2014)

Brother and Sister become the ancient power, seeking retribution against the order responsible for their tribes murder.


----------



## Dawson (Sep 12, 2014)

Girl avenges mother's death caused by person wanting to steal her powers; goes power-hungry herself in the process. 

Only the strong survive. 

When is killing for power ever justified?


----------



## Deafmute (Sep 12, 2014)

Eternity springs from the ashes of the end, when evil gives birth to good.

honestly this sounds more like a cryptic prophecy than a story summary, but I love it.  I guess a more literal summary could be:

Ian faces the Apocalypse in what starts as an attempt to protect his sister and ends with him saving everything.


----------



## Greimour (Sep 12, 2014)

If I literally answered that question it would probably be something like:

"The life of [me]" < that would literally be my story. Or if I went a little more little. "My Story: The life of [me] in my own words."


As for what the OP really meant; which one? ^_^

Currently I have these:

1. *She had to marry a prince -that's what the law said- but the only prince left was him.
*
2. *ALL Dwarves hated being above ground- but did you know that some Dwarves still managed to become Pirates?*

3. *They had no plans, goals or objectives...and fate couldn't do anything about it.*


----------



## Schrody (Sep 12, 2014)

Deafmute said:


> Eternity springs from the ashes of the end, when evil gives birth to good.
> 
> honestly this sounds more like a cryptic prophecy than a story summary, but I love it.  I guess a more literal summary could be:
> 
> Ian faces the Apocalypse in what starts as an attempt to protect his sister and ends with him saving everything.



Hey Deaf, haven't seen you in a while


----------



## Deafmute (Sep 12, 2014)

yea i have been popping in and out over the past few months school been keeping me pretty busy.


----------



## Schrody (Sep 12, 2014)

Deafmute said:


> yea i have been popping in and out over the past few months school been keeping me pretty busy.



Hope you won't disappear again!


----------



## kasumi (Dec 23, 2014)

"Two teenage boys living in Oden City's underground track down an infamous arsonist that deeply affected both of their lives."

Woah that was exactly 20 words I swear I didn't plan for that


----------



## garza (Dec 25, 2014)

A missionary to Belize becomes a bar owner after being converted by a Creole woman and white rum. 

This is the sentence that first hooked a regional publisher and led to a contract for _Sketches from the Life of Paul_.


----------



## InkwellMachine (Jan 19, 2015)

_
After fourteen years eking out her miserable existence on the surface, Cilla finds a way to follow the rest of the world underground._


Kind of a tired concept, but fun.

Thanks Garza. It's good to have examples of real, successful log-lines. I think you might have repeated yourself, though. Scroll some distance up on this page and you'll see what I mean.

Kasumi, interesting, although I can't tell whether you mean the arsonist effects both their lives (which might allude to some kind of camaraderie) or the act of tracking him down effects both of their lives.


----------



## KellInkston (Mar 23, 2015)

Suspected for a mysterious string of murders, Knightess Meeo Letlind must find the shadowy culprits before her faction is blamed for the crimes.


----------



## JamesR (Mar 25, 2015)

Aided by a revolver like no other, Elijah Elkins must thwart an otherworldly menace before it's too late.


----------



## Lydia14 (Mar 28, 2015)

Three generations of women work together to undo the systemic suppression of knowledge and magic in their world that has fractured their people.

(Overarching story of multiple connected WIP)


----------



## Nayath (Mar 28, 2015)

Two generations of fantasy creatures and another 800 years ago try to stop a war that's been raging since before the humans existed.


----------



## Bevo (May 1, 2015)

A powder and mineral, a source of unlimited energy or violent explosive power, a battle between good and evil, who will win?


----------



## AaronR316 (May 1, 2015)

Struggling to cope with his father's death and dealing with his alcoholic mother, Calvin joins a punk band.


----------



## K.S. Crooks (May 3, 2015)

Four friends use their newly acquired, extraordinary abilities on a quest into the heart of peril to prevent the tragic death of a schoolmate.


----------



## Greimour (May 3, 2015)

I came, I saw, I traveled the world—and then I died, but luckily it was in a game and I got to try again.


----------



## EnglishmanRob (May 5, 2015)

A chance encounter on a train leads Sarah to meet an immortal man, and connects her to the forgotten side of reality.


----------



## Gavrushka (May 6, 2015)

Fat electrician meets socially inept alien lady, and they have a picnic on Bellerophon while the ship's avatar undergoes breast augmentation surgery.


----------



## Schrody (May 6, 2015)

Gavrushka said:


> Fat electrician meets socially inept alien lady, and they have a picnic on Bellerophon while the ship's avatar undergoes breast augmentation surgery.



Sure, why not?


----------



## The grappling minstrel (May 21, 2015)

A prince from a foreign land deals with social issues and scientific racism


----------



## aggieamy (Jun 16, 2015)

When the irresponsible Lord Frederick hears a murder while on bed rest after breaking his back he knows he must team up with the only person who believes him to solve it.  

Whoops.  More than 30 words and doesn't really show what makes the story interesting.  This is harder that it looks.


----------



## Schrody (Jun 17, 2015)

Constantly on the run, parents engage in the game of life and death, hiding from the Government which won't permit an uncontrolled individual get away.


----------



## musichal (Jun 17, 2015)

Young boy and girl solve mysteries at school for fees from students; beginning with lost cat, they catch an arsonist.


----------



## TeriBeth (Jun 17, 2015)

After becoming the victim of a rape, a woman struggles with choices that test her marriage.


----------



## Riptide (Jun 17, 2015)

An exiled god and teen ghost contrive a plan to kick some serious ass to the evil master mind, The Mechanic.


----------



## aggieamy (Jun 18, 2015)

aggieamy said:


> When the irresponsible Lord Frederick hears a murder while on bed rest after breaking his back he knows he must team up with the only person who believes him to solve it.
> 
> Whoops.  More than 30 words and doesn't really show what makes the story interesting.  This is harder that it looks.



I think I did it.

My plot summary.

Young gentleman and housemaid team up to solve a murder nobody believes was committed.


----------



## Deafmute (Jun 18, 2015)

Everyone has a story, suffering is the result of us refusing to understand our own story, or read each others.


----------



## bazz cargo (Jun 19, 2015)

This guy stands for UK PM and ends the country's dependency on fossil fuels, lots of fallout.


----------



## Sulieman (Jun 27, 2015)

Evil threatens to descend upon the peaceful lands of Arand, rival kingdoms vie for power, and an absolutely weird pirate who imagines the world is at his disposal is destined to save Arand from evil....only one has to read the tale...


----------



## Smith (Jun 30, 2015)

Sulieman said:


> Evil threatens to descend upon the peaceful lands of Arand, rival kingdoms vie for power, and an absolutely weird pirate who imagines the world is at his disposal is destined to save Arand from evil....only one has to read the tale...



I think removing "only one has to read the tale" would be a good start. You could also shorten it up a little be removing "to descend upon".

---

Cryptids - Troubled Waters_

A young man's vacation with friends becomes a quest to follow his grandfather's mysterious footsteps, and he'll only skim the surface of a surreal horror.

_Please help me lol. (oh, and should I remove the title / is it 20 words or 30?)


----------



## Snowflake (Jun 30, 2015)

W. Dallas said:


> Trapped in a colossal tower, a man must relive his memories to find the events which shattered his mind.



Is there a psychiatrist and a couch in the tower?   Sounds quite psychoanalytic. 

Mine:  A graduate student does scientific research in a prestigious psychiatric hospital and learns costly lessons. 

It's a FACTION story (a fictionalized true story).


----------



## John Galt (Jul 4, 2015)

Merlyn, a drug-addicted polymath, goes on a quest to explain magic.


----------



## John Galt (Jul 4, 2015)

Another story I plan to start soon: 
Eric, head postdemon at the Underworld & Purgatory Postal Services, takes up the quest to do what no postdemon has done before: Deliver the black box to Hades' doorstep in under a week.


----------



## JustRob (Jul 4, 2015)

When the fairy tale has ended a young man discovers just how complicated living happily ever after can get.


----------



## jtgrall (Aug 2, 2015)

a poor motivated youth grows up to have his own wildlife tv documentary series where he documents life on other planets


----------



## John Oberon (Aug 3, 2015)

A spoiled boy spends a summer with his country uncle and learns to respect others and himself.


----------



## Bishop (Aug 3, 2015)

Three burnt-out ex-special forces try to deal with normal space station life, before being thrust back into the nightmare they thought they had escaped.


----------



## Schrody (Aug 3, 2015)

Sorry Bish, accidentally "LOLed" XD


----------



## Bishop (Aug 3, 2015)

Schrody said:


> Sorry Bish, accidentally "LOLed" XD



No worries!  The book DOES have some LOL worthy moments.


----------



## The Green Shield (Aug 3, 2015)

*Fantasy
*A world war scenario through the eyes of civilians trying to survive it and the soldiers fighting it. 

*Sci-Fi
*A space-faring adventure with a starship commander and her crew. She also falls in love with the ship's medical doctor and a romance blossoms from there. I promise I won't make their romance story as bad as Anakin & Padme's were. xD 

*Historical Mystery
*Uh...some kid, at some point in American history, solves murder mysteries. No one seems to question this.


----------



## Schrody (Aug 4, 2015)

That's three sentences XD


----------



## qwertyman (Aug 5, 2015)

_A condemned man spurns the priest, and entrusts his last words to his executioner. 

Thirty-three years after the civil war, a man travels to Spain to investigate the mysterious murder of his half-brother and discovers he is living a dangerous lie.


_47 words.

I could cut the first line but I think it loses its bite.


----------



## Khalid M (Oct 7, 2015)

Red Mars: While keeping low from the military who chase him for his unique condition, a man meets the sister of the only doctor who can cure him.

Just ruler: A prince discovers his father's plan to launch a war and decides to mount a rebellion.


----------



## JustRob (Oct 7, 2015)

A man drops a bookmark in reality, closes the book and leaves it on a train -- of thoughts about the future.


----------



## Schrody (Oct 11, 2015)

Journey without return, past that hasn't happened yet.


----------



## Minu (Nov 11, 2015)

*Thriller* - MC has to choose between others or his brother. 

*Horror *- a rather paranoid individual whom has good reason [he's a werewolf]. 

*Sci-fi / Fantasy* - one sentence isn't enough.


----------



## Blue (Feb 26, 2016)

A group of Supernatural revolutionaries try to survive their crazily insane, grey world.


----------



## Shbooblie (Apr 10, 2016)

A man ruins his life, meets a girl and ruins hers too.

_Happy, happy times! :welcoming:_


----------



## Sleepwriter (Apr 10, 2016)

One man's journey in a world gone mad.


----------



## Hairball (Apr 11, 2016)

Twenty-five years in the Army never prepared me for working at Walmart.


----------



## Ultraroel (Apr 11, 2016)

Established races fight for supremacy with newborn race that only wants to destroy and enslave.


----------



## bdcharles (Apr 12, 2016)

~ * ~
​ 
Being a saga of intercontinental war, grand deceptions, crumbling  cityscapes, great leaps forward, families rent asunder, outlandish  flying contrivances, curious magical artefacts, doomed romances, fantastic beasts so huge you'll scream, and  a handful of ordinary citizens trying to wrestle back control of their  lives in a far-distant otherworld that seems to be on the brink of  falling to bits both geopolitically and physically.


----------



## Smith (Apr 13, 2016)

A group of high-school seniors go to Montreal for spring break, learning more about themselves and one another while having the time of their lives.


----------



## Mermaid (May 29, 2016)

From clone to human, Refujio's hidden identity makes him struggle with his humanity as he falls in love.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


----------



## KThoughts (May 30, 2016)

Everybody has a tragic story, dies and everyone has a cheesy romance oh yes... and mind bending stuff you won't ever expect


----------



## oenanthe (May 31, 2016)

A dangerous infection troubling an army doctor's veterans and a journalist's murder are connected to the truth behind a recent war.


----------



## Miseo (Jun 4, 2016)

_"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

_Basically my story.


----------



## J Anfinson (Jun 17, 2016)

The son of a wealthy man returns to his hometown to inherit his fortune and accidentally unleashes hell upon the town, which leads a Viet Nam veteran on a path to face the fears of his past.


----------



## Schrody (Jun 19, 2016)

Miseo said:


> _"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
> 
> _Basically my story.



That's two sentences :mrgreen:


----------



## RowanBlack (Jun 28, 2016)

"A young girl sent away by her father in a political marriage learns the world isn't at all what it seems."


----------



## aurora borealis (Jun 28, 2016)

In a world that executes witches, a runaway witch must deal with the distrust that results when her fellow witches discover that her father is in charge of their persecution.


----------



## Smith (Jun 29, 2016)

Their lives polarized by radical misogyny and misandry, by terrorism and a holocaust, a young man and young lady of extreme-opposite ends of the spectrum learn that the truth lies somewhere in the center.


----------



## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Jun 30, 2016)

A space vampire and his former lover collaboratively tell the story (as it is unfolding) of two kingdoms who must unite to battle the forces of Hell.

(It's a story told in poetry with multiple threads, so that doesn't cover everything, but I think it summarizes it well)


----------



## HalfRail (Jul 3, 2016)

#1. Magic created the multiverse, the multiverse created them, and their fates were sealed before they were born.

#2. She's a murdering, high speeding, drug dealing, one-night stand having, easy-going woman, and she's your host to 111.7 "Worlds greatest radio".


----------



## Schrody (Jul 6, 2016)

HalfRail said:


> #1. Magic created the multiverse, the multiverse created them, and their fates were sealed before they were born.
> 
> #2. She's a murdering, high speeding, drug dealing, one-night stand having, easy-going woman, and she's your host to 111.7 "Worlds greatest radio".



I like #1


----------



## Bard_Daniel (Jul 7, 2016)

Miseo said:


> _"He who fights monsters should see to it that  he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an  abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."_



That is my favorite Nietzsche quote! : D

A desperate man visits a dream clinic to tap into the layers of his subconscious in an attempt to find out who he really is.


----------



## AquaRoxas (Jul 25, 2016)

A war between a terrorist organization and the military takes place in a far-off planet, half a century after the Earth ended.


----------



## felixm (Jul 25, 2016)

Just remove "Brian" to give the intro a darker, sharper look.


----------



## Zorg (Jul 26, 2016)

_The Razor's Edge_ meets Sam Shepard and Thomas Pynchon.


----------



## Tettsuo (Aug 2, 2016)

Former teacher turned super soldier fights for the life of her friends and finds love for herself, and of herself.


----------



## DATo (Aug 13, 2016)

Veni, vidi vomitus. (I came, I saw, I threw up.)


----------



## Ultraroel (Aug 15, 2016)

Former squadleader decides to find a non-violent way to create peace, becomes a intermediaire to establish understanding among several factions.


----------



## shivanib (Aug 20, 2016)

Evolution took a different turn and made women stronger and taller than men.


----------



## msjhord (Sep 6, 2016)

What the hell just happened?


----------



## Smith (Sep 11, 2016)

Two characters unknowingly cross paths several times, until finally uniting to right the wrongs of their pasts.


----------



## Winston (Sep 11, 2016)

(With deepest respect to D.A., RIP)

Mostly Harmless.


----------



## KThoughts (Dec 20, 2016)

Being ordinary is a key to eternal fantasy


----------



## Plasticweld (Dec 20, 2016)

If you can't die doing it...what's the point?


----------



## JustRob (Dec 20, 2016)

Plasticweld said:


> If you can't die doing it...what's the point?



Practice?


----------



## Sam (Dec 20, 2016)

A team of Spec Ops soldiers are tasked with killing a high-value target in a remote U.S. location, but find out that the man they've killed is none other than the President and they've been framed for his murder.

(That's my current WiP novel).


----------



## DruidPeter (Dec 20, 2016)

This post has been deleted by the user.


----------



## Rairice (Dec 22, 2016)

On the brink of war, two heroes, from opposing sides, must join forces to bring an end to Draconian genocide.:hopelessness:


----------



## Bishop (Dec 22, 2016)

Three mistrusting treasure hunters on a quest to step into the afterlife--and only one of them knows that's the goal.


----------



## Teozak (Dec 29, 2016)

" They come from all over the world, two voices force them to survive the unknown, a village where everything becomes possible "

" Something is interfering with reality, two worlds are about to meet and suddenly your own neighbors become the enemy "


----------



## JustRob (Jan 3, 2017)

A man wishes to be able to see every possible future so that he can make choices for a perfect life, but when his wish is granted he discovers that his life would have been perfect only if it hadn't been granted.


----------



## bdcharles (Jan 3, 2017)

My story pits emerging technology against magic in a strange and alluring continent, and asks: what happens when we drop bombs on fairyland?


----------



## Terry D (Jan 3, 2017)

For my current WIP; Convinced she is being stalked by a serial killer, a freelance journalist turns to her estranged brother -- an ex-FBI agent turned private investigator -- for help.


----------



## jable1066 (Jan 26, 2017)

_‘A hopelessly inadequate God comes to terms with his powers in order to save a world in grave danger’_


----------



## wulfAlpha (Feb 6, 2017)

Here is one I'm working on: A world war ii. Vet turned private detective must solve crimes with clues he finds on his own dead body.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## questioner (Mar 20, 2017)

*The only story I want to share is, why I was born? I now feel after seventy four years I might have found those thoughts. The word worth comes to me, like a morning sun instead of a evening sun. Every day is a new day with another experience for us to think about. Can we senior citizens give everyone we meet information that is going to (make their day better). The answer to that question is, yes, we can, with a smile and positive outcome on them from our experiences. For having a beautiful day we should be as positive as we can because ones negative can be drastic to them. It's how we feel about that day or problems that we allow to haunt us. Smiling changes problems that make us negativity *:unconscious: *right? questioner*


----------



## Dave Watson (Mar 20, 2017)

Current novel in progress...

In the old west, a former bounty hunter goes postal after a psychopath kills his son and kidnaps his daughter.


----------



## Jedi Knight Muse (Mar 28, 2017)

> A mage is accused of murder and flees for his life. His best friend risks everything to prove his innocence.



I'm horrible at trying to come up with these things. :| It doesn't help that there's more to it than that, but it's hard to fit it into twenty words or less.


----------



## JaneC (Mar 29, 2017)

MY current WIP:

A woman longing to belong, a man trying to save his people; both determined to be strong for the other while evil threatens all they hold dear.


----------



## violinguy (Apr 9, 2017)

An as of yet untitled heist novel:

A talented magician and cunning jewel thief is on the run after unknowingly stealing from a ruthless crime boss.


----------



## C.Gholy (May 23, 2017)

An old lady lives in what she believes to be an enchanted nursing home, whilst trying to remember her family.


----------



## Penless (May 26, 2017)

JaneC said:


> A woman longing to belong, a man trying to save his people; both determined to be strong for the other while evil threatens all they hold dear.



I like the structure; very crisp. 

Have  you considered making it less generic? There's nothing which really grabs me.
I feel like half the fantasy  books I've read could fit that description, and would probably scroll on if I were skimming for a new book. 



violinguy said:


> A talented magician and cunning jewel thief is on the run after unknowingly stealing from a ruthless crime boss.



The premise tentatively hooked me, so I might turn the book over and take a read of the blurb. 

However I was put off by the 'and cunning jewel thief' I think it would be neater to only describe one of these traits. Or if you must include both, perhaps 'a spell-wielding jewel thief' or other similar way of structuring it without the conjunction. Us modern kids like simple sentences. Conjunctions strain our feeble attention spans. 



C.Gholy said:


> An old lady lives in what she believes to be an  enchanted nursing home, whilst trying to remember her family.



Intriguing premise. I'd be keen to read a longer synopsis. 

I feel it would benefit from being more concise. 
Have you considered changing 'old lady' to something more descriptive like 'ancient grandma / decrepit scientist / old milkmaid' ?


----------



## wulfAlpha (Jun 7, 2017)

A War hero turned Merc, a pirate who survived being spaced, and the last member of the alien species that nearly destroyed humanity set out to steal a Super Dreadnought and discover the most destructive weapon ever created.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JerichoUndying (Jun 15, 2017)

I honestly hadn't even thought about writing my pitch. I will give this a great deal of thought, and post when I feel I have gotten it down in a way that does my story justice. Thanks


----------



## MagicalTwixters (Jun 25, 2017)

Even with a magical realm in chaos, Remy is sure that none of her flames will ever die. But what is the price of life?


----------



## Jessica Stemmer (Jul 11, 2017)

A woman's fiance is brutally murdered, causing her to stop at nothing to discover his killer, even if it costs her soul.


----------



## Fowly (Sep 3, 2017)

A young girl discovers her past buried in the new world she is about to explore.


----------



## Roac (Sep 7, 2017)

When given the opportunity to live his dream, George Hanson comes face to face with reality.


----------



## qat (Sep 17, 2017)

The promise of biological immortality threatens to destroy humankind. 

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Tapatalk


----------



## BryanJ62 (Sep 21, 2017)

Nuts, why didn't I think of this.  

Okay. Here we go......"An alien from a far away planet learns about life from a dying little girl."


----------



## Kreegen (Sep 22, 2017)

If your world is ending, does it matter if everyone else's does too?

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## Bilston Blue (Oct 10, 2017)

The one-liner I've been using as part of my novel's submission package:

_"A family shattered by the death of a child, then shamed by the acts  of another, must heal when the vital heartbeat of their town is  threatened."_


----------



## AlyssaJJ (Oct 11, 2017)

Writing mom. Even less, then a sentence:cupcake:


----------



## BryanJ62 (Oct 11, 2017)

These are some amazing amazing sentences. Now I want to read all of them.


----------



## JJBuchholz (Oct 15, 2017)

About the story I just recently finished:

_"1937 and 2017 collide in an unsolved mystery that spans decades...."


_​-JJB


----------



## Moonbeast32 (Oct 22, 2017)

A lone young man rises to bring order and justice to a lawless planet


----------



## Birb (Nov 13, 2017)

Hm. 

A boy is corrupted by the devil to destroy the human race but doesn't want to.

or maybe

A god is summoned by a group looking for power, but he doesn't want to be alive.


----------



## moderan (Nov 14, 2017)

I see a man sitting on a chair, and the chair is biting his leg. Thank you, Robert Sheckley and Harlan Ellison.


----------



## C.Gholy (Nov 17, 2017)

The fairy empress is pissed.


----------



## MJ Preston (Dec 1, 2017)

I love this―I hate this―I'm brilliant―this sucks―I wonder if this is an effective use of an EM Dash.
--MJ Preston
Third Draft Blues


----------



## andrewclunn (Dec 1, 2017)

It was their last summer together, they just didn't know it yet.


----------



## moderan (Dec 2, 2017)

"There's no business like grow business."


----------



## Memo Train (Dec 5, 2017)

Pretty neato, it does not have any guns.


----------



## Birb (Dec 6, 2017)

For the first time in my life, my father said goodbye when he left me that day.


----------



## craft.ohmeghon (Dec 29, 2017)

This was a SUPER helpful thread to find. I have so many subplots planned with one massive jumble of characters and this really helped me sort out exactly which stories I was trying to write. Turns out I have a lot of condensing to do... because I ended up with lots of single sentences that add up to one convoluted plot!

Amidst two countries at war, and while an unsleeping threat grows beyond their borders:
- Makarian spies must choose between their mission or the orphaned children of their late squad-mates
- A hatred fuelled rebellion sparks tension between humans and dragon-kin during a cultural celebration
- Mafia style gang violence threatens to throw a businesswoman out onto the streets - she desperately seeks a helping hand
- A doppelganger investigates a murder scene, and makes an innocent face wanted for treason 
- A crew of outcasts struggle to make a living that doesn't involve them in violence or crime
And all the while the horrifying details about the government's human experimentation come to light... 

And now to make a timeline of events I guess, and cut out the sub-plots that don't add real meat to the story. What a delicious exercise <3


----------



## Riptide (Dec 29, 2017)

Super Duck

Two opposing groups wants to save the world, but only one is right, and it's up to Super Duck to make sure that one isn't blown to bits.

Overshot

A plan millenniums in the making is coming to fruition, except the key player has a case of amnesia when she travels in time to fulfill her role.


----------



## JJBuchholz (Dec 29, 2017)

'An Earthforce captain teams up with an old friend to head off a group of renegades bent on revenge and destruction.'

-JJB


----------



## Dan C (Jan 15, 2018)

Here is my first ever log line:

'A billionaire software magnate recruits three amateur sleuths to help solve one of the galaxy's biggest mysteries.'


----------



## bookmasta (Jan 15, 2018)

Imploding supernovae hearts (technically a sentence fragment).


----------



## seigfried007 (Jan 21, 2018)

Joanna's Big Secret

Troubled girl molests toy android, who must now cope with situations he was not designed to withstand while attempting to solve the riddle of why she is behaving abnormally.


----------



## HonourShockz (Jan 22, 2018)

What if the gods of Olympus lost the great Titan war and were exiled by Kronos?


----------



## bookmasta (Jan 23, 2018)

HonourShockz said:


> What if the gods of Olympus lost the great Titan war and were exiled by Kronos?



You could totally write like into a series like Riordan's Percy Jackson series, except with the set of gods in power flipped and maybe have an altered version of the lore that followed to accommodate the Olympians losing.


----------



## ScarletM.Sinclaire (Feb 16, 2018)

Two Celestials from different worlds cross paths, one with darkness, another cursed; both are granted one wish but only one can have it.


----------



## A Stranger's Mind (Feb 17, 2018)

A man recalls the story of a lost boy wandering the lands of the demonic and departed to find his way home.


----------



## JJBuchholz (Feb 17, 2018)

'In a city held hostage by an unknown terrorist organization, two vigilantes fight through lies, corruption, and deceit to save millions from certain disaster.....'

-JJB


----------



## Pepys (Feb 22, 2018)

Oh my Lord, everyone's one liners are so much better than mine! Here's the best I can come up with:

*A child-killer hiding in plain sight, grooming his next victim and about to strike, tries to shake off a discredited ex-cop's dogged pursuit. *

If anyone can reword that any better, I'd love to hear your suggestions!


----------



## NathanielleC (Feb 25, 2018)

Pepys said:


> Oh my Lord, everyone's one liners are so much better than mine! Here's the best I can come up with:
> 
> *A child-killer hiding in plain sight, grooming his next victim and about to strike, tries to shake off a discredited ex-cop's dogged pursuit. *
> 
> If anyone can reword that any better, I'd love to hear your suggestions!



It's as effective as anything I could come up with.

*A single pig could fix all of the mistakes her father made, but is the crown princess willing to pay the price if it means hurting one of her subjects? *


----------



## _Koriko_ (Mar 12, 2018)

A war between three sides, terrorism, freedom, and control.


----------



## senecaone (Mar 12, 2018)

An impossible task, but I may give it a try, one day.


----------



## shouthuzzah (Mar 16, 2018)

A set of twins, one sick and one small, were not destined for adventure but snuck onto the ship anyway.


----------



## Sir-KP (Mar 19, 2018)

Hey, I remember my college professor used to ask us to create a story and form a sentence that wraps everything up (which he forgot to test us with).
So bear with me, let me try this. lol

"Strangled by entanglement, a degenerate must choose to save his friendship and career or people he used to dearly know about." -- Sir-KP


----------



## nadiiiiiiii (Apr 16, 2018)

the last thing I wrote was an article: Creating a stunning presentation without the conventional presentation tools


----------



## Tangier_Island (Apr 22, 2018)

A young waterman who lost his father at sea made a promise to his dad and then he met her.


----------



## Albo Ari (May 8, 2018)

A mature child embedded with an existential mind, has his back facing normality , straying towards a peculiar death wish which involves killing the needful.


----------



## FireofDarkness (May 9, 2018)

An orphan fights to reclaim the kingdom from her parent’s killer, the new king.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Fine_Man42 (May 13, 2018)

Lydia traverses the wild world of her dreams to find the truth about herself and her family, meanwhile a nightmarish monster terrorizes her hometown.

If anyone has any suggestions for how to tighten it up or make it better, go ahead :fat:


----------



## Annoying kid (May 13, 2018)

Elves and Fairies wage war against the creator of the universe in a battle to protect the freedom of every being across reality.


----------



## Chainspell (May 14, 2018)

Noudia discovers the truth about the video game she plays to escape real life.


----------



## Sum Dude (May 17, 2018)

There is no werewolf equivalent to Dracula and Anuron was going to change that.


----------



## Rhymetravilla (May 26, 2018)

A man returns from his mistress one morning to find that his wife has been murdered and his children kidnapped.


----------



## pslater1972 (Jun 3, 2018)

A story of love and dancing.


----------



## nightswim (Jun 3, 2018)

A high schooler and her estranged friends come together to solve an infamous local mystery.


----------



## NaiveBoy (Jun 11, 2018)

Boy and girl falls for each other, but the story ends in heartbreak for both.


----------



## Trio the Punch (Jun 18, 2018)

A boy and his rabbit try to make a home in a strange, cruel city.


----------



## JJBuchholz (Jun 18, 2018)

"One man reflects on the rise of technology, and the downturn of human interaction."

-JJB


----------



## MatthewSteele (Jun 18, 2018)

Thirteen years after the Shift and the Awakening War life has returned to normal, until Alibaster is told that he will be Changing.


----------



## bookmasta (Jun 19, 2018)

The emberous possibility of hope turned to reality and the realms of probability being shifted into actuality.


----------



## Aschendale (Jul 8, 2018)

"A part-time spiritualist and full-time fraud has to battle the bureaucracy of Hell after being accidentally summoned as a demon."

20 words


----------



## APM1211 (Jul 10, 2018)

Pushed to her breaking point, it’s time her bully knows how she feels!


----------



## Aschendale (Jul 10, 2018)

APM1211 said:


> Pushed to her breaking point, it’s time her bully knows how she feels!


I'm getting the image of a book targeted at late elementary school/junior high students, kind of an after-school special type of thing with a message about getting along with your peers. If that's what you're going for, well-done.


----------



## BoardKitty (Jul 10, 2018)

Trio the Punch said:


> A boy and his rabbit try to make a home in a strange, cruel city.


Interesting choice in pet! I want to read this book...

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Jonthom (Jul 15, 2018)

The Spirit Science Research Institute takes on the world.


----------



## VermilionBedsheets (Jul 17, 2018)

An old man attends the funeral of his husband and reminisces about their life up to this point.


----------



## Writer-1 (Jul 19, 2018)

A retired hitman goes on a moral crusade in order to avenge his son's murder and find peace within himself.

Twenty on the money!!!


----------



## QuixoteDelMar (Jul 21, 2018)

A group of magically gifted children must finish the war thier parents started.

Or

A disparate band of soldier must deal with the fallout of a war-torn future - in the past.

Or

A gladiator is drafted as an agent of the empire in a gambit to undermine the threat of a traitorous mage.

Or

Teenagers from different eras must work together to solve the mystery of thier haunted town.

Depends which one I'm working on this minute I guess.


----------



## Malachi (Aug 1, 2018)

One Gun Salute
Story 1- A man's encounter with death leads him to redefine his meaning of truth.

Elinadria - Novel
Story 2- Scarred and disgisued, a man must discover the meaning of his own past in order to save his people.

Three death lesson
Story 3- A Father's struggle with drugs, jail, money, and his own death.


----------



## fschutt (Sep 20, 2018)

Involuntary android fights against his own program in apocalyptic scenery.

Wait for me, David Cage!


----------



## Guard Dog (Sep 20, 2018)

An ordinary fellow discovers he's been picked to straighten out a little problem for the creators of "all that is" in this reality.




G.D.


----------



## ChloeRose (Oct 26, 2018)

It's a good life, just not the one I would have chosen.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Oct 27, 2018)

Even the bad guys are living life the best they can.


----------



## DarkGhost (Oct 30, 2018)

A Soldier must fight against former friends when he discovers the government released a virus for population control.


----------



## J.A Darling (Nov 12, 2018)

“World peace, achieved after years of war; shattered in a day by a conspiracy darker than anyone realized.”

This is my “elevator pitch” for a book I’m about half(ish) way through writing. Looking for any feedback you guys can offer on it.


----------



## Smoppet (Nov 13, 2018)

Ballet instructor wants to divorce her husband and ends up tangled with a psychotic mob boss.

Sent from my SM-S120VL using Tapatalk


----------



## Reynard (Nov 15, 2018)

A wizard is denied a bank loan, one thing leads to another and he ends up helping to establish a new monarchy.

As well as...

A man with a famous toothbrush mustache is accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and goes on to conquer the world or architecture.


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 16, 2018)

I'll have to admit, on the other hand, that when I tried condensing to a single sentence, the book died on the cutting room floor. I have two protagonists and a villain, it takes two sentences to work them in, three to build the main story arc, and about four before the genre becomes apparent.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Nov 18, 2018)

Dluuni said:


> I'll have to admit, on the other hand, that when I tried condensing to a single sentence, the book died on the cutting room floor. I have two protagonists and a villain, it takes two sentences to work them in, three to build the main story arc, and about four before the genre becomes apparent.



I think we are about getting the essence of the book here, I said "Even the bad guys are living life the best they can.", that gives no idea of the characters, plot or location, to do that I would have to write more than one sentence also, but it does describe the essential philosophy behind it, and behind a lot of my stories. Very few people are deliberately bad.


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 19, 2018)

Right. I understand that the central goal has to be pinned down. I'm less sure whether, for instance, in a contemporary romance the central goal would be the relationship, or the events that happen that push the protagonists together. 

My story right now looks like "V1 wants to use V1's knowledge about P1 to drive P1 out of town, and P2 must find the clues to help P1 uncover V1".


----------



## Olly Buckle (Nov 19, 2018)

> My story right now looks like "V1 wants to use V1's knowledge about P1 to drive P1 out of town, and P2 must find the clues to help P1 uncover V1".


The language of contemporary romance has changed since my day    Could I translate this as "A romantic tangle involving groups of people who attack and defend each other" ?


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 19, 2018)

Heh. I tag characters as P(rotagonist)1, P(rotagonist)2, V(illain)1, A(lly)1 etc in my notes as shorthand. It's a basic romance without triangles with an external threat from a third party via indirect social coercion.


----------



## Guard Dog (Nov 19, 2018)

Dluuni said:


> Heh. I tag characters as P(rotagonist)1, P(rotagonist)2, V(illain)1, A(lly)1 etc in my notes as shorthand. It's a basic romance without triangles with an external threat from a third party via indirect social coercion.



So more of "A personal vendetta against an unsuspecting(?) victim, and assistance (rescue/salvation?) from an unexpected(?) quarter"?

Knowing nothing of the status or knowledge of each character prompted the question marks. 



G.D.


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 20, 2018)

I'm just not sure how to define it as a single plot in brief format without making one of the romantic partners disappear, and they do a lot of the heavy lifting in the story.


----------



## Someguyorwhateverwhocares (Nov 24, 2018)

Tim tries to have fun, ruins life for everyone else, repeat.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Nov 25, 2018)

Someguyorwhateverwhocares said:


> Tim tries to have fun, ruins life for everyone else, repeat.



That actually sounds like it could be fun, a P.G. Wodehouse sort of thing.


welcome to the forum, Someguyorwhateverwhocares, bet that gets shortened to 'Some guy...'


----------



## Guard Dog (Nov 25, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> welcome to the forum, Someguyorwhateverwhocares, bet that gets shortened to 'Some guy...'



I already do more than enough typing, so he gets "SG" and that's it. :apathy:




G.D.


----------



## Someguyorwhateverwhocares (Nov 25, 2018)

It's a medieval fantasy and things get out of hand, no spoilers though.

And call me whatever's easiest, makes no difference to me. I'm of the belief that ideas and stories should be able to stand on their own merits, hence the name.


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 26, 2018)

Anyways, with hammering to separate levels of short form...
"Girl meets stealth trans boy in an isolated town, and gets swept up in the extortion attempt against him."
(Stealth: when someone doesn't reveal their past to the people around them for various reasons.)


----------



## Guard Dog (Nov 26, 2018)

Since revisiting this thread, I've thought more on my own story, and think this might be better than my first go at it:

"You and everyone else are going to die, or be enslaved for all eternity, unless a tired old man decides to try and prevent it."

If I got a second line, it would be:

"And don't bother praying to your creators; they will be suffering the same fate if he fails."




G.D.


----------



## Jeko (Nov 26, 2018)

What if spirits and demons were simply tenants who lived in your house, and exorcists were just the people who came to evict them?


----------



## Olly Buckle (Nov 28, 2018)

Guard Dog said:


> "You and everyone else are going to die, or be enslaved for all eternity, unless a tired old man decides to try and prevent it."
> 
> If I got a second line, it would be:
> 
> ...


Oh no, how hard do I have to try? I am really not sure I can be bothered.


----------



## Guard Dog (Nov 28, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Oh no, how hard do I have to try? I am really not sure I can be bothered.



Probably a good thing that neither one of us are the tired old man in question. 

'Cause I'm just as likely to laugh and say "Y'all are screwed now", if I were the one it was all depending on. :wink:

There's also another line I remember from somewhere: "When you send somebody to save the world, you'd better be sure they like it the way it is."




G.D.


----------



## Jakov (Dec 2, 2018)

Capable, intelligent young people facing betrayal, lies and war.


----------



## NathanielleC (Dec 7, 2018)

Immortality comes in a pill, but it's only available to felons with consecutive life sentences.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Dec 8, 2018)

NathanielleC said:


> Immortality comes in a pill, but it's only available to felons with consecutive life sentences.


Not, presumably, whole life sentences?


----------



## NathanielleC (Dec 8, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Not, presumably, whole life sentences?



This guy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Barghouti

Would not be allowed to die until every last second of his sentence was served.


----------



## shirphillips91 (Dec 25, 2018)

such a wonderful life


----------



## Olly Buckle (Dec 26, 2018)

shirphillips91 said:


> such a wonderful life



Ahh, fantasy then?


----------



## AphantasicOwl (Dec 26, 2018)

In a quest to validate her identity, a woman journeys into a world of administrivia and outsider sabotage


----------



## Cunningstuff (Jan 1, 2019)

Human evolution never considers that it will be replaced by something greater.


----------



## elissasmart (Jan 18, 2019)

She was so passionate about self-actualization that she lost the main point of life.


----------



## Tim (Jan 29, 2019)

An ordinary farm managers life is turned upside down, when he sees his girlfriend kill two Algerian hit-men.


----------



## Kaioh (Feb 3, 2019)

Tales of a formerly unhinged group of miscreants struggling to keep their middle ground and morality in the midst of radical political unrest that eventually destroys their country from the inside out.


----------



## Genesee (Feb 5, 2019)

A college student is given an opportunity to figure out if she has the guts to be an actor and make in on stage or just take the easy road.


----------



## James Wolfe (Feb 24, 2019)

Hard headed Princess must learn to give up her life of adventure.


----------



## quillman (Mar 4, 2019)

Saving the world from the estrangement of humankind from the natural world.

I know, hardly a sexy elevator speech, but this sentence pretty much encapsulates it...


----------



## MichelD (Mar 12, 2019)

Martin recalls seeing a murder when he was thirteen but is not sure if it is a dream or real so he returns to his home town 40 years later to find out.


----------



## gene (Mar 13, 2019)

I really like your one sentence describing your book. I thought about how to describe my book in one sentence but gave up, so I decided to post a sentence from fantasy book The Ethereals.

Na'tane's eyes flashed like a stun grenade, they both dropped their swords screaming, "My eyes, my eyes I can't see!" Bendal didn't hesitate, he picked up a sword killing them both.


----------



## Squalid Glass (Mar 14, 2019)

Two countries engrossed in extremism; two people trying to connect.


----------



## Amnesiac (Mar 15, 2019)

'T'is a literary journey that unfolds like an origami crane, and involves a great many people with lots of weapons who are in foul moods and wear terribly silly hats and carry sack lunches that their mothers packed for them.... and... ah....

Well, anyway... I need to go get some writing done.


----------



## rayhensley (Mar 19, 2019)

Filipino vampire eats baby. Is killed by little girl.


----------



## Amnesiac (Mar 19, 2019)

Disconnected: Lonely expatriate engages in a phone relationship with a woman whom he discovers is a ghost.

The Wolf: Little Red Riding Hood told from the perspective of the wolf who becomes her protector.

Alt: When the lines between virtual reality and physical reality begin to blur, three young people embark on a heist that could cost them their lives.

The Note: A teen discovers a three-day old suicide note written by a friend that he's just been hanging out with; a friend that's been dead for three days.

Punch: An insurance salesman begins to lose his mind and starts punching everyone who angers or frustrates him, including panhandlers, until he cuts one of his knuckles on his boss's teeth, contracts an awful infection, and ends up living on the street, panhandling.

Ghost Light: A young man visits his estranged grandfather and is embroiled in an adventure of time, great machinery, storms, a secret passage, and all of it set against the eerie backdrop of St. Elmo's Fire.


----------



## Stormcat (Mar 21, 2019)

Here's mine:

Reluctant bride enlists in a war against a monochromatic theocratic regime, the same one that forced her to marry against her will.


----------



## Riptide (Mar 23, 2019)

Acorn: One of the few who has not been mind-wiped during the collision or two timelines to reproduce of a new one, Riley must maneuver this world without arising suspicion as she searches for a way to revert the collision.


----------



## Arademus (Mar 28, 2019)

A red-eyed tree frog pirate, Captain Shortstuff, is converted to Christianity by a tribe of island mice.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 28, 2019)

Arademus said:


> A red-eyed tree frog pirate, Captain Shortstuff, is converted to Christianity by a tribe of island mice.



Welcome to the forum, good to see some different ideas


----------



## Phil Istine (Mar 29, 2019)

A wannabe writer joins a writing forum, reads a load of tips, and begins his journey into delusions of competence.


----------



## Bardling (Apr 9, 2019)

In a world devastated by the return of magic, a young woman is given a chance to gain power beyond her dreams if she dares to take it.


----------



## James Wolfe (Apr 9, 2019)

A Crowned Princess finds her carefree days of adventure coming to an end as family and duty call.


----------



## willowarc (Apr 10, 2019)

A wartorn pilot searches to find a new planet for hir people while being separated from hir family. 

(Note: 'hir' is intentional, the main character is non-binary.)


----------



## Olly Buckle (Apr 10, 2019)

willowarc said:


> (Note: 'hir' is intentional, the main character is non-binary.)


I got it was intentional when it was repeated, but does 'non-binary' mean 'family' is parents and siblings, or can hi still reproduce?


----------



## meegads (Apr 18, 2019)

Newly widowed, a woman must find a way to save herself before she loses it all.


----------



## Dluuni (Apr 19, 2019)

Olly Buckle said:


> I got it was intentional when it was repeated, but does 'non-binary' mean 'family' is parents and siblings, or can hi still reproduce?


Nonbinary is transgender "It's complicated". They can be assigned female, male, or intersex, and they may or may not be doing anything medical to transition. Even with transitioning, families are possible, my husband has a biological daughter. Adoptive children, siblings, parents, etc. are also possible. The details are mostly unimportant.

WIP will be drafted by Monday at this rate, so my next piece is:

A queer woman placates then flees her abusive father with her closeted transgender girlfriend of convenience.


----------



## Bard_Daniel (Apr 19, 2019)

One of the short stories I'm working on:

Two amateur private detectives investigate a retired professor with ties to WW2 Germany.


----------



## kellir3288 (Apr 21, 2019)

Knowing that this life she is living isn't good for her kids or her, she struggles through difficult times to become a better person and a better mother.


----------



## unveiledartist (Apr 23, 2019)

Daughter cures her mother's insanity by finding the biological parents of a deceased child her mother adopted and claimed as its mother


----------



## lenvillecards (May 13, 2019)

It takes a malevolent entity to save a galaxy in chaos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Rojack79 (May 15, 2019)

Waking up after the end of the world, one man go's on a quest to save what remains of humanity.

Yeah 20 words!


----------



## Alpine (May 19, 2019)

After a long-absent monster returns to their town, the royal family must destroy it before it destroys them.


----------



## Chris Stevenson (May 19, 2019)

An ancient dream catcher gets even with four teenagers.


----------



## Taitus (May 23, 2019)

The reincarnation of a hero god is a set of twins, seperate destinys must come together as one.


----------



## L2me (May 27, 2019)

My brother was murdered, now I must decide what man I am and choose between justice and vengeance.

18 phew...


----------



## Olly Buckle (May 27, 2019)

Welcome to the forum L2me. I like that format, people confuse the two so often. I see people on the television all the time saying 'I just want justice ...' when they don't, they want revenge. One of the Law Lords once defined justice as 'The best outcome for all the parties involved, the victim, the perpetrator, and the society.


----------



## Bard_Daniel (May 31, 2019)

New one:

A privately owned facility, run by Xandrex Industries, is shaken to the core when an infiltration attempt gone awry (which puts the facility in lock-down) unleashes the force of the experiments upon everyone present.


----------



## L2me (Jun 17, 2019)

No one knows her name, she wants to keep everyone at arms length, she surly, mean and now I know why, I understand.


----------



## L2me (Jun 17, 2019)

The two seem mutually exclusive. Watching the news a man who wife was murdered said 'They should be treated like animals.' I've never understood that saying. My dogs literally asleep in front of the fire looking pretty please with herself?


----------



## Bard_Daniel (Jun 20, 2019)

A parasitic, military-grade bio-weapon gets loose at a secluded facility.


----------



## Rojack79 (Jun 22, 2019)

In order to restore peace to the multiverse one man must become a legend.


----------



## Insolitus (Jun 24, 2019)

Horror story; Alien meets Call of Chthulhu


----------



## BlackDragon (Jun 24, 2019)

Does it count as one sentence when you use a semicolon? I suppose that's a question for the grammaticians...  As for mine:

One world, one thousand gods, three youths on a journey of discovery.


----------



## Periander (Jun 27, 2019)

Speaking of being grammatically correct...does that count as a sentence if it doesn't have a verb, Dragon?  Haha, I'm just giving you a hard time.  Your premise sounds intriguing.


----------



## Stormcat (Jun 27, 2019)

I'm thinking of Fleshing out an old creative writing assignment of mine. Here's the summary:

Yggdrasil: A tree grows in Brooklyn... and never stops until it has absorbed all life on earth.


----------



## LCLee (Jun 29, 2019)

Daniel fights bio-genocide, with a crew of misfits.


----------



## Rojack79 (Jun 30, 2019)

The Old Gods are dead. Now new ones must rise up and take there mantels once again.


----------



## Bmad (Jul 1, 2019)

A distant world mired in evolutionary turmoil in an endless cycle of life and destruction about to change from an unknown influence.


----------



## tzebley (Jul 2, 2019)

Five foster brothers running a Security & Investigation firm, all fighting for answers and justice.


----------



## Kittenskysong (Jul 10, 2019)

A girl is cursed to have gems fall from her mouth, goes on road trip with friends to find cure.

Sent from my 9027W using Tapatalk


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## Rojack79 (Jul 13, 2019)

In 14th century Europe one man is tasked by God to rid the world of evil, at any cost.


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## Olly Buckle (Jul 13, 2019)

Rojack79 said:


> In 14th century Europe one man is tasked by God to rid the world of evil, at any cost.



That Archbishop Arundel innit.


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## Rojack79 (Jul 14, 2019)

Olly Buckle said:


> That Archbishop Arundel innit.



Never heard of him but now I'm intrigued. Going to see if he can be used for future villain material.


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## Olly Buckle (Jul 15, 2019)

Henry the Fourth's religious hit man, ignored a Papal bull giving Oxford university immunity from church law, saw off the bishop appointed by the Pope (remember this is pre reformation) and put himself in his place. Forced intellectuals who protested suppression and the death of Richard II in prison to recant publicly. Insisted only the Church could comment on the Church, Chaucer probably died in one of his prisons for writing disrespectfully about church officials. A genuine first class evil b------d.

Edit, As an example, introduced burning alive as a punishment for heresy, English law never did stuff like that before him, they just hanged you or cut your head off, he had people hanged, cut down, revived, disembowelled, and then burnt.


----------



## Questionable (Jul 17, 2019)

In an incomprehensibly ancient world, a newly-crowned draconic Queen must pick sides in protecting a dangerous artifact - neither of the vying sides seem to be entirely truthful.

(I know, I know, longer than 20 words...  Paring any of it down seems to cut away at the impact of the various qualities in the summary!)


----------



## Rojack79 (Jul 17, 2019)

Olly Buckle said:


> Henry the Fourth's religious hit man, ignored a Papal bull giving Oxford university immunity from church law, saw off the bishop appointed by the Pope (remember this is pre reformation) and put himself in his place. Forced intellectuals who protested suppression and the death of Richard II in prison to recant publicly. Insisted only the Church could comment on the Church, Chaucer probably died in one of his prisons for writing disrespectfully about church officials. A genuine first class evil b------d.
> 
> Edit, As an example, introduced burning alive as a punishment for heresy, English law never did stuff like that before him, they just hanged you or cut your head off, he had people hanged, cut down, revived, disembowelled, and then burnt.



Wow he is grade AAA villain material. Definitely going to use him as a villain!


----------



## Bard_Daniel (Jul 17, 2019)

A lone warrior, hunting for pelts, incurs the wrath of two rangers.


----------



## caters (Jul 18, 2019)

A child gets bit by a venomous snake, but the type of snake it is, is mysterious.


----------



## quiet (Jul 23, 2019)

Two teenagers are involved in a serious car accident that forever changes their lives.


----------



## Ken11 (Jul 24, 2019)

Take a strange glimpse at good and evil.


----------



## Nom de plume (Jul 24, 2019)

The vicissitudes of school and summer, crudely put, the ostensibly perpetual exchange betwixt incarceration and liberation, to and fro, until the apt contingency of its cessation.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Jul 25, 2019)

> crudely put,





> ostensibly perpetual, incarceration, liberation, contingency, cessation.


Them crude ten cent words, makes me wonder how erudite you are when you really try   Welcome to the forum Nom de plume.


----------



## Grizzly (Jul 25, 2019)

Depictions of thirst: to be lost in the desert and hear the sound of water, to stumble onwards, allowing hope to rise — to be met with a cliff-face overlooking the ocean: saline, sterile, not even kelp or seashells. 

Sorta like a monkey paw's thing?


----------



## Tsuagon (Jul 28, 2019)

A strange but adorable creature explores a world full of mythical creatures and artificial lifeforms created by a popular Science Organization.


----------



## Rojack79 (Jul 29, 2019)

Tsuagon said:


> A strange but adorable creature explores a world full of mythical creatures and artificial lifeforms created by a popular Science Organization.


 
Oooohhh. How adorable are we taking here? Scale of 1-10.


----------



## seigfried007 (Jul 30, 2019)

Rojack79 said:


> Oooohhh. How adorable are we taking here? Scale of 1-10.



_Eleven_


----------



## sleepindawg (Aug 8, 2019)

The activities of a shapeshifter, a hybrid resulting from a meeting of a human and a member of an alien species, as he lives out his very extended lifespan.

EDIT: How well I hit with that one may require me actually getting a bit more done on the story.


----------



## JesterTRT (Aug 15, 2019)

An energetic girl tries to help her sister from a tyrant, only to find the way of life her has been taught is a lie.


----------



## Rojack79 (Aug 15, 2019)

In an effort to make the worst story ever told one man will delve into the world of ....


----------



## Rojack79 (Aug 15, 2019)

Rojack79 said:


> In an effort to make the worst story ever told one man will delve into the world of ....


 Memes, Tropes, Cliches and the Interwebs!


----------



## seigfried007 (Aug 15, 2019)

Rojack79 said:


> In an effort to make the worst story ever told one man will delve into the world of ....



The perversion of everything pure, wholesome and nostalgic. 

Screw up all characters from every (especially 1980's) child entertainment movie and TV show. Misspell their names, assign them to the wrong eras/planets/genders/species and give them the wrong personalities and motivations. Gratuitous, out-of-character, physically impossible and poorly written love scenes everywhere. Out-of-character swear words sprinkled in where they don't belong like maggots in a birthday cake. SPaG out the window. Have everyone be a promiscuous murderous alcoholic because they're adults. Obsess about their suddenly trendy out-of-character wardrobe choices. Confuse who the villains and heroes are. Insult the readers at every opportunity. Take a big crap on their childhoods in a spastic, illiterate kind of way. 

You've gotta outdo My Immortal, after all... and that did these things, pretty much.


----------



## Rojack79 (Aug 16, 2019)

seigfried007 said:


> The perversion of everything pure, wholesome and nostalgic.
> 
> Screw up all characters from every (especially 1980's) child entertainment movie and TV show. Misspell their names, assign them to the wrong eras/planets/genders/species and give them the wrong personalities and motivations. Gratuitous, out-of-character, physically impossible and poorly written love scenes everywhere. Out-of-character swear words sprinkled in where they don't belong like maggots in a birthday cake. SPaG out the window. Have everyone be a promiscuous murderous alcoholic because they're adults. Obsess about their suddenly trendy out-of-character wardrobe choices. Confuse who the villains and heroes are. Insult the readers at every opportunity. Take a big crap on their childhoods in a spastic, illiterate kind of way.
> 
> You've gotta outdo My Immortal, after all... and that did these things, pretty much.



CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!


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## Rojack79 (Aug 16, 2019)

seigfried007 said:


> The perversion of everything pure, wholesome and nostalgic.
> 
> Screw up all characters from every (especially 1980's) child entertainment movie and TV show. Misspell their names, assign them to the wrong eras/planets/genders/species and give them the wrong personalities and motivations. Gratuitous, out-of-character, physically impossible and poorly written love scenes everywhere. Out-of-character swear words sprinkled in where they don't belong like maggots in a birthday cake. SPaG out the window. Have everyone be a promiscuous murderous alcoholic because they're adults. Obsess about their suddenly trendy out-of-character wardrobe choices. Confuse who the villains and heroes are. Insult the readers at every opportunity. Take a big crap on their childhoods in a spastic, illiterate kind of way.
> 
> You've gotta outdo My Immortal, after all... and that did these things, pretty much.



Honestly I will probably not come anywhere near as close to My Immortal but I'd like to at least give it my all. I'll be going over everything that I can and picking 1-2 tropes, memes, and cliches to run with throughout the story. That could actually be a funny challenge. See if you can use the least amount of material to write the worst work of publishable fiction ever.


----------



## Haruto Neoko (Aug 19, 2019)

A girl who can't let go of the past and a boy that never had one.


----------



## CmdrTrailblazer (Sep 3, 2019)

For the series of short stories I'm working on:

"A group of people must decide the path they will take in a city drowning in corruption, beset by seemingly unexplained superpowers."

I'll call this draft #1.


----------



## charles003434 (Sep 26, 2019)

The battle of the great caves.


----------



## Amnesiac (Sep 27, 2019)

Young man breaks into a crumbling mansion and encounters a beautiful, seductive woman with a deadly secret.


----------



## seigfried007 (Sep 27, 2019)

This is so far the best, most accurate single sentence I've come up with for _Pinocchio_: 



> In this disturbing and highly sexualized retelling of the classic tale, the life of a mild-mannered family man falls to pieces after he meets a mysterious entity.



A more jokey way to put it might be: 


> "Clark Kent vs Cthulu vs Cold War 2" as played in "the D" major


----------



## Chris Stevenson (Sep 27, 2019)

An ancient, malicious dream catcher pull four teenage into an alternate webworld.


----------



## Princesisto (Sep 27, 2019)

A 2 year old child disappears from her room for 30 minutes, then suddenly reappears in a strong light: but now she's . . . different.


----------



## Dluuni (Sep 29, 2019)

A woman reconnects with her old friend, only to find that he is now a celebrity for a hateful cause they both despised—and she has to protect him.


----------



## Dluuni (Sep 29, 2019)

The one I'm editing is:
Two women face the strangling expectations of society together as an outwardly straight couple, seeking escape with the help of their families.


----------



## Tomkat (Sep 29, 2019)

This is one hell of a challenge, a bit like writing your own bio! 

_In a post-apocalyptic world, Joe is an astray survivor who unwillingly gets involved into an unlikely treasure hunt.

In the wild west, a criminal loses his purposes and wanders aimlessly pursued by an obsessed U.S. Marshal and by his own past.

Benjamin crosses the wastes of hell itself to rescue his girlfriend.

When a dark sorcerer kidnaps the princess, the fate of the realm falls on the shoulders of a phony prince and a rather stinky peasant._

How to do for stories that don't have either a major single character nor a major single plot but have a large rooster and the outcome is the product of more story-lines?
i.e. how would you do a one sentence shot for works like A Song of Ice and Fire or for the Foundation of Asimov?


----------



## Dluuni (Sep 30, 2019)

Tomkat said:


> How to do for stories that don't have either a major single character nor a major single plot..?


I have to manage on my romances which almost by definition are built out of two plots. Figure out the central thrust of the cloud. This is like back cover text, find the plot and hint it, don't start boringly listing characters.


----------



## J.T. Chris (Sep 30, 2019)

A suicidal banker who can't quite pull the trigger himself hires a firm with a knack for this sort of thing. Then he regrets it.


----------



## Gary O' (Sep 30, 2019)

Livin', lovin' every day


----------



## tepelus (Sep 30, 2019)

A vampire seeks the love and bondage of a young woman to break the chains that bind him to his abusive vampire family.


----------



## Princesisto (Oct 1, 2019)

Tomkat said:


> how would you do a one sentence shot for works like A Song of Ice and Fire or for the Foundation of Asimov?



A Song Of Ice And Fire: "A lot of people in a medieval-like fantasy world kill each other for various reasons at various times."?

Anyone wanna try War and Peace?


----------



## HandinHandTogether (Nov 4, 2019)

I am writing a non fiction book, replies here seem to be for fiction, am i welcome :sneakiness:


----------



## J.T. Chris (Nov 4, 2019)

A Pennsylvania guy buys a camel.


----------



## Dluuni (Nov 4, 2019)

HandinHandTogether said:


> I am writing a non fiction book, replies here seem to be for fiction, am i welcome :sneakiness:


You are very welcome here! This particular exercise is usually used by fiction authors, nonfiction authors usually have a much more easily defined subject. But! That's not to say that it doesn't help to define a specific mission statement for your nonfiction piece to help define the scope of your research and narrative.


----------



## Zero Hour (Nov 6, 2019)

Let's see, Ummm...

I got it. Ones that I am currently working on at the moment.

A horny couple can't have a kid unless one of them enters the galactic imperial military.

A young man escapes an abusive family, only to be plagued by PTSD, headaches, suicidal thoughts and terrified that he will hurt his new wife.

A successful general is unknowingly set up to marry the niece of the Emperor.

A change in a commanding generals mind results in a larger campaign to end a civil war early.


----------



## meinyetigerhundbaerwicht (Dec 11, 2019)

A writer's attempt to be the God of a young man's destiny slowly develops into a manipulative game.


----------



## Dan Rhys (Dec 22, 2019)

After his class is gunned down, a professor must find and kill the shooter before the police discover the unseemly details that led to the shooting.

(It didn't reach the CIBA 'Clue Awards' Semifinals for nothing)


----------



## C.Lee (Jan 12, 2020)

Los Angeles, 1942. Private detective David Cole is hired to track down a missing blackjack dealer, only to soon find himself thrown into a murder frame and onto the trail of a deadly gang of criminals flooding the streets with heroin.


----------



## REBtexas (Jan 13, 2020)

_"Fact: Exiting the Vietnam War almost overnight, a LRRP patrol was never picked up, creating the most incredible story, ever."     _


----------



## Embassy of Time (Jan 20, 2020)

No more than 20 words is the hardest part. Let's see...

Caught in a time war, Ida tries to survive discovering time travelers, while one investigates her town's significance across time.

It hurts to do that. Physically hurts...


----------



## indianroads (Jan 23, 2020)

Each of my books have a theme behind the plot - so I'll show both here:

*Dark Side of Joy:* A young boy flees Child Protective Services and finds love and pain in equal measure. _(Theme: perseverance)_

*Last Dragon:* An outlaw seeks a better life and fights to save those he loves. _(Theme: Sacrifice)_

*Departure:* An engineer battles a socialist regime while working to save humanity. _(Theme: Cunning)_

*Desperation:* A soldier wages war against tyranny aboard star ships lost in outer space. _(Theme: Integrity)_

*Damnation:* An android must deal with prejudice and defeat a brutal religion. _(Theme: Intolerance)
_

*WIP:*

*Deviation:* An escaped slave finds dignity and love while unifying humanity. _(Theme: Virtue)_


*On the horizon*:

*Destination:* Humanity unites to evolve into something new while Androids watch. _(Theme: Transformation)_


----------



## Irwin (Jan 23, 2020)

Two working class young men--both hamstrung and impeded, but close friends--try to navigate the world.


----------



## Amnesiac (Jan 24, 2020)

A young man encounters a young woman repeatedly in his dreams. Will he cross into her reality, or choose to remain in his own?

A young man finds the decrepit antebellum mansion irresistible. He meets up with the resident, an astonishingly beautiful woman, who may not be what she seems.

A young man visits his grandfather, who has always been the black sheep of the family, and finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving the manipulation of time and weather, a vanished coven of witches, a secret passage, the ocean, and the eerie light called ghost light, or St. Elmo's Fire.

I have others, but those are the ones that spring immediately to mind.


----------



## BornForBurning (Jan 25, 2020)

An interstellar teenage rockstar is stalked by a bloodthirsty cybernetic cow.


----------



## Olly Buckle (Jan 29, 2020)

BornForBurning said:


> An interstellar teenage rockstar is stalked by a bloodthirsty cybernetic cow.



The words 'stalked' and 'cow' sit poorly together, cows are, at their best, lumbering creatures, unless of course it is figurative. In that case I think I might remember her from my Teenage Rockstar days


----------



## indianroads (Jan 29, 2020)

Olly Buckle said:


> _An interstellar teenage rockstar is stalked by a bloodthirsty cybernetic cow._
> 
> 
> The words 'stalked' and 'cow' sit poorly together, cows are, at their best, lumbering creatures, unless of course it is figurative. In that case I think I might remember her from my Teenage Rockstar days



I took Bornforburning's post as humor - as such, I think it works.

ETA: Cows are also vegetarians.


----------



## BornForBurning (Jan 29, 2020)

> I took Bornforburning's post as humor - as such, I think it works.


oh no. It's 100% serious. Not joking. I just finished the rough draft. The villain is a cyborg-cow who eats teenagers.


----------



## indianroads (Jan 29, 2020)

BornForBurning said:


> oh no. It's 100% serious. Not joking. I just finished the rough draft. The villain is a cyborg-cow who eats teenagers.



A cyborg-cow that eats teenagers you say? I'm in!

McDonald's revenge? Or maybe the cow is going after vegan teenagers?


----------



## EthanWarwright (Jan 29, 2020)

Five buddies down on their luck decide it’s a good idea to rob an armored truck.


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## BornForBurning (Jan 30, 2020)

> A cyborg-cow that eats teenagers you say? I'm in!


You're welcome to critique it here in the fiction workshop.


----------



## frostypicklejuice (Feb 13, 2020)

To end a centuries-old war, Celeste has agreed to a marriage without love, but her betrothed wants to conquer, not compromise.

Or maybe

A treaty has been drawn between Vieuxmec and Donaterra, but between ambition and fey interference, peace seems farther away than ever.

Love this excercise; it's harder than it sounds!


----------



## Rojack79 (Feb 13, 2020)

A Templar Knight must work with a reincarnation of the great wolf Fenrir in order to save the world from Ragnarock.


----------



## DennisP (Feb 15, 2020)

1. Idle scion to a rich aristocratic family fantasizes that he is Batman.

2. A photographer’s digital pictures show the future 10 minutes ahead.

3. A blind artist who paints portraits by touching people’s faces, shows their emotions just by listening to their voices. 

4. A smooth-talking investment dealer must complete 200 hours of community service at the old age home of people whose pensions were affected by his dealings.

5. Three brothers try to replicate all the Marx Brothers’ movies.

6. A Muslim terrorist is awarded a scholarship to a Christian fundamentalist college.


----------



## gary wedlund (Mar 4, 2020)

Wolflike aliens are mistaken for gods by the peasant girl they try to chow upon, and there's no telling "were" things go from here.


----------



## Chris Knight (Mar 30, 2020)

A young man wakes up in another world as a wolf, with no memory of how he got there.


----------



## AustinFrom1995 (Apr 10, 2020)

A baroness from hell tried to take over the world, starting with a town with robots, aliens, powerful gemstones and teleporters. 

It's a comic series. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


----------



## jackphilipsjones (May 2, 2020)

Kingdoms will fall, crowns will shatter and Unions will be reforged - a lone King will fight for unity, but only the righteous will victor.


----------



## Justin Attas (May 10, 2020)

Staff Deployment said:


> A psychic shizophrenic rescues her sister from a dying fantasy world, and enjoys it way too much.
> An orphaned girl is adopted by an evil wizard, [strike]but forced to[/strike] and must choose [strike]between[/strike] to either join the forces of good [strike]and[/strike] or accept her new home.
> During a diplomatic mission, a former sex-bot is stranded on a planet about to be destroyed [strike]by eldritch monstrosities[/strike].
> [strike]After humanity is nearly annihilated by insect storms, three survivors struggle to fight off wave after wave of spiders.[/strike] In a post-apocalyptic world where only children can see the monsters, a teenager on the brink of puberty must pretend he's still a kid.
> An electrician who finds herself trapped in a haunted hotel must rely on its crazed residents to escape.


Dang, that first one gives some Alice through the Looking Glass feels. Love it!


----------



## Irwin (May 24, 2020)

Scientists, who believe they found the secret to time travel, test their theory, which causes the universe to implode.

Granted, it's a short story.


----------



## JJBuchholz (May 27, 2020)

A cyborg from the future goes back in time to carry out a mission, only to end up in the wrong time, with the wrong person, and further the events of the future.

-JJB


----------



## VRanger (May 28, 2020)

New to this thread, and just wondering about the expected construction of one sentence. For example, here is a sentence from a best-selling author: ;-)

*"It was not because of the food which, while it wouldn't cause any sleepless nights in the kitchens of the Savoy, was adequate enough, nor was it because of any aesthetic objections our cargo of creative artists might have entertained towards the dining saloon's decor which was, by any standards, quite superb: it was a symphony in teak furniture and wine-coloured carpets and curtains, not, admittedly, what one would look to find on the average trawler but, then, the average trawler, when its fishing days are over-as the Morning Rose's were deemed to be in 1956-doesn't have the good fortune to be re-engined and converted to a luxury yacht by, of all people, a shipping millionaire whose enthusiasm for the sea was matched only by his massive ignorance of all things nautical."
*
No, not a serious question. I just thought people would get a kick out of this sentence. LOL


----------



## Theglasshouse (May 28, 2020)

There exists a society where a special glass is invented and used that has the ability to spy on the world from trash cans to anywhere the imagination can think off.

If I only included the character's problem, it is someone who needs to save his sick sister, but wants to become rich and have power and has trouble getting all of his wishes and desires and competing needs. (rags to riches)

It's in the writing workshop. I overworked the draft to death. Just in case anyone wants to give feedback. I will return the favor as I believe in reciprocation.


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## Rojack79 (Jun 1, 2020)

A cyborg priest & a genetically created werewolf are all that stands between the post apocalyptic world they call home and a power hungry God Emperor from finishing his conquest of earth.


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## Periander (Jun 2, 2020)

In a monastery at the edge of the arctic, a young man begins to untangle the shadows in his past.


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## RD Meyer (Jun 3, 2020)

A man whose wife has been sent to Hell decides to seek vengeance by trying to kill God.


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## Periander (Jun 4, 2020)

> A man whose wife has been sent to Hell decides to seek vengeance by trying to kill God.



Wow, those are some high stakes!


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## I.M.Wright (Jun 16, 2020)

An unassuming girl ascends to become the arbiter of the fate of gods and mortals.


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## I.M.Wright (Jun 16, 2020)

Women have made men obsolete on earth but a love affair between a Terrestrial and one of their own creates ripples of change across their society.


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## Lee Messer (Sep 16, 2020)

"What if all things are true, just not true everywhere?" --Moonchilde Scifi/Horror


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## Deleted member 64995 (Sep 17, 2020)

She is younger than him, she certainly married him for the money.


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## EternalGreen (Sep 21, 2020)

"After a utopian social upheaval in the future, a woman tries to live life despite speculative creatures that follow her around."

(That's the latest thing I've been working on. Still not any good.)


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## Carmen (Oct 11, 2020)

Late at night, when he can't sleep, a man walks the Streets of the city that unbeknownst to him, his roots were born.


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## Arewa Mata (Oct 26, 2020)

"one-line summary of your story and post it here."

Finding herself in a place that she does not understand and is not sure she wants to leave.


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## SpartanWarrior (Oct 29, 2020)

A Warrior died, the Spartan King was born. A adventure starts with a new found love in a new age.


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