Summarise Your Novel Idea in One Pitch Line

Someone asks what your book is about and you give them the six-minute version or change the subject. The pitch line is the hardest sentence you will write for the project. This takes your description of the story and compresses it into one line that does the job: makes the other person want to know what happens.

Describe your novel or story idea in three to five sentences: the protagonist, the situation they are in at the start, and the central conflict. Then write a one-sentence pitch line (under 25 words) that names the protagonist, the stakes, and the core dramatic question. The pitch line should be interesting enough that someone wants to know what happens, without a spoiler.