Not long ago Austin RWA brought Lori Wilde in to speak about high concept, and how her mastery of the technique sold a manuscript sight unseen. I don’t want to repeat Lori’s talk, nor replicate the contents of her handbook (visit her site to buy a copy of your own, I highly recommend it) but I’ve been adapting bits and pieces for my own use that I have to record somewhere other than a tiny brown Moleskine for my own sanity. So here ya go.

The purpose of this exercise is to create a single paragraph teaser description of your story, which will be used to sell it. Here’s how to construct the paragraph:

1. Describe a well motivated, dynamic character involved in a specific occupation or situation,
2. with a flaw for that will present her with the most problems in that situation or occupation.
3. Introduce an incident that forces her to act or react, choosing between the flaw and some opportunity. The incident is passive - something that happens to her.
4. How she reacts is different than your normal Joe, but
5. due to a quirk of fate or ironic twist, her actions do not have the anticipated effect.

The important thing to note here is this isn’t meant to describe your entire story. It’s a teaser, it’s the “hook” everyone’s always talking about. Here’s how it would work for Romancing The Stone. (Ideally, the tone of the paragraph should reflect the tone of the story, but I didn’t try to do that here - one thing at a time, right?)

A romance writer who’s afraid to act on her dreams gets a desperate call from her kidnapped sister begging her to deliver a treasure map as ransom. Instead of calling the authorities, she rushes to Colombia carrying the map, where a quirk of fate sends her hundreds of miles in the wrong direction… and into the arms of her own personal hero.

This exercise is really hard to do for your own manuscript. Writers know so much about their own work that picking out just these a few details is like being asked to choose the best five hairs on your child’s head. But it’s worth it.

A good short teaser description can be used in query letters, during a pitch to an editor or agent, or over pink jello surprise when your great aunt Marge asks what you’re writing for the eighteen-thousandth time. It can also help focus the arc of your story during planning or revisions. Best of all, it puts you in control over the initial excitement and expectations of your readers.

Try it. Star Wars. Back To The Future. War of the Worlds. Oliver Twist. The Godfather. Animal House. Dazed and Confused, anyone?