Novel Writing Made Less Impossible - Two Breaths & 30 Seconds To Seal the Deal!

(Sorry for today's delay ... some physical probs to deal with but since Wednesday's not over, here we are!)

The worst thing you can do with your head is to nod it when someone who plays Dungeons & Dragons asks, "Can I tell you about my character?" You can count on learning the minutae of every waking moment of this creation's imaginary existence until your senses scream for the relief that only holding up a TV aerial in a thunderstorm can provide.

As a wise woman once said, ain't got no time for that.

It's no secret that our collective attention spans have eroded. From the days of Laugh-In with its rapid-fire jokes to Sesame Street where information on reading and mathematics are dealt out in mere seconds to music videos with their slam cuts from one angle to the next, we are all now trained to not give any input more than a few seconds of our interest.

Natually, I'm no different and I can recall a day before 60 Minutes when a television documentary would devote the entire hour to one single subject. Or when Dick Cavett or David Susskind might speak with one single person for an hour or longer. Still, I'm the guy who now can't watch a YouTube video for more than a minute, sometimes, without seeing if someone's replied to a Facebook remark I made. At least I'm not constantly pushing my nose against my smart phone, desperately seeking input.

However, Hollywood figured out that time is precious long ago. That's why they came up with the concept of "the elevator pitch."

And now YOU need to figure this out. It will save so much torment for you, believe me, even AFTER your novel is completed.

The idea of the elevator pitch is that you are alone on an elevator. The cab stops, the doors open, and someone walks in. This person -- whether it's a male or a female -- is THE PERSON ... the one who can purchase your idea and take it to the level where all your dreams come true.

THE PERSON pushes a button for the next floor. The doors close and the cab begins to move. You have just enough time to state your name and convince your potential savior that your idea has merit. Two breaths, two sentences to get this person fired up about your pitch.

You'll have one of two outcomes ... THE PERSON will listen intently, because a good idea is always worth seizing upon ... you will either be asked to come with THE PERSON to talk further about your concept or THE PERSON will smile politely, wish you luck with your idea, and then exit the elevator car, never to be seen again.

In this fast-paced world, you may have only ONE occasion to make that awesome first impression. The elevator pitch serves that purpose. In addition, this will form your personal pitch at shows and could become the first paragraph on the back of your paperback (or the lead paragraph of the inside left cover of your hardcover dust jacket). This is what hooks your reader into checking your work out further.

The real use to an editor, however, is that it can show in TWO SENTENCES if you have a real story with a great protagonist, a hook to draw the reader in, and conflict that would make compelling reading.

It also saves you craploads of TIME. If you can't get someone excited in two sentences, ten minutes worth of blabbering sure won't get the job done. Your elevator pitch should make THE PERSON want to hear more about it. In other words, you pre-qualify the listener to see if they want to buy the story, or the book in which it's presented. If they don't, you save time and energy in trying to convince them how awesome the work happens to be.

Remember, one of the most famous elevator pitches is the one that Gene Roddenberry gave for the Star Trek television series: "Wagon Train among the stars." It helps that the popular western filled in a lot of the concept for those network executives. You will have no such advantage.

So how does one craft an elevator pitch? I gave you a start in this blog ... how about I round out your knowledge next week?

NEXT WEEK: How To Craft Your Elevator Pitch and Where I'll Be In October

LAST WEEKEND: I was at the amazing CIL-Con at the Cross County Mall in Mattoon, Illinois. Becky Castillo and her amazing family of friends and relations helped make this one of the most enjoyable shows for me ever. It's been four days and I'm still a little depressed that I can't see some of my bestest pals ever. And my personal thanks to every one of you who showed up.

THIS WEEKEND: I got nuttin'. It's one of those amazing weekends off where I'll probably wonder why I'm not someplace else. Heck, I started planning for leaving THIS weekend when I didn't need to. Sigh ...

However, on Sunday (does anyone else hear those old drag raceway radio spots from the '60s in their head like I do? I always want to say the date as "SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! At beautiful U.S. 30 Drag Strip where the great ones RUN! RUN! RUN!), September 24th, I will be returning to the awesome TOYMAN TOY & COMIC SHOW at the Machinists Hall at 12365 St. Charles Road in Bridgeton, Mo.

I'm a guest there (check me out on their newly-expanded 2nd floor) along with BUTCH PATRICK of The Munsters fame. Admission is $5.00 and there's hours of fun to be had. Please come join us!

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See you next Wednesday, if not sooner!

#Writing #DickCavett #ElevatorPitch #DungeonsandDragons #attentionspan