A logline is a brief (usually one or two sentence) summary of a television program, film, or book that states the central conflict of the story, while providing both a synopsis of the story’s plot, and an emotional “hook” to stimulate interest.
Your logline will need to lay out all the components of your story in their simplest form. These components are as follows (applied to the Star Wars logline):
Now let’s look at each of these components individually and see what we can make of them.
Setting – The Galaxy
This sets our tone and genre pretty clearly. Your story does not exist in a vacuum; it instead draws upon the wealth of human storytelling as context. Galaxy-spanning stories are obviously sci-fi, and those bring with them all sorts of assumptions. Make sure your setting is clear, and that it helps to build your story.
Protagonist – A Spirited Farm Boy
Obviously there’s more to Luke Skywalker than this, and you’ll get to that as you develop your story. However, we need a three or four word description. Use strong adjectives to convey meaning in that limited space. As well, at this point there’s no need for names unless the story is about an already well-known character.
Problem – A Planet-Destroying Weapon
Your problem needs stakes. What’s going to happen if our hero fails? Success cannot be certain – will he succeed?! Stay tuned to find out! The Death Star is as clear an example of stakes as you can get. This problem destroys planets and threatens the entire galaxy. It needs to be big enough so that your hero obviously needs to take action.
Antagonist – A Sinister Imperial Enforcer
The cause of the hero’s problem is often a singular figure or monster. They tend to be capable, threatening, and a worthy foe – a darkness to your hero’s light. They are everything the hero isn’t.
Goal – Save a Princess (And The Galaxy!)
Your protagonist has to want something. Luke’s goal in the story changes a bit once he saves the princess, but that initial objective informs the overall arc.
Conflict/Action – Joins a Rebellion
Conflict is the result of goals being blocked by the Problem and Antagonist. Darth Vader and the Death Star need to be dealt with for Luke to save the princess and the galaxy. So, faced with this conflict, Luke must take action: he joins the rebellion. Your hero must be the motivating force (pun intended) of the story. They are the person whose decisions dictate the plot.