[CW] Preparing for NaNo: Loglines

I may create a meta black hole by doing this, but I've never been one to back down in the face of potentially world-breaking devastation: I am about to blog about a blog blogging about a blog.

Twitter nets me some interesting tidbits now and again. Today it coughed up a neat little post--two posts, actually--by one Tami Moore about cheat sheets and loglines that were immensely useful for planning my NaNo project.

Even more props to Miz Moore: the posts were concise, which is ideal given my tendency to get distracted by shiny things, small invisible objects, and drafts of both the first type, and the air type.

"Loglines are teasers. They tantalize. Hint at something incredible. Take root in their target’s brains and make them ITCH to read the book they’re talking about."

I love making people's brains itch. Do go on.

"They’re also ridiculously daunting for the writer who is trying to distill their 100,000 word novel into a travel-sized package."

Daunting? Wait a minute, hold the phone. You mean this will be work?

I wasn't deterred for long (only about 2.17 seconds, if I recall correctly). My desire to see whether I had enough information about my plot to make a successful logline far outweighed my desire to continue sitting around, creating a miniature intellectual void.

The original logline formula for this exercise came from Miss Snark's First Victim.

"When [MAIN CHARACTER] [INCITING INCIDENT], he [CONFLICT]. And if he doesn't [GOAL], he will [CONSEQUENCES]."

I set to work and here's what I got out of it:

"Abandoned by the rest of her search party in the middle of the Bironian steppes, amateur psychic archaeologist Roberta Skellis must continue to hunt for her older brother and his missing excavation team alone. Just when her explorations yield what could be the most important discovery of the age, a competing archaeologist and his crew threaten to scoop her victory right out from under her feet. Roberta must choose between her brother, an unexpected admirer who is not what he seems, and the discovery of a lifetime in a grueling race to the finish."

Now you all know the basic plot and I'll look like an ass if I chicken out; I think that's how these things are supposed to work?

Tomorrow I'll be working on my cheat sheets. Roberta needs a bit of fleshing-out and my antagonist needs a name (among other things). Tami's blog is definitely going to be on my reference list for the next month or so!

What's your logline?

Literary Food Porn? YES!

I stumbled over this blog today and I can't stop reading it. Vivid epicurean excerpts from literature served in blog form? Hell yes. They're like potato chips--crunchy bits of awesome that are delicious on their own and always leave you wanting more.

I still remember reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder's little farm boy and the massive homey spreads they managed to serve up every day. Food was a huge part of their lives. They grew it, preserved it, prepared it; it was their sustenance, their livelihood and the stuff of their memories.

We are what we eat. Food nourishes and replenishes us. The preparation and consumption of meals are intricate rituals born of a simple nutritional imperative, and have evolved into an experience more varied than any one lifetime could contain.

I'll always remember those who have fed me and those I have fed; the processes of cooking and baking; learning from others and through intrepid solo experimentation. The smells and tastes and textures invoke powerful recollections of people and places that hold no small significance in my life.

Not everyone feels as strongly as I do on the subject of food. Not everyone is passionate about what they put in their bodies or feed to their families. For some, food is fuel, and that is all. That's fine. But if you share my love of food, if you collect recipes and books and kitchen tools that never collect dust, do yourself a favor and have a look at Lashings & Lashings of Ginger Beer.

(P.S. Happy New Year!)