ABNA 2013: TIME HAS RUN OUT!

IT IS YOUR LAST DAY!

Only one day to submit your entry to ABNA 2013:
https://www.createspace.com/abna

But the greatest novel ever written will not win it UNLESS YOU WRITE A WINNING PITCH.

Think on these things as you write your 300 word pitch

I. FIRST PARAGRAPH

     A. Think Log Line

     B. Think a 3 stage log line:

          1.) a single sentence that includes the following:

• The hero
• The hero’s flaw
• The life-changing event that starts the story
• The opponent
• The ally
• The battle or conflict

          2.) The character who changes in an arc -- and what those changes are.

          3.)  A sentence about the book’s theme.
                a.) What does the character learn?
                b.) How does he or she change?

II. WHAT THE JUDGES WANT TO KNOW FROM YOUR PITCH:

     A.  No one wants to listen to a rambling explanation or outline.

     B. They want to know one thing: does this book sound like something I want to read?

     C. An agent wants to know that plus two other things:
         
          1.) is this the sort of book I can sell and

          2.) does the pitch make it sound as though this is not just a good idea
               but also a satisfying whole?

     D.) For that, the best pitch is short, sharply-focused and
           recognizes what makes a book sound compelling.

III. IDEAS:
     1. Take your main character (MC) and give him/her an epithet -- vengeful werewolf, desperate single mother…

     2. Identify the MC’s central mission/problem/fear and what he stands to lose if he fails.

     3. Brainstorm words and phrases that your book conjures up, including themes, moods, actions.

     4. Pick the 25-30 that sound most compelling.

     5. Fashion those ingredients into a tight, heart-tugging 300word pitch.

     6. Include strippers.  (Just checking to see if you were paying attention.)

{What if your book has no strippers?

Well, there are dozens of other things that tug heart-strings:

sex, power, fear, obsession, madness, lust, love, pain, loss, grief,

 tigers, magic, witches, horses, corpses, poison, murder, torture,

 betrayal, struggle, disability, terrorism, war…

You get the picture? Focus on the must-read factors of your book. Make up for the absence of strippers.}

EXAMPLE:

Lizzy Invisible (SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR):

 Supporting her seriously-ill brother and mentally challenged sister by being a stripper, Lizzy feels crushed by invisible chains.  

In fact,she feels invisible. 

Imagine her shock and dismay when she discovers that she’s literally vanishing!

How is she going to support them now?  What will happen to her when she disappears completely?

What is causing this?  And is there any way to stop and reverse this?  She is at her wits' end.  

Then, the women in black move in across the hall  -- the women with no eyes.

This is your last chance to enter!  I hope this post helps.