- WHAT
- This is an optional part of the logine, because it usually requires some time and experience to understand what the theme of your story is. And a meaningful theme is usually expressed in a theme statement or question. When you include it in the logline, you do this as a function of the Main Character’s journey or transformation. You tell us what they learn, or what character flaw they overcome. If you’re unsure how to do this, just leave it out for now. You can come back later when you feel you have a better handle on this.
- HOW
- Most transformational stories reflect life in that characters need to learn to overcome their weaknesses before they can complete their actions successfully, and achieve their goals. We reflect this in the logline in a similar way. The character must first learn something in order to achieve their goal. E.g., you could say that in Bridesmaids, the main character needs to learn “to love herself” before she can truly be the maid of honor to her best friend. In Inception, Dom Cobb has to learn “to let go of the guilt over his wife’s death” before he can perform inception. See? Internal journey (theme) first, then external (goal).
DON’T FORGET
Whatever you write now doesn’t have to be perfect.
You can play around with it later, and edit the logline generator’s outcome.
These notes complement the Logline Generator, developed in partnership with Story Architect.
Our thanks also go to Peter Boot, who coded the very first Logline Generator.
When drafting your logline using the Logline Generator, click the relevant section for more info on each.