Logline
A logline is a single sentence stating what a story is about, covering who wants what, what stands in the way and what makes it urgent, used to pitch a script or to test whether the story holds together.
Loglines are hard to write whole and straightforward to assemble in parts. Most good ones contain the same pieces: a specific protagonist, the inciting incident that starts the story, the goal it gives them, the opponent or obstacle, and the stakes, what happens if they fail.
A simple logline formula
When [inciting incident], a [specific protagonist] must [goal] before [stakes], despite [opponent].
It is a scaffold, not a rule. Once the pieces are there, rearrange them until the sentence reads naturally.
Logline examples
These are written for this page, not taken from real films.
- When her grandmother's lighthouse is sold to a developer, a burned-out city lawyer who has not been home in ten years has one summer to prove the sale was fraud, against the brother who signed the papers. Why it works: the opponent is family, so winning the case costs her something either way.
- A shy boy who can hear the thoughts of houses must convince his new neighbours to move out before their house decides to keep them. Why it works: the premise, goal and deadline arrive in one breath, and the genre is obvious.
- After a failed robbery leaves him owing a crime boss, a nervous getaway driver agrees to one last job and discovers the target is the bank where his sister works. Why it works: the twist comes after the setup, which is where it lands hardest.
That last point came up in one of our live edits: the logline note was to put an ironic twist after the setup the logline had already established.
Why write one early
The value is diagnostic, not just promotional. If you cannot name the opponent, the story probably does not have one. If the objective changes halfway through the sentence, the throughline probably changes halfway through the book. Writers routinely discover a structural problem while trying to compress it, which is the argument for writing the logline at the outline stage rather than after the draft.
What a logline is not
A logline is not a blurb. It does not withhold, tease or ask a rhetorical question. It states. And it is not the same as the pitch paragraph in a query letter, though a good logline often becomes that paragraph's first line.
Frequently asked questions
What is a logline?
A logline is a one-sentence summary of a story that names the protagonist, what they want, what stands in their way and what is at stake. Screenwriters use it to pitch, and novelists use it to test and explain their book.
How long should a logline be?
One sentence, usually 25 to 50 words. If it needs a second sentence, the story either has two protagonists or the first sentence has not committed to what the character wants.
What is the difference between a logline, a tagline and a synopsis?
A logline says what the story is, in one sentence. A tagline is a marketing slogan for a poster or cover and does not explain the plot. A synopsis tells the whole story, ending included, over a page or more.