You know how you can read the same thing a hundred times then catch something new on the the one-hundred and first read-through? All my querying author peeps know what’s up, staring dumbfounded at your manuscript you’ve read over a dozen or more times, plus handed over to friends in a writing group/beta readers, only to finally catch that glaring typo on the first page, first paragraph after hitting ‘Submit’ on the Query Tracker website…

I had one of those moments recently.

Not on my manuscript. No, that happened a couple of weeks ago.

No, for my pitch.

Specifically, for the one-sentence elevator pitch many agents include in their Query Tracker windows. I’ve always wonder: Why have this after they have a whole box for your query, which should include your 200-300 word pitch? Feels repetitive…

Because they want to know YOU KNOW your own story.

I found this agent yesterday (I won’t say who, as I don’t name the agents I query online) who had a whole breakdown within their MSWL (Manuscript Wishlist, for the uninformed. It’s what an agent is looking for in a book or a query.) of what they want the one sentence pitch to look like. A not unreasonable request, as many agencies have guidelines for how they may want their queries structured. No two agencies are the same, remember, so they might list out how they want the letter addressed, where the query letter should go, how long the synopsis should be, if it should be before or after the first 10 to 15 to 20 to 30 pages or 3 chapters or 5 chapters you should include, pasted not attached, but also sometimes attached not pasted, in the letter–

Not confusing at all.

This, though, was the opposite of confusing.

This agent said they wanted the CHARACTER and the PLOT and the STAKES, in that order, in the one sentence pitch. They then included examples of prior, successful pitches, that had this format.

Here’s a quick example (not provided by the agent) I just made up off the top of my head because I can’t believe it was this simple:

Scott Pilgrim (CHARACTER) wants to date Ramona Flowers but first he has to fight and overcome all her evil exes (PLOT), because if he doesn’t he’ll lose the girl and never become the mature, responsible adult he’s avoided becoming until now (STAKES).

…and lots of punching.

And, I don’t know, seeing those pitches, done in the CHARACTER + PLOT + STAKES format, with examples, with the CPS noted and highlighted, sent this huge surge to my brain like, “Oh man! That! That’s what I’m doing wrong.”

It clicked.

I went back into my pitch package, looked at my one-sentence pitch, and saw the rough frame of the CHARACTER + PLOT + STAKES format, but not fully. And I realized my mistake.

I guess I didn’t really know my own story that well. It took me a bit to get the pitch to fit this structure. To try to reshape this square pizza to work into the round hole it should have been working within this entire time.

I don’t even care if that analogy worked because I’m still reeling from this realization.

You can look at your story a hundred times, a thousand times, with notebook upon notebook upon draft upon draft and STILL not be able to break it down into this simple, one sentence structure. CHARACTER + PLOT + STAKES.

And you want to know the sad thing?

Try it right now with your favorite book, favorite comic, favorite tv show, favorite movie, favorite video game, whatever.

Bet you can do it for them.

So why not your own story?

Thanks for reading,

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