Describing your novel to others...

I most often can't remember any of mine. Whether it's a published one or an unpublished one. What's worse for me is when readers start to talk to me about published ones. They ask me about characters, etc, without first mentioning the novel...I don't even know which novel they're talking about. It takes me a while to clue in...sometimes I don't. I scramble to make sense in the conversation. "I just loved the way Jeff dealt with Marty in the second last chapter. Amazing!" Wait? I have a book with a Jeff character? I did not know that! I'm hopeless.

I only tell other writers that I'm writing a book. It's a good strategy to protect yourself from all kinds of difficulties like this.

I've learned to talk about my books in detail only to the people I know will be interested. When friends with zero interest in the genre ask about my books, I give a very high level description. There's nothing worse than describing something you're passionate about to someone who only asked because they're being polite, and then having to watch their eyes glaze over with disinterest. Or, worse, have to deal with totally unhelpful comments like, "You write young adult? I hate young adult."

Paper_Flower said:

Does anyone else get the panic when someone asks you what the novel--the baby that you've been working on for at least a year--is about? You know this world, you know its characters and its plots, but finding the way to put it into the few words to best describe it feels impossible.
I have this a lot lately and I'm starting to worry that perhaps my plot is just too complicated, perhaps not enough happens in order to break it down into key words or phrases.
I have these doubts roughly every few weeks or so, sandwiched between bouts of "omg, this is brilliant, what was I even worrying about".
If I can't describe it. If I can't come up with an elevator pitch, is my novel not good enough? I feel I can never fully explain it or do it justice.
Also, how do you survive the self-doubt portions of your life?

Paper_Flower

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Sounds like you have two separate issues.
1) Dealing with random people who ask about your novel.
2) coming up with an elevator pitch

For the former, less is more. Most people who ask that sort of question don't want a long answer, or even a plotline. On the very rare occasion my WIP comes up. I just say it's fantasy. For most people, that's enough to satisfy their curiosity.

As far as elevator pitches go, no, lack of a clear elevator pitch doesn't mean your novel is bad. It just means you haven't sat down and written an elevator pitch yet. Elevator pitches are an art unto themselves, and extremely difficult to do well. If you want to see just HOW difficult, think of your favorite novel or film, one you're certain is brilliant, and then try to describe it in one or two sentences.

I never have that issue. Since I always know the beginning and the ending before I ever start out, the only thing that's a surprise is the middle. On the other hand, since I DO KNOW the beginning and the end, I know what the novel is going to be about.

On the other hand, when the novel is well along, almost done, or basically done, whether edited or not, I have the pitch, slug line(s), or back cover blurb already dancing in my head, if not already written down.

Therefore, if someone asks me the magic question, I can rattle off the pitch almost without thinking.

It's never been an issue. I may eventually tweak the wording a bit, but in the end, there's no question where I'm going.

Oh, and there's usually a "mayhem ensues" thrown in there somewhere.

I never attempt to describe my novel to a stranger, except via a query to an agent.

caw

Paper_Flower said:

Yeah, I understand this. I generally try not to go into too much detail, which is the problem that I'm having trying to explain it concisely before they lose interest. I usually go with "Young Adult Urban Fantasy about Fallen Angels" but that never feels right, I think people are going to assume its a Paranormal Romance, which it's not, and I don't know how to explain it otherwise.

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Comparisons are super helpful. "It's like SUPERNATURAL mixed with AWKWARD." You can also cater your examples to whoever you're talking to, using tv shows or movies they'd know.

I say WHO the main character is, then WHAT SITUATION they've got to deal with.

What would Beatle John Lennon do if he were a vampire and trying to start his musical career?

What would music teacher Beth do if an old lost love moved back into town?

What would Frodo Baggins do if a wizard told him he owned a ring with terrible magical powers?

If they're NOT interested they'll say something noncommittal, like "Interesting" or "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you." If they ARE interested they'll ask you for more info. I suggest you give a short answer and see how they respond.

However, never give too much info. Keep them guessing, and (maybe) interested. Also, avoid burning out your own interest in your story.

Paper_Flower said:

My novel is finished, and edited, (and so far rejected by agents), but I still find it hard to describe without leaving lots of key parts out.
I wish I could be that confident about it to just know my pitch aha.

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From the sound of it all, you might benefit from pausing your agent hunt, establishing your presence around here a bit more (specifically, until you've got 50 posts under your belt), and letting us have a look at your query over at QLH. There are pitch-sharing threads around as well, and many of us like to dissect those too.

Re: original question, I hate describing what my book is to people too. I've gotten into this habit of noting down new ideas as pitches or queries, but when it comes to the WIPs I've been working on for a while... ugh. Especially if the person asking doesn't understand the terms I want to use/would use if I was talking to another writer or industry professional ._.
Still looking forward to writing and sending out my query, though.

I also never tell people. I don't feel I can unless I get pu lished. Family perhaps but not friends or strangers.

If cornered, I give a joke answer. "It's about some people" [self deprecating grin]

Paper_Flower said:

Does anyone else get the panic when someone asks you what the novel--the baby that you've been working on for at least a year--is about? You know this world, you know its characters and its plots, but finding the way to put it into the few words to best describe it feels impossible.
I have this a lot lately and I'm starting to worry that perhaps my plot is just too complicated, perhaps not enough happens in order to break it down into key words or phrases.
I have these doubts roughly every few weeks or so, sandwiched between bouts of "omg, this is brilliant, what was I even worrying about".
If I can't describe it. If I can't come up with an elevator pitch, is my novel not good enough? I feel I can never fully explain it or do it justice.
Also, how do you survive the self-doubt portions of your life?

Paper_Flower

Click to expand...

This is a great question. I bounced from a high profile legal career and I wrote a novel. Now many people want to know what it is about. These people are my friends. I cannot just say "it's literary fiction." They really want to know. But I don't know how much they want to know. Do you think the elevator pitch speech would be the same as the short three sentences in the query letter before you write the synopsis, so character, conflict, dilemma? For the people who are just being polite, I hear the question as "How are you?" and my "fine" answer is "The novel is literary fiction." If they ask more, I give a little more.

I already did make the mistake of telling others, and there's no getting away from that, now. Most of them are well-meaning, but really not particularly interested comments that are more or less slightly better-acquainted versions of "some weather we've been having" or "how's it going." They don't really want the involved version, and they're more or less fine with "It's science fiction" or whatever I happen to think it is that week. In the rare event that someone **actually** wants to know, I do tell them... but more the convoluted version than the streamlined. In general, they don't ask again, after that.

Paper_Flower said:

My novel is finished, and edited, (and so far rejected by agents), but I still find it hard to describe without leaving lots of key parts out.
I wish I could be that confident about it to just know my pitch aha.

Paper_Flower

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Aha! I was originally going to say that you're not alone with your problem describing your book briefly yet adequately to others--visit the Query Letter Hell (QLH) section of the Share Your Work (SYW) forum for an agonizing amount of evidence. But now...well, I'm still going to say that. But since querying agents is similar to the original problem you posted about, your rejection level need not be a reflection on your novel, but on your query, which involves a totally different set of skills. Read through some of the posts there, absorb the advice, practice giving some of that advice (critiquing), and when you're ready you can post a query for others to advise you about. And when you're all done, you'll also know how to describe your book to your friends!

(Now, if I could just do that myself...)

Keep your answer simple. You don't have to go into details. Just hover around it briefly. For example, "My novel is about this young man from New York who travels with a group of friends to Alaska. They end up in a small town where he falls in love with a woman. He decides to stay a little while longer while his friends make their way back home. The young man later regrets staying after discovering a deep, dark secret about the woman -- and everyone else in the town." Unless the person you are talking to is an agent or publisher, you can elaborate further what's the secret. But if it's just someone else, who is asking you for the sake of asking, just tell them, "Wait for the book to come out." You don't have to go into the every detail. You know, some people might just ask you for the sake of asking. If they are really interested, they will ask more. You can still elaborate but don't divulge too much i.e. don't kill the suspense. I don't know what you wrote, but at the end of the day that's between you and your editor. Whether the plot and sub-plots works or not, not my place to say. But if it's just casual conversation, well, I hope my two cents worth helps.

How about trying to describe what the cover is like, or what it could be like?
That way, you get to describe the heart of the thing in a visual way.

Paper_Flower said:

If I can't describe it. If I can't come up with an elevator pitch, is my novel not good enough?

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I would like to hear GRRM's elevator pitch for Game of Thrones. Talk about a story that doesn't lend itself to a quick, easy-to-grasp description...

But that has nothing to do with its success, does it?

I know what you mean about panicking when asked what the story is about. Like Martin's, mine is one of those that's hard to describe, having several storylines braided together. You might try settling on just one aspect of your story that lends itself to a simple summary, and leave it at that. Don't summarize the plot; that makes people's eyes glaze over.

As for self-doubt, it's inescapable from time to time, but try not to let it grow roots. Concentrate on the work, not on worrying about the work.

Reprobate Typewriter said:

Most of them are well-meaning, but really not particularly interested comments that are more or less slightly better-acquainted versions of "some weather we've been having" or "how's it going."

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Exactly. None of my friends read the genres I write in, so I know they're only asking to be nice. They say, "How's the writing going?" and I say "It's fine" and then we talk about something else that we all find interesting. If I want to really talk about my writing, I come here.

Paper_Flower said:

Does anyone else get the panic when someone asks you what the novel--the baby that you've been working on for at least a year--is about? You know this world, you know its characters and its plots, but finding the way to put it into the few words to best describe it feels impossible.
I have this a lot lately and I'm starting to worry that perhaps my plot is just too complicated, perhaps not enough happens in order to break it down into key words or phrases.
I have these doubts roughly every few weeks or so, sandwiched between bouts of "omg, this is brilliant, what was I even worrying about".
If I can't describe it. If I can't come up with an elevator pitch, is my novel not good enough? I feel I can never fully explain it or do it justice.
Also, how do you survive the self-doubt portions of your life?

Paper_Flower

Click to expand...

Yep, Paper_Flower, I hate being asked what my novel's about and have no idea what to say. It happens a lot that someone who knows I write has told someone else and they ask. And it's awkward because I don't know how to describe it succinctly (despite already having the query written) and even more so because I think my main storyline will sound a little weird to people. So I can say "It's, um, about this bipolar kid who rescues trafficked kids and ends up in danger," but I think I'll do what some people here mentioned and just say "It's a young adult contemporary" and hope they don't ask anymore.

It doesn't have to mean anything about how good your novel is that you can't describe it easily / come up with an elevator pitch. Some works are like that. Stories where the premise itself is the strong selling point are probably easier to pitch, but some of the better written and well received novels aren't like that. It might be the writing itself or the characters or whatever that make the novel good. Also, you may have a skill for writing stories but not pitches, or you may be too close to your work to really see what it's about. Maybe asking a beta reader how they'd describe it would help.

I definitely relate to the alternating doubts and positive thoughts on my WIP (and in general). I just ride it out, which usually works fine (as long as I haven't hit a long depressed episode). I can't write/revise much while doubting (I'm too tempted to trash everything then), so I do other writing-related things like researching agents or studying craft more or beta reading for someone. Inspiration and positivity usually kick back in.

Anyway, I think your concerns are pretty standard for a lot of writers. Hang in there and keep moving forward. This is a great place to get feedback on your pitch, query and samples of your work.

CJ

Ah yes, the awkward "What's your book about?" question before you are quite ready for it. I think we all go through that.

It's always best to distil it down to a core premise if you can. "Supernatural in space" , "It's like Star Trek, but on an 18th century navy ship exploring a new land" , "Pirates fighting dragons to find a legendary buried treasure." Something short and simple that communicates the whole idea of the novel without rambling on about it. Of course it's one thing saying that, quite another coming up with it for your own novel