How many times have you heard a fellow creator say, “I love writing loglines!”

Maybe never? 

Yeah, writing a one sentence description of a book is not easy or fun. But sort of like decluttering a room in your house or preparing for a major presentation can be daunting but ultimately extremely rewarding, writing the logline for your story has a lot of benefits.

Editors and agents stress the importance of loglines because they provide an immediate and clear understanding of your story. In just one or two sentences, a good logline captures the essence of the protagonist, the conflict, and the stakes, allowing busy people to quickly assess whether your book aligns with their taste and has market potential. 

And as I mentioned in the September Challenge post, the logline also helps YOU! 

Writing a logline helps you identify the core of your story by distilling it down to its most essential elements—protagonist, conflict, and stakes. This process forces you to focus on what truly drives the narrative.

How to Write a Logline Step by Step

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write a strong logline for your graphic novel. In this guide, I’m going to use Andi Watson’s Punycorn as the example.

Step 1: Identify the Core Elements

A good logline typically includes these key components:

• Protagonist: Who is the main character?
• Goal: What does the protagonist want or need to achieve?
• Conflict: What stands in the way of the protagonist achieving their goal?
• Stakes: What will happen if the protagonist fails? What is at risk?

Step 2: Start with the Protagonist

Begin by clearly identifying your main character. Use a descriptor that highlights something unique or compelling about them.

• Example: “A clumsy but kindhearted unicorn…”

Step 3: Define the Goal

Next, define what the protagonist wants or needs. This goal should be specific and central to the story.

• Example: “…must assemble a “kinship of heroes”…”

Step 4: Introduce the Conflict

Identify the main obstacle or antagonist that prevents the protagonist from easily achieving their goal. This conflict drives the story forward.

• Example: “…before a conniving ogre and his army overrun the kingdom…”

Step 5: Highlight the Stakes

Finally, underscore what’s at stake if the protagonist fails. This adds tension and urgency to the logline.

• Example: “…and destroy his beloved home.”

Step 6: Combine the Elements

Bring all these elements together into a single, concise sentence that captures the essence of your story.

• Example: “A clumsy but kindhearted unicorn must assemble a ‘kinship of heroes’ before a conniving ogre and his army overrun the kingdom and destroy his beloved home.”

Step 7: Refine for Clarity and Impact

Go over your logline and refine it. Make sure it’s clear, compelling, and no longer than 1-2 sentences. Focus on strong, active language and ensure that every word adds value.

• Example Refinement: “A clumsy but kindhearted unicorn races to assemble a ‘kinship of heroes’ before a conniving ogre and his army overrun the kingdom and destroy his beloved home.”

Step 8: Consider the Tone and Genre

Adjust the tone of your logline to match the genre and style of your graphic novel. For example, if your story is a comedy (like Punycorn), your logline should reflect that tone.

• Example for a Comedy: “A clumsy but kindhearted unicorn races to somehow assemble a ‘kinship of heroes’ before the army of a conniving – and bratty – ogre overruns the sugar-sprinkled land and destroys his beloved kingdom of Carbuncle.”

Step 9: Test and Get Feedback

Share your logline with others—preferably those familiar with your story and your target audience. Ask for feedback on clarity, engagement, and whether it makes them want to read the graphic novel. Use this feedback to make final tweaks.

Step 10: Use the Logline as a Creative Tool

Refer back to your logline as you continue developing or revising your graphic novel. 

Logline Templates

Sometimes it’s helpful to use a formula to get started. Then, once you have that starting point, you can more easily refine it to make it stronger.

Below are four logline “madlib” templates to help you get started.

Logline Madlib 1:

In  [setting] a [progagonist] [has a problem] caused by [antagonist] and [conflict they face] as they [goal they are trying to achieve].

Logline Madlib 2:

[Protagonist], a [short description of them], must/wants to [what they have to do] when [thing that happens] that [effect on them]. In order to [thing they now need to achieve], they will have to [do the thing their flaw/personality makes hard for them to do].

Logline Madlib 3:

A [adjective] [character type] must [goal] or else [stakes]. They do this by [thing they do] and learn [theme].

Logline Madlib for Nonfiction:

[Title of book], a [description of book format] for [target audience], investigates / explores / details / verb [what the book is about].

Your Turn

What’s your process for writing a logline? Do you have any tips and tricks that I didn’t mention in this post?