Simply Smart Writing

            Of all the things about my new job I dislike, it’s the meeting with the higher executives that irks me the most. It’s not their attitude or anything. In fact they’re really nice people. It’s more about how they confuse things all the time. The first meeting I was in, I was introduced to everyone, and my first initial thought as I sat down to begin was that there might really only be one brain amongst them.

            Then one of them decided to speak and prove it.

            He asked me to explain what was going on with the project and where I saw it going, but…and he raised his right index finger to stress this very thing, he wanted me to explain to everyone in a high concept way.

            Ug, groan…yep another idiot who needed everything spoon-fed. It wasn’t a waste of time for me though. It made me realize that a lot of people don’t really understand what High Concept is. Some think it’s about dumbing down our writing so that even a 4^th grader can read it. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but that’s not what High Concept is all about. We’re not supposed to dumb anything down. In fact, publishers want great and intelligent writing that they can be proud of.

            So what is High Concept? Simple.

            Was that too easy of an answer? Sorry. High Concept is about the idea behind the story. The simpler it is, the better. It’s also why most publishers want a log line. If they can’t understand the concept in one sentence, it’s too complicated and too risky for publishing (with exceptions of course).  

            

            Has anyone else ever notice this misunderstanding?

            Auzy

What is High Concept?

            High Concept is fast becoming one of the number one most wanted types of stories out there. Publishers go gaga over them and agents are getting better at picking them all the time. That’s all good and all, but the idea of just what high concept has become a bane upon the writer’s existence.

            If you ever felt like this, you’re not alone. The high concept curse had befuddled many writers because it’s so difficult to define. In fact it’s so hard, that it’s easier to simply come up with a set of rules instead.

Rule 1: It’s original.

            Like the boy who lived, the story idea has to be original. If it’s a copy of the story, the concept loses the high factor. Twilight, while one of the most controversial novels due to its glittering blood suckers, was very original. Since its release, the genre of paranormal romance had to be opened up in the young adult section.

Rule 2: It has mass appeal.

            Originality can only get a book so far. There still needs to be a mass appeal so it can be marketed well. One novel that’s a great example here is the recent smash hit, Hunger Games. What if this novel was only about a person going hungry and seeing different type of foods that one could eat. It’s original, but not a lot a market for it. Now toss in kids being forced to kill each other for government entertainment, and we have a story.

Rule 3: It’s simple.

            For mass appeal, the novel needs to be very simple. The easier it is to understand, the easier it is to sell. And selling is the name of the game. Basically we want to keep the pitch down to 3 or less sentences—and having a catchy title never hurts.

            So now you have the rules. If you’re like how I was, you might be very resistant to this type of writing. Why dumb down your writing, right? Well that’s not the point of High Concept. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s not about dumbing anything down. It’s about reaching as many people as possible with our words. If we look at it from that point of view, it makes total sense.   

         I hope this helps. And as always, feel free to comment.

Auzy