What's it about?

[Chime85]

Tonight I’m off to a party. Being with a great many people with loud music and awkward jiggling passed off as dancing isn’t my thing, but a series of small but significant events have pushed me into celebrating a good friends birthday.

From what I can gather from Facebook, there will be a number of people I have yet to meet who are also attending. Now I love meeting new people. It’s nice to bump into people both likeminded and those who hold the opposing viewpoints as my own.

The one thing I am dreading is the small part of introductions. Chiefly so, because there likely will be that one question that places us, as fantasy writers in a difficult spot. To keep things simple, I’ll put a very small example of who the conversation will go.
‘Hello, B, glad you could make it’ says the birthday girl, welcoming the weary man from the cold as he passes her his offering of wine.
He steps inside, looking around past the doorway, ‘Thank you R, happy birthday’
‘Thank you, here’s my friend, Katie. She works at **** and is trying to write a book’ she says, taking his coat.
He lends his hand to mine, ‘nice to meet you Katie, what’s your book about?’

Am I the only one who pauses at this moment as I think of all the themes and events in my story, finding it difficult to fit everything it is about in a single paragraph? I could attempt to paint a vague description of what it is about, but I think saying “It’s about friendship, hardships, evil acts, kind deeds, powers rising, kings falling, war, unity, love, hate, self-realisation, understanding others etc. etc.” sounds like a very broad stroke to paint.

I could also outline the plot, but at what point do I draw the line so as not to give too much away? Using Charlie and the chocolate factory as an example, I could say "It's about a boy named charlie, who wins a chance to visit a wonderful chocolate factory". or I could say more, which could give unwanted spoilers (in case somebody here has yet to read it, I won't give an example and spoil it for you)

Has anyone else fallen into this hole as fantasy writers?

 

[CupofJoe]

I go for the "less is more" approach. So I don't try to explain the plot or the main themes straight off. I leave it with a "It's about friendship in wartime" or "What a mother will do for her child".
If they come back to you later on, then you can try the deeper wider explanation...
I've found that most non-fantasy readers really don't get fantasy [even if they loved LOTR or GOT and have read every Harry Potter] so I try to stress the non-fantastic themes first.
and for fantasy readers - they normally ask if its like their favourite writer and they want to talk about them really...
[But don't mind me... I'm a misanthropic old codger and I hate parties... all those people]
Have fun at the party!

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I usually just name the genre. That's really what most people want to know. If they're more inquisitive beyond that, I try to politely say that I don't ever talk about a current work (politely of course).
People don't seem to mind.

 

[Anders Ämting]

Using Charlie and the chocolate factory as an example, I could say "It's about a boy named charlie, who wins a chance to visit a wonderful chocolate factory". or I could say more, which could give unwanted spoilers (in case somebody here has yet to read it, I won't give an example and spoil it for you)

Has anyone else fallen into this hole as fantasy writers?

You should, in general, try to sum your story concept down to one or a few essential sentences. "It's a heartwarming and humerous story about a boy from a poor family, who wins a chance to visit an amazing candy factory run by an excentric chocolate magnate."

This is, from what I understand, also the proper way to introduce your story to potential publishers or agents. If they then say "That sounds interesting, tell me more", it's probably safe to elaborate. But never start going on and on about the intricate details: Not only is that tedious but it also, ironically, makes it harder for the other person to grasp the concept.

 

[Sheilawisz]

I have found myself in that situation as well, when I tell someone that I am a Fantasy writer.

They usually ask what is Fantasy, and I reply: You know, that means the story is about Magic, and creatures and other worlds, something like The Lord of the Rings... That's usually enough to satisfy their curiosity, but if they ask what my first novel is about, I would say:

It's about two cities of Mages that are in war with each other, because of magical candles!!

You do not need to give away too many details, just a little so you satisfy their curiosity and also leave them feeling intrigued... Enjoy the party, Katie!! =)

 

[Butterfly]

Happens all the time Chime.

I've got men hunting down necromancers, among other things, then after telling them it's a fantasy, the following question is always, 'Is it like Lord of the Rings?'

 

[Devor]

At some point, you need to form a pitch. The back-of-the-book blurb is one form of a pitch. So is a query letter. You're in an elevator, with an agent, you've got 30 seconds: Tell him what your book is about. No time to think. Go.

That's an exercise they made us do in Business Class, and it definitely applies to writing a book. At some point you have to get comfortable talking about what you're doing. How else would you find an audience? Either you have to sell it to an agent or a publisher, or else to a slew of book reviewers and a wide web network.

Most likely, you need a pitch that talks about the characters whose story you're telling and to give a suggestion of how the story affects who they are.

 

[Xaysai]

I just tell people I write a series about a character named Alex Cross and introduce myself as James Patterson.

 

[Reaver]

I tried the same thing once, except I introduced myself as Terry Goodkind. The news quickly spread and people started booing and throwing rotten vegetables and rocks at me.

 

[Shockley]

"Oh, I write westerns and a little bit of horror."

Because I do.