How do you respond to this common question?

[Russ]

While difficult to answer having log lines, or short pitches of various lengths is a good exercise, can help as a plot compass and will be invaluable if you are ever trying to sell your work in any context.

 

[FifthView]

I've found that the question normally comes from acquaintances, non-immediate family members, co-workers and is usually nothing more than a very idle question. Their eyes are primed to glaze over even before they finish uttering the question. So, "Does this annoy anyone else?" Answer: Yes.

There are times when I've thought having a ready-made answer like, "It's about the Prvbydium Collective taking over a galaxy using magic and actuarial life tables instead of technology" would be good–a totally fake answer that will leave the questioner just as blank and uninterested as before.

If you do a search of Mythic Scribes for "premise statement," you'll find some helpful threads on the topic. Having a true ready-made answer for yourself is great because it can clarify your own project for yourself and keep you on target, or for when you are talking with someone who can actually help you reach publication. Otherwise, we should all just say it's something something about the Prvbydium Collective.

This is one of the more common questions that I get when I let people know that I'm in the middle of or starting a WIP.

"What's your story about?"

Does this annoy anyone else, or am I just too obtuse in the head to answer it properly? It's hard to narrow down enough for me to make people understand, without pigeon holing my work into a specific genre. It's been difficult for me to explain what I have written in a story thus far without falling off the tracks and becoming far too vague to be interesting. That's not to say that it isnt' a relevant and useful question, but it's hard for me to answer, usually.

How do you react to this sort of question?

 

[Coldboots]

Hmm, good points I'm seeing here, and good humor as well. Maybe I just need to find a flippant response that can act as an icebreaker:

It's a book of elevator pitches.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

For Blood Iron my pitch focuses on the mc, his Disease, falling into being a terrorist, rising out of that hole, and being in college.

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

Honours student and time travelling pirate orchestrate a treasure heist to save Manhattan from an Aztec curse.

Sounds interesting.

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

I try to answer the question honestly, in the hope that the body language of the questioner will inform me as to how interesting the person truly finds it. I don't have a pitch memorized yet, since I don't have any elevators near me.

One aspect of my WIP is problematic, in that I have three main POV characters, each with their own story arcs, and none of them working together to accomplish their separate goals, even though their goals all revolve around the same pair of non-POV characters. So I usually just pick one of the main POV characters and use her as the focus in a brief description of the story.

Since I don't have anything memorized, it comes out in multiple, shorter sentences. It feels more natural for me to say it the way I do than to relate a memorized spiel. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised by the response I get from people I wouldn't expect to be interested in my kind of story. Sometimes I just get confused looks. In the former case, I usually get a follow-up question or two, and I'm happy to oblige. Some of these follow-up questioners still look like they find my answers intriguing, which I always take as a good sign.

Receiving good responses from people who ask the question, "What's your story about?" never fails to motivate me. Receiving blank expressions from others reminds me that my target audience doesn't include everyone.

 

[Addison]

Whenever someone asks me the question I get annoyed because I remember that the person asked me before, and I answered. Then I realize it's another person who knows my brother who has seen how many story ideas I have so they're wondering which story I'm working on "NOW", as in what I'm typing or writing when they see me and ask said question. Sometimes I'd like to say "It's a surprise", but no one understands that they should stop talking at that point. Heck even if I tell them they want more and more details until I almost give the story synopsis. I try to cover the who, what, where and why. If that's not enough for them then I tell them they can read it when it's done. It works.

 

[Penpilot]

Hmm, good points I'm seeing here, and good humor as well. Maybe I just need to find a flippant response that can act as an icebreaker:

It's a book of elevator pitches.

If you really want to be mean you could say it's a book about this guy who goes around asking people awkward questions and putting them on the spot. He narrowly escapes from being stabbed in the shin with spork when he has an epiphany about true meaning of the letters S-T-F-U.

 

[Russ]

Why would one ever be rude to someone who simply asks you what you are writing, after you tell them you are writing?

 

[Coldboots]

I wouldn't be rude, as that isn't my style, but the question tends to be an idle one in my experience. Many times it seems when you tell them you're writing lately, they seem to expect that you want them to ask about what you're writing. I was just expressing that it's difficult for me personally to respond to, because I have trouble keeping on the rails while explaining things in general, which itself can be off-putting.

Some of the answers here have been helpful to keep it short and not put off the person I'm talking to. Sometimes a humorous response can be a good answer, but only if you know the person won't take it the wrong way.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

If anyone is still listening after the leprechaun on coke incident... it's keep it pithy and get it to the point quick. Totally off the top of my head... Something like...

It's an epic fantasy about a young woman, soon to be ordained into the priesthood, who discovers a conspiracy within the church that could bring demonic genocide to her people.

I tend to leave it at that because it automatically raises several questions involving faith... and because it's pretty obvious she'll try to stop it, LOL.

 

[oenanthe]

Why would one ever be rude to someone who simply asks you what you are writing, after you tell them you are writing?

my guess is simple fear. It's hard to imagine revealing something as personal as a creative project to someone and then have them laugh at it, so play it off with a joke.

I'm forever asking people what their book is about, because I am 1. GENUINELY CURIOUS and 2. There's a real benefit to getting over the stage fright and being able to answer straight off. the number of people who react in a hostile fashion to the question really took me aback until I thought, hey. maybe they're afraid to tell you.

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

I disliked the question more in the earlier stages of my WIP. Now that I have a firm understanding of my story and a conviction that it's good, I rather enjoy talking to people about it. I was just asked yesterday about my story, and I gave a brief answer, which led to more and more questions, which led the questioner to finally admitting they should just wait and read the book. But the guy on more than one occasion uttered the word, "Interesting...," and the way he said it made me feel it was genuine. It's times like this that energize me and give me a much appreciated motivational boost to finish the book.

 

[Helen]

This is one of the more common questions that I get when I let people know that I'm in the middle of or starting a WIP.

"What's your story about?"

Does this annoy anyone else, or am I just too obtuse in the head to answer it properly? It's hard to narrow down enough for me to make people understand, without pigeon holing my work into a specific genre. It's been difficult for me to explain what I have written in a story thus far without falling off the tracks and becoming far too vague to be interesting. That's not to say that it isnt' a relevant and useful question, but it's hard for me to answer, usually.

How do you react to this sort of question?

I love when that question is asked.

Often I think I know the story, then I answer the question and discover I don't know it as well as I thought.

Answered enough times, it helps develop the pitch too.

 

[Penpilot]

Why would one ever be rude to someone who simply asks you what you are writing, after you tell them you are writing?

You wouldn't. For myself, I was just kidding around.

 

[FifthView]

I don't think that assuming the existence of terror and insecurity is incredibly helpful. It's actually slightly insulting. If I were to make my own assumptions...maybe I'd see a justification for reticence to discuss a creative project with someone who saw answering questions as a kind of proof of courage, a test of mettle, and who used the question as a sounding out of character flaws rather than sincere curiosity about that project.

I'm not often asked, myself, simply because I don't discuss my writing widely. The few times I've been asked by anyone outside my immediate circle were times when the subject just happened to come up in conversation, and the questions were extremely idle, a matter of courtesy rather than any sincere curiosity. I do appreciate the courtesy, but at the same time I don't confuse courtesy with sincere interest.

my guess is simple fear. It's hard to imagine revealing something as personal as a creative project to someone and then have them laugh at it, so play it off with a joke.

I'm forever asking people what their book is about, because I am 1. GENUINELY CURIOUS and 2. There's a real benefit to getting over the stage fright and being able to answer straight off. the number of people who react in a hostile fashion to the question really took me aback until I thought, hey. maybe they're afraid to tell you.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Often, for me, my writing projects are really personal. Sharing my ideas can often feel really intimate.

I know I need to work on my skills at pitching my ideas, and drawing in curious readers...but sometimes I really don't want to talk about it with people I don't know that well. Especially given how weird my books tend to be.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

^Agreed. I feel the same way. [My books are very weird, too. ]

 

[oenanthe]

why would it be insulting to imagine someone's uncomfortable with sharing personal, creative work? is feeling fear a sign of weak character or something? I think it's a common, everyday, yet surprisingly powerful emotion.

 

[Russ]

why would it be insulting to imagine someone's uncomfortable with sharing personal, creative work? is feeling fear a sign of weak character or something? I think it's a common, everyday, yet surprisingly powerful emotion.

I totally agree with you. I found FV's first paragraph near indecipherable though.