Friday, January 8, 2010

The Importance of Tag Lines

Tag lines are short, simple, and very, very difficult for those of us who can sit down and write out stories that end up being between 50,000 words +. But while it may be tempting to skip the tag line all together, it's an evil necessity for any writer looking to sell their work. Like grammer...or ::shudder:: spelling.

Tag lines can come from a variety of sources, but you have to do a few things first before you start throwing those genius one liners around. And, dearest readers, that is what this post is going to do for you!

1) Know your story. Not just what happens; but the underlying themes and motivations that you didn't realize were there while you were putting the words down. Trust me; my own work and characters astound me.

2) Do your research. Look for massively used quotes or other goodies that could be used to sum up interest in your work.

3) The most useful one to me: Read your story. Do any of the lines jump out at you? Pick several that scream out to you; and run with them!

Ok...so you have your tag line. How do you use it??

To sell your work, of course! Put your perfect tag line on your query letters. Your business cards. Remember: nobody is as good at selling your work as you are. So go; get your taglines and start selling!

See? I'm already keeping one of my 2010 goals!

XOXO

Cynthia

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