Writing Sample Tips for the Application Process

A written "pitch" is a brief (1-2 pages) prose document that should read like a short story and be written in the present tense.

This should include:

• A working title
• A short logline (a one-sentence summary of your script)
• Introduction of key characters
• Sets the scene, lays out the main conflicts, themes, tone (i.e., are you writing a comedy, a dark-comedy, a drama?) narrative strategies (i.e., is yours a linear or non-linear script) and a description of how you envision your central character navigating his/her/their journey—and how you envision that journey resolving.
• A clear idea of how your script begins and ends. What is your opening and closing image?

Here are three questions to ask yourself as you write the logline:

• Who is the central character and what does that person want?
• Who or what is standing in the way of the central character?
• What makes this story particularly relevant to contemporary life? Remember, period narratives are also relevant to contemporary life.

Use action words when writing your logline and utilize descriptive words to create an image that will stay in the mind of the reader.