Thursday, June 17, 2010

A Killer Idea

While browsing through recent deals on Publishers Marketplace I found this:

"Pen Award-winner Carol Lynch Williams's THE BODY SHOP, about teens escaping a cloning factory, to Hope Dellon at St. Martin's, by Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency (NA)."

I have been green with envy all week because I wish I had written that novel. Teens escaping a cloning factory? How fun is that?? It makes me think of The Island with Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor. I liked that one.

But I loved this short one-liner--an excellent logline. I want my next novel to be as easily explained and as killer an idea as this.

AND THEN I noticed the author. Carol Lynch Williams? I spoke to you at the Whitney's. Congrats on your win for Best YA novel for 2010. I need to read The Chosen One; you have brilliant ideas. And now I'll stop pretending you read my blog. :)

12 comments:

  1. Mary, you're too funny! that is a fantastic idea. I hate it when that happens. I sit there thinking of how the book would've gone if I'd written it!

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  2. Teens escaping a cloning factory! Wow. But not any more of a "killer" than your ideas, Mary!!!

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  3. haha, I know, Tamara. I would have had a blast writing that.

    hehe, Ann. I don't know! You're kind anyway!

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  4. Ha ha, you cracked me up just now!
    "And now I'll stop pretending you read my blog. :)"

    I would love an awesome one-liner, too. Maybe if we just brain-stormed awesome one-liners, THEN wrote a novel to match!

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  5. YES. Krista. Wish you could come over--we'd binge on Ben and Jerry's and talk loglines.

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  6. Hey Mary,
    You never know. Carol may read your blog. :)

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  7. I liked "The Island" as well. Escaping a cloning factory is a really neat idea. And she may just read your blog! You never know. :)

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  8. Maybe we should all think about our work using the KISS principle:
    Keep
    It
    Simple,
    Stupid.
    I know it would help me. I tend to overcomplicate everything.

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  9. Hmm...what an interesting plot idea. Oh, to find the perfect idea that will sell...

    I've left you an award on my blog.

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  10. lol, I have been away and have missed your sense of humor. I have alot of catching up to do.

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  11. "and now I'll stop pretending you read my blog" HAHA!
    She was one of those running the show at the conference I just went to. She's got a great sense of humor. ;)

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  12. As I stumbled once again to explain what my novel is about this morning, I vowed to come up with a one-liner. Now you've cinched it. 70,000 words into one line. It's doable, right?

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