Friday's Flash:A 30 Word Flash of Fiction or Truth

It's Friday again, and time for a 30 word flash of fiction or truth. Tell me something about your book, your WIP, or yourself. Or anything else you can think of, so long as it's 30 words or less. And you can have as many flashes as you wish. So here's mine for today:

1.  WIP: Gabriela found the dragon knife that killed the children. The dragon is the same as the one on Papa's ring. Is Papa the killer? ( 24 words)

2. The Freedom Thief: Teen Ben McKenna risks his life as he defies the conventions of slavery in pre-Civil War Kentucky and leads his enslaved friends on a danger-filled journey to find freedom. (30 words)

Why would you want to write about something concerning your novel or WIPs in just 30 words? Because there are times when you need to tell someone ( like an agent at a conference, or the editor you ran into in the elevator) something about your work, and it has to be short and sweet. Very short. And to the point. Here is a good way to look at a 30 word "pitch" or synopsis of your book:

Describe the following:

Protagonist: 2-3 words

Conflict:  3-8 words

Antagonist: 2-3 words

Setting: up to 10 words

With a twist: left over words to equal 30

Example:

When teen psychic Gabriela (protagonist) arrives in a small town with her traveling carnival (setting), she must fight gargoyles, witches, and dragons (conflict) to find a serial killer (antagonist), who just might be her own father. ( the twist)  (30 words.)

Try it, it's fun to do and not all that hard. And who knows? A 30-word pitch just might come in handy some day.

Until next time,
That's a wrap.