Do you have a story that you need to tell but don’t know how to begin? Do you need help with the structure of your story? Do you need someone to critique your work and give you advice on how to make it better? If so, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will discuss how to format a title sheet for creative writing submissions so that it will catch the attention of the right people and so that you can accurately describe what you’ve written.
The Basics
Before we begin, it’s important to establish the basics. What is a title sheet? Why should you format it this way?
A title sheet is a one-page document that you can use to write a synopsis of your story. Think of it as a short description that explains what your story is about. A good title sheet should be fairly short and it should contain the following information:
- A one-sentence intro
- The name of the main character
- The name of the primary antagonist (if there is one)
- The genre of the story (e.g., Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Horror)
- A brief description of the setting (e.g., A post-apocalyptic world or a mystical fantasyland)
- The time period in which the story takes place
- The conflict (i.e., an opposing force that the protagonist must overcome)
When you’re writing a title sheet, you should write as if you are giving a speech to an audience of one. Why? Because that’s how you will ultimately be reading it! Keep it simple and straightforward; otherwise, you might end up with a dull, tiresome reading experience. On the other hand, a dull speech usually leads to a dull conversation, which then leads to a dull day, which then leads to a dull year, which then leads to…you get the point!
Why Should You Use Title Sheets In The First Place?
As we mentioned above, a title sheet is a very short description of your story. Thus, the question is: What do you need that short description for?
The answer is simple: You need it to sell your story!
Think of it this way: If you’re planning to pitch your story to a magazine or to publish it on a website, you’ll need a good short summary to help sell it. That’s all!
What if your story isn’t ready to be pitched to the public yet? That’s okay! You can still use a title sheet to help get attention for your work. Here’s why:
In Hollywood, a common practice is to have the main character introduce themselves in the first few minutes of the movie. This is called a ‘teaser’ and it’s often used to lure viewers into watching the entire movie. Similarly, when an author submits a story to a publication, they often include a section where the protagonist describes themselves. This can be a useful tool for getting the attention of the reader and enticing them to read the entire piece.
In some cases, the protagonist’s description can be a good hook for the story. For example, let’s say that your story focuses on Max, a troubled teen who doesn’t really fit in with his peers. You can use his description of himself to introduce the theme of the story. To show how his mindset is different from most teenagers, you can say the following:
“Most teenagers think they’re the center of the universe. But not Max. He always feels like an outcast even though he tries to fit in with his friends.”
This kind of intro would work well for a horror story about Max or a science fiction story about an alienated teen. With a little tweaking, you can turn this one-page document into a pitch that’ll make my head spin!
How To Format A Title Sheet For Creative Writing Submissions
With the above intro in mind, let’s examine how to format a title sheet for creative writing submissions. Following are some suggestions that’ll make your story stand out:
- Make it snappy!
- Use active, dynamic verbs
- Make it entertaining!
- Show how the main character deals with conflict (if they do at all)
- Don’t forget about secondary characters!
- Be as specific as possible
- A good title sheet shouldn’t be too long
- Start with a hook
- Make it personal
These suggestions are not meant to be exhaustive but, rather, a guide to help you improve your title sheet. When it comes to writing a creative writing pitch, your objective is to stand out among the masses of unread submissions. To that end, here’s an example of a good title sheet with some suggestions for making it better:
The Basics
As with most things in creative writing, your first step is to establish the basics. What is the basics? The basics are the fundamental elements of the story—characters, setting, conflict, and so on. Once you’ve got those down, you can start creating more elaborate plot twists and turns. Here’s the thing: You don’t need to know exactly what the “basics” of your story are. What you need is a vague notion of the elements that you do know about. Once you have that, you can begin to flesh out the story with more detail. That’s your basic outline.
Characters
The first thing to do is to put yourself in the mindset of your characters. What do they want? What are their weaknesses? What are their strengths? Make sure that their objectives are clear. You don’t have to know everything about your characters; rather, you just need to know what is important to them. For example, let’s say that you’re writing a Romantic Comedy and your protagonist, Alex, wants to be loved. One of his weaknesses is that he’s a little insecure. You could say the following:
“Alex is a little insecure about his looks. He worries that people will find him ugly. However, his friends tell him that he’s cute and they love him just the way he is. That’s what he needs to hear.”
Now, you don’t have to know exactly how to make your characters’ desires come true. You just need to know that they have them and you know enough about them to tell a funny story. The more you know about your characters, the better. Another important thing to do is to make them realistic. Your characters should behave in ways that are consistent with what you know about them. For example, let’s say that you’ve got a funny character named Tim who is a complete hypochondriac. Don’t make him act in ways that are inconsistent with his character. If you want a more realistic story, follow the same rules that you would in real life. Your characters should believe that what they are saying is true and they should behave accordingly. For example, if you want the reader to believe that Tim is a complete hypochondriac, then you have to make sure that he acts like one!
Setting
The setting is where the story takes place. It can be fictional or it can be based on a real place. The setting can be anything that the author chooses to make it. It can be a deserted island, like Robinson Crusoe’s; a modern-day city, like New York; or even a dream sequence, like the one that you create when you’re sleeping. Just make sure that you know enough about the setting so that it will evoke images in your readers’ minds. Here are some examples of well-written settings:
Genre
The genre is the type of story that you’re writing. If you’re not sure what genre your story falls into, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is it a murder mystery?
- Is it a love story?
- Is it a coming-of-age story?
- Is it a fantasy story?
- Is it a slice of life story about a teenaged girl?