Setting the Bones: The Elevator Pitch

I'm reworking an old story... again. It's the first book I ever wrote, and it contains a type of raw magic that I think is captivating and worth a good face-lift. The trouble is that it sprawls. Four main characters, a wide roving fantasy world and 190,000 words... uh, think 600 pages or so.

Also, because it's the first book I ever wrote, I didn't know that I needed to lay down some foundational work. Ie: extensive world building, a timeline that makes sense and... a single sentence elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch reveals the strength and focus of your idea. If I can rope mine into one than it's worth the time it will take to untangle the rest of the mess.

Two of my other books have strong pitches:

How would you like to read a young adult western, in the tongue and cheek spirit of Huckleberry Finn?

Or maybe you want to read about killer mermaids attacking an isolated island community on the black rocky coast of BC, Canada.

So that's what I'm doing tonight. I'm hoping to weed out the kernel, the idea that lays at the heart of my first book that makes it an inspiring read.

190,000 words, one sentence...

...

Update:
Here it is so far. How would you like to read about:

A powerful spirit called the Dragon that endows those who allow it to possess them with the magical strength to fulfill any desire. Those possessed cannot be killed and will never die.

But the world just might.

dun dun dunnnnn...

now I've got to go wash dishes.

Chow!