When I made the one-shot, I utilized one of the best writing tips I learned from screenwriters:

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Start with a Logline

Image: John Wick (2014)

Before diving into your story, make a logline first

A logline is a a sentence tells you (and others) what your story is about in the simplest, quickest way possible

Making one for yourself helps you focus on the core of your story without getting lost in the sauce (plus, it’s great for pitching and promotion later)

Other methods of writing stories (like filling out plot beat sheets) either made me focus too much on the little details, or was too vague

Not to mention, it didn't help me determine if the story itself was interesting or not

Honestly as creators, our biggest enemies are other online entertainment

Like Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram. People have short attention spans and many options for entertainment. If we don't catch their attention quick, we've lost them

So if that one-sentence logline doesn't sound interesting, then the story might need to be reworked

These are the components:

You don’t have to spell these out one by one. The best loglines hit all four without sounding like they’re checking boxes

Examples:

For my one-shot story, I kept toying with ideas until I settled on the logline of:

"A middle-aged man learns at the doctor's a ghost is haunting his hemorrhoids, and tries to move on"

Once I had that, the rest became easier to build

I knew I wanted to add some emotional depth (a Plot B), so I kept brainstorming until I found something that's in the manga now

Since the logline gave me the core of the story, figuring out the rest was way smoother

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The Role of Contradictions

Image: Shrek (2001)

"The number one thing a good logline must have, the single most important element is: irony….Irony gets my attention. It’s what we who struggle with loglines like to call the hook, because that’s what it does. It hooks your interest." -Blake Snyder

A catchy logline often has irony

A contradiction that instantly makes the premise intriguing

It makes people do a double-take and ask "wait, what?" That curiosity is what draws them in

Examples:

• "To get his land back, a grumpy ogre is forced to go on a hero’s quest to save a princess." (Shrek)
• "A family of superheroes try to live a quiet suburban life until they're forced back to save the world." (The Incredibles)

Situational irony is where the characters’ circumstances are the opposite of what you’d expect

Examples:

• "A young lion prince, believing he caused his father’s death, runs away while the real murderer takes his place as king" (Lion King)
• "A young woman from high society falls in love with a poor artist aboard the Titanic, unaware that the ship is doomed to sink" (Titanic)

Dramatic irony adds tension and emotional weight to stories, as the audience knows what's going to happen but the characters are unaware of the drama ahead

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Don't Hold Back

Image: Sharknado (2013)

Write down every idea, no matter how dumb it seems, and test run it through loglines

Sometimes the stupidest thought leads to a great story idea

And don’t be afraid to toss things out and swap pieces in. Writing is like solving a puzzle

A professional writer said this in one of his Youtube videos:

One of the biggest signs of an amateur writer is clinging too hard to a single idea. They try to force the wrong puzzle piece to fit, no matter how much they angle it

Pros know to step back, experiment, and ask for feedback. They swap out pieces, test different angles, and keep adjusting until they find the one that actually works

If something isn't working, it’s not a failure to change it

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I hope the logline tip can help your writing journey, as it did with mine