The Elevator Speech

When I tell people I write stories, they inevitably ask, “What about?”

If you are a writer and want to loop in your friends and family, you need the elevator speech.

Use Google or your favorite search engine and try “elevator speech.”

I won’t delve too deep into the details. The thought is you get on an elevator, the doors close, and the stranger next to you asks about you, your company, your dog, your writing, whatever. You need a concise way of communicating before the doors open, and your audience disappears. The elevator is an excellent trap since they can’t physically leave. It won’t matter if you are in an elevator, at a bar, or seated at the dining room table. Their eyes will glaze over if you ramble on about your writing. At that point, you’ve lost them.

The gist of the process is to create a 30-second monologue about your writing. First, make a list of essential things about your writing. Consider the genre, subject, length, editing programs, audience, characters, storylines, etc. Sort the list, prioritizing them in what your audience would want to hear, not what you want to talk about. This may vary depending on if you are talking to a neighbor, a fellow writer, or a publisher. Make your speech short, sweet, and to the point. The object is not to tell them everything but to say enough to pique their interest.

Since you’re a writer, write it down.
Write two or three speeches, depending on the audience. Read and reread them. Better yet, have Microsoft Word read them to you.
Practice your speech in front of a mirror. My piano teacher said over and over, “Practice makes perfect.” She was right. I practiced a little, and perfection escaped my grasp.

You never know when you will be next to a publisher, editor, or movie producer. It might be a friend, neighbor, or cousin. Be prepared. You are a wordsmith.

I’m working on mine. See below:

I write in the mystery/drama genre. My current project is a novel about a young priest and his brother. They team up to search the globe for a family possession that might hold power to cure their mother’s fatal illness.

I’ve also published several short fiction stories that have won awards in several anthologies.