Classically dumb?

[Jay Aitch]

I have trying to sum up my novel in a one sentence pitch and found that most people seem to use comparative combining, e.g. My Cousin Vinny's Big Fat Fried Green Breakfast Club meets (thread-bare cover of) Harry Potty-mouth [sic].

In trying to sum up my story I found myself appreciating that the basic premise of my book owes a great deal to Homer's Odyssey, i.e. hero tries to get home and has lots of adventures on the way that change him. Or as I've just been reading: Campbell's Monomyth archetype (if you believe that sort of thing). One main aspect of my protagonist's journey is his on-going questioning of what is real and what is fantasy.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Try as I may, I can't seem to find any suitable comparisons. Any suggestions?

 

[Emurelda]

It's hard to compare it without having read the book.

I guess for my own situation I would compare Noble Beginnings as Harry Potter meets Doctor Who. But that's probably because it's about kids exploring the universe as basic surmise. Not sure how to make it a 'pitch' for the sake of selling the story idea to a publisher.

I find the shorter and concise one has to be the more challenging it gets. Writing for children has to be tight and I find choosing the correct noun and verb as I write really frustrating in a fun sort of way.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

What sprang into my mind was a cult film, which I'm sure you'll remember, called The Warriors. Made in 1979, it was originally panned but has gone on to be reappraised as worthy. It has a realistic griminess and ruthlessness missing from many of today's movies.

It was based on a novel by Sol Yurick, but draws heavily on Homer's Odyssey with the heroes trying to make their way home against threatening foes. It might be worth your while to have a look at how the film was marketed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warriors_(film)

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/the-original-warriors/?_r=0