Worksheet #2 – Concept Pyramid
A concept pyramid takes a broad story idea (Nebraska farmer falsely accused of domestic terrorism) and narrows the inherent conflict into a plot (federal agents show up after a childhood friend tricks the farmer into buying what looks like bomb making materials at the feed store) and then a short description of the story in full (His life falls apart and he no longer knows who to trust when the government questions him, locals turn against him, and his friend mysteriously disappears ) into a one sentence description. (In the thriller Bad Sale, a Nebraska farmer is falsely accused of domestic terrorism after a childhood friend tricks him into buying bomb making materials.)
What is your broad story idea—person, place, problem?
Refine it to describe the primary plot and Story Question.
Narrow it down to a Summary Paragraph (100 words).
Write a one-sentence Log Line.*
*A Log Line = Title + genre + character + plot. Search this site for more on log lines.
Please note: All worksheets posted are my original work and intellectual property. I ask that you share the links on social media, and you are welcome to share the worksheets with your critique groups and writing friends with credit given. That being said, these worksheets—despite being posted on the Internet—may not be copied, distributed, or published as anyone’s work but mine. In short: sharing is good, plagiarism is bad.
Disclaimer #2: You may post your completed worksheet if you’d like, but please remember that, by doing so, you are sharing your ideas with all of the Internet. You’ve been warned.
Ramona DeFelice Long 
To elaborate on what I said yesterday, these worksheets are a timely and exceptional gift. They show me how to do what I’ve been trying to do for the last many days — but in a more logical progression. I find this part to be the hardest part of my job as a writer and this is where I always fall down. In my own case, I’ve written the books but have never found good ways to talk about them. And here they sit. Also — right now I’m working on a book proposal (for a change) for a sixth book, nonfiction, that I want to pitch before I write any more chapters. I’ve done 20,000 words or five chapters, and a thorough but not necessarily final chapter outline. I’m struggling with the summary/concept pyramid. And, probably, I’m stuck shaping the arc of the story I’m telling. Thank you, Ramona.
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You are very welcome, Rae! Articulating the fine points of a story is sometimes harder than writing the story itself. I have been there, too. I hope you continue to find the worksheets useful. Good luck with the proposal!
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