Here is the SPOOC example that I wrote for my novel, The Search for a Sipping House:
Eleanor, a member of a group of homeless Inanimate Vampires (undead who can transform into furniture), tries to locate a Sipping House, a vampire capable of sheltering all her friends.
But Reaper, a traditional Vampire, wants the same House for his own nefarious purposes and challenges Eleanor and her friends to a paranormal race, with the Sipping House as the ultimate prize.
SPOOC Your Fiction!
Jump-start your fiction by crafting the two sentence core of your story. Acclaimed novelist Deborah Chester advocates this method for making sure there’s enough story to your story – by writing down the Situation, Protagonist, Objective, Opponent and Climax in a concise two-sentence format before you begin. It’s a great tool for starting a novel, getting one back on track, or even creating an effective elevator pitch.
So Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone might look something like this:
Situation: When he finds out that someone is after the Philosopher’s stone hidden in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Protagonist: Harry Potter
Objective: vows to keep it safe.
But can he stop
Opponent: the evil Lord Voldemort
Climax: from stealing it and coming back?
We used SPOOC at the Northwest Ohio Writers Forum meeting on February 17, 2018 at the Heatherdowns branch library. I had a hard time boiling down the plot of my book, The Search for a Sipping House, into just two sentences but I managed. The SPOOC method is great if you need a really short description to pitch your novel. It also makes you think about what is really going on in your plot. If you’re a writer, give it a try and see if your book measures up!
Rambling On 