by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt

When we talk about “High Concept,” we often think about a technique used to pitch a novel to an editor or agent at writers conferences. And yes, agents and editors are most definitely looking for high concept pitches.

But before we talk about high concept pitches – stay tuned for a future blog post – let’s discuss the difference between a high concept story and a low concept story. Understanding this will help us later when we focus on high concept pitches.

Low Concept Stories

A low concept story has three key elements:

1. It is not easily explained.
2. It talks about everyday life and relationships.
3. It is character-driven – We fall in love with the characters.

Here are two examples of low concept books, one classic and one contemporary:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (I hear all you Austen fans sighing out there!) – Most romances are low-concept. Austen writes about love, marriage, and friendships at the turn of the 19th century. Elizabeth Bennet is one of five daughters and Mrs. Bennet wants her daughters to marry well. Mr. Darcy is wealthy and proud, and doesn’t want to marry beneath himself. He also wants to save his friend, Mr. Bingley, from a bad marriage, i.e. one with Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. Throw in Darcy’s meddling aunt, Lady Catherine, and the antics of one of Elizabeth’s younger sisters. Relationships, relationships, relationships.
• Crazy Rich Asians – Have you read the book that released in 2014 that has almost 3400 reviews on Amazon? Seen the movie that released in 2018? When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick failed to tell Rachel that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. Soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

 High Concept Stories

A high concept story has three key elements:

1. It is easily explained.
2. It is intriguing.
3. It is event-driven.

Again, here are two examples, one a classic movie and one contemporary:

• Back to the Future – The title alone of this 1985 movie grabs your attention. It’s a bit of an oxymoron: BACK to the FUTURE. The plot is easily explained: A teenager, Marty McFly, goes to the past, messes up his parents’ romance and puts their future – and his – in jeopardy, so he has to go back and make things right. Event driven? Yes. Marty’s trying to connect with Doc, his inventor-friend, save his parents romance and marriage, and get back to the future. And, of course, things go wrong, wrong, wrong.
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Ethan and the MI team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate, an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. All of the MI movies are high-adrenalin, event-driven, and action-packed.

Consider the key elements of low concept and high concept stories: Is your work-in-progress (WIP) a low concept or high concept story?

Things I Never Told You by Beth K. Vogt

It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine—as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.

But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

Includes discussion questions.

Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Beth’s first women’s fiction novel for Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, releases May 2018. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding Series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.