I’m clearly behind the times because the term ‘high concept’ has only just crept into my vocabulary although I’ve been very aware of the kind of novels that currently make it into the world of publishing and those that don’t.
At the weekend I had a fascinating conversation with a writer friend who is developing a film script from a novella – after all ‘high concept’ has its origins in the movie world – and who explained to me some of the buzzwords which accompany ‘high concept,’ like hook and logline. Then yesterday I read a great piece by Lesley McDowell literary critic for The Herald, The Scotsman and The Independent on Sunday, and author of Between the Sheets: Nine 20th Century Women Writers and their Famous Literary Partnerships, which set me off on the trail of ‘high concept’ again. I share her reservations and find myself disliking this approach to the novel which puts market before writing and assumes we all want to read the same kind of things. But if you’re itching to published, and who isn’t? Then I guess it’s worth considering…
If like me you are new to ‘high concept’ and wondering what it’s all about then this article The Seven Qualities of a High Concept Novel signposted by Lesley in her piece will explain all.
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