Log Line and Elevator Pitch

So now that I've edited and polished and perfected my manuscript, I need to pitch it. All those thousands of words down to 100 or even less. 

How on Earth do I do it?

I think Gareth Powell, author of the Embers of War trilogy did it best with his suggestion of how to write an elevator pitch. He says on his Instagram account: 

In order to [avoid problem] a [flawed character] must [try to achieve goal] but when [complication] they realise they must overcome [antagonist] and [personal flaw] by [action] before [deadline].

If this isn't the most incredible way of writing an elevator pitch, I'm not sure what is. Gareth goes on to say that this is how he plots out his books before he starts to write them. It helps him ensure he has all the elements of the story he wants before writing the story. 

If I put the book I'm writing into this pitch, her problem is that she doesn't have a home really, so she is avoiding being homeless. 

Her flawed characteristic is that she's impulsive, thoughtless and a bit of a maverick. 

She wants to go to a space school, but she causes her own complication and can't go. Not only that, but the antagonistic force appears and starts causing problems for her. And she has to do it before the antagonistic force appears to destroy the world. 

I also wrote a tag line for my book:

To save the world, and herself, 12yo Lexi must face up to a destiny she doesn’t want before she loses everything.

 

Not sure if that's a great one or not, but I liked it. As I said, I'm still working on it because I want to get things ready for #PitMad. I can do three pitches so I'd better get them right!