I noticed a pattern today in the "free reads" books featured by Amazon Prime this month. Here are the log lines of a few of them:
"A novel of secrets, memory, family, and forgiveness..."
"A chilling story of a woman with a forgotten past and a town with dark secrets."
"A double homicide and a missing woman lead a detective to unearth disturbing secrets in this gripping thriller..."
"A woman unlocks the mystery of her father's wartime past in a moving novel about secrets, sacrifice, and the power of love..."
THE SELLING POWER OF (SUPPOSED) SECRETS
The theme of secrets shows up a lot in messages from people trying to sell us stuff, too.
They' offer us the secrets of writing a great novel, or having hair that shines, or getting a promotion.
Some of them add a conspiratorial dimension by adding that these are the secrets some "they" don't want you to know.
It seems corny but it must work or else copywriters wouldn't keep using it. We keep falling for it despite repeated disappointments. I've yet to find a book or course that has revealed actual secrets that the Illuminati or anyone else is actively trying to keep me from finding out.
DON'T KEEP YOUR SECRET A SECRET
In fiction, a big secret in the story suggests that something unexpected will be revealed. We do love to be surprised and in that sense, a plot twist is a kind of secret from the reader or viewer.
Beyond that, being able to incorporate the notion of a secret in your logline may help your project sell.
Obviously it has to fit the story you are telling, but if it is a feature or you can make it one without affecting the integrity of the story, be sure to point it out when you're writing your logline and your query letters.
