I think one thing that might be helpful is to be able to sum up your Visual Novel into a very, very short pitch like they do in the film industry. A lot of times we as readers gloss over the info you give us. Especially since it seems like there are a lot more WIPs up at Lemmasoft these days.
Before you even start telling us about your WIP, reduce everything down to three sentences. Put this at the very top of your submission. Remember, three sentences to grab the reader's attention. No more. If you're not able to do this...you've most likely got a problem with your concept.
(From http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/p ... tudio.html)
A concise pitch is especially important for those WIPs lacking artwork or with very rough art.The teaser pitch
The teaser pitch is a short pitch. Traditionally, you get three sentences to hook listeners into the premise, the genre, and the scope of your film. When crafting this pitch, pay particular attention to what you think they might be listening for.
Here are some examples:
Europe, 1912. Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater enjoy a secret and passionate romance after they meet on a ship chartered toward New York. That ships happens to be the Titanic.
Jessica Stein has met and refused virtually every man in New York City. Maybe it's time she looked for a woman. (Kissing Jessica Stein)
Northern England, 1984. Young Billy Elliot, the son of a poor local miner, decides to start training for a career. In ballet. (Billy Elliot)
These examples suggest the skeleton of a short pitch.
These are teaser pitches...you can also just give us the premise if these are a bit too "market-y" for you. The important thing is that your premise is short and less than three sentences. I cannot emphasize that enough. As the boards get more and more crowded you're fighting for a lot more attention. Don't lose a reader's interest with a giant wall of text. Start short and sweet and grab the reader's attention.
If you like, go ahead and pitch your WIP here using less than 3 sentences. I'll start:
- You play college student Mark Matthews, who is finally ready to come out of the closet and hit the gay dating scene. It's not too long before he meets a hot stranger at a bar. Unfortunately, it turns out to be his anatomy professor.
Yeah, I'm sure I could work on phrasing here, etc. But you get the idea. Hopefully it was enough to pique your interest. Your turn...