Elevator Pitch

A three-sentence description that gives you the basic, high-concept spine of your story.

Sentence one is character + vocation + current situation.

Sentence two starts with “When” and is what I call the Doorway of No Return––the thing that pushes the Lead into the main plot.

Sentence three begins with “Now” and the death (physical, professional, or psychological/spiritual) stakes.

The elevator pitch can become a Front Burner Concepts.

Source: How to Write Pulp Fiction - James Scott Bell