harder than it sounds

In screenwriting there's something very similar called a "logline" which is actually a mini-synopsis of the story that you ideally want to be one sentence and maximum two. And that's supposed to make people want to read/buy/make your movie. It's kind of like TV guide description-ing but slightly more. It is SO hard. It is the hardest thing ever. It stinks.

On the up side, it can also really make you focus in on your story and find the spine. It has helped me immensely with overall structure the few times I've tried doing it BEFORE I started working. And sometimes, you (you here being me) find it in your notes when you are in utter despair and go, "Bottles!" Well, no, but you hit your head and think, so that's the story I meant to tell when I started. Sheez. No wonder this crap I've written stinks. Or, alternatively, this is much better than that -- I need a new 25 word description.

I like the idea of making it into a game. What about...

"Stranded on a desert island..."

Oh wait, that's Survivor and they aren't really stranded.