Blurb=the bane of my existence
These are what sell your story. What gets the reader, the publisher, the agent drooling over what you’ve written. They can either make or break your story, whether or not the story is good. I read them and often base my reading choices on them. This is fine…until I have to write one. Then all bets are off and I’m crying in the corner asking for mommy.
It’s not that I don’t love my stories, or don’t know them by heart. Just how the heck do you boil your baby down to about two paragraphs? Seriously…I’d like to know. I realize that by the time you’re getting to the blurb writing stage, it is not your baby. You might even hate your story by this time. But still, how do you boil it down to only what is necessary to whet the appetite and not give anything away in the process. I have this tendency to want to go on and on about what I’m writing cuz it excites me so. I want everyone to love my book as much as I do. But...
Apparently I have to learn to do that in two paragraphs or less. I’ve read articles, books, blogs and forums for advice on how to accomplish this, but always it feels as if I’ve missed the bus, standing at the stop staring forlornly at the taillights as it turns the corner. So I slump back to the house and struggle through it on my own. Which usually works out for me…since I just go with what feels right. This is where a good critique partner can come in as well. They can and should give you their honest opinion about the work and what feelings it evokes in them.
So does anyone have any tips on how to write a stellar blurb?
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It's about these simple questions? Who are the main characters? What do they want? What’s keeping them apart.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps.
Suzan,
ReplyDeleteIt does help, but i'm the person that wants you to sit down with me and show me the magic steps. I know that there aren't any and I need to see that. Thanks for the tips. I'm going to store them away for later.