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On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your partner's blurb? Why? How do you think it could be improved?
For those who've previously been paired together: Now that you're a little deeper into the story, do you think the blurb suits the story well? How so?
Blurbs
It's been a long time since we've touched up on this subject, so I thought it'd be good if we re-evaluated it.
Blurbs one of the first impressions people will have of your creativity, your skill, and your writing style. So, it's important it's in tip-toppity shape.
I talked about the four parts a good blurb should have in Week 7. This week, however, I came across "The Five S of Blurb Writing". Y'all know I'm a sucker for lists, so here you go!
1. Simple Keep in mind that the purpose of the blurb is to attract as many readers as possible, so we want to avoid complicating it with any words or jargon that is too specific for your story.
For example, if my blurb started with: Two halagurgles traverse the Neopotamia in search of the three jade scepters of solace to save the gigasquirrels from extinction.
It'd seem too complicated at first sight. It'd be best to unpack some of these concepts and language within the story, rather than throwing them at the reader all at once.
2. Short The blurb should give the readers a taste of what the plot is about. 1-3 paragraphs and/or 100-300 words is enough to get your points across, without losing the reader's attention.
3. Samples Pick up your favorite books and analize their blurbs. How do they explain the plot? Would you read it based on that alone? See blurb samples from other famous authors so you can find a formula that works for you.
4. Story Does your blurb tell a story? Is it engaging? Can the reader get a good sense of the writing style from it?
The challenging part is making this small piece of text as engaging as possible.
If you're feeling stuck (or have no control over your word count like me), you can write a lengthier version and cut out any unnecessary bits later on.
5. Selling Points It's good to keep in mind who you're writing for, by that I mean your target audience. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. What kind of hook would urge them to read on?
This is just a super-condensed version of this week's articles. If you'd like to read more and see examples of these, visit the link below :) https://www.editage.com/info/book-editing-services/articles/the-five-S-of-blurb-writing-check-these-5-awesome_tips.html
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