Question 2. How do you summarise a book without…well…ruining it
First thing I realised about this question is that I was asking the wrong question. What I am looking for is how to explain my story on the back of the book.
Unhelpfully known as ‘The Blurb’.
Now if you have a Pitch (see Question 1: https://conceptswriter.com/2016/01/24/82/ )– you actually have a blurb ready. A blurb (no matter how other blogs try and dress it up) is a Pitch. A written one.
In the last post I focused on the Verbal Pitch. This time it’s about the Written Pitch.
It seems to follow the same pattern though –
- A Headline – Which is just a TAGLINE.
- GRAB the Heart i.e. Why should the reader care about your character
- DRAMA! Or A Hint of the Journey (literal or metaphoric)& Conflict
- RESOLVE – (do not reveal the ending) A rough idea of what is needed to overcome the conflict/problem and complete the journey.
Since we all know that I’m procrastinating (see every tweet I’ve ever tweeted @wrytes2016), I should at least go through the process itself.
First I need a Tagline:-
So why is Death, one of the most powerful Concepts in creation, on a drip in a hospital?
He was meant to have the answers; instead he didn’t have a clue.
We all start somewhere, but who knows when to stop.
His mind is fractured, but his Power is absolute.
For the Blurb…urgh can we call it something else? Something better than blurb? Blurb sounds like how writers should fart (grim but accurate).
Let’s call it a Book Blast since that is essentially what it is.
So the Book Blast content should contain the main Protagonist, Location/Setting, Hyperbole, Problem and Solution.
It should be about 150-200 words.
Applying that to my story; Concepts A – it should read.
Luke Pestilence [protagonist] sits in a burning desert [vague suggestion of environment] watching his fate tumble from the sky [about as much hyperbole as I can manage]. He hopes for the answers to his own mysterious powers [the problem] and the location of his sister – what he gets is a shambolic brother with a fractured mind and his own agenda [the solution].
Ok that might be the worst Blast in history. Let’s try this again.
Four People, Four Powers and Four Agendas. [tagline]
He knew something was going to change; he could feel it in his blood and see it written on his skin [protagonist]. Part of him wished to continue his irresponsible simple life but a larger part wanted answers. [problem]
Luke Pestilence watched the screaming skies swirl above him and his fate fall from the darkened sky [hyperbole].
But as the answers give way to more questions and with a brother trailblazing havoc, Pestilence struggles to understand what the hell is actually happening and who he can actually trust [solution].
Ok I have introduced you too the second worst blurb in history. Third time lucky? Maybe a fusion of the two.
Luke Pestilence [protagonist] sits in a burning desert [setting/location]watching his fate tumble from the sky. As his simple human life burns to as [hyperbole]h, he hopes for the answers to his own mysterious powers [problem]– what he gets is a shambolic brother with a fractured mind and his own agenda. [solution]
Hm…ok we have 53 words. That is quite short compared to the 150 that I would need here.
Let’s take a break to talk about something I found useful last year (go make a cuppa tea and come back whilst I ponder on our next course of Book Blast action)…(seriously go – stop reading – it is time for a cup of tea or coffee….this is serious business) –
BREAKTIME: Whilst you sip your tea, let’s talk about Nanowrimo. #Nanowrimo (as it is hashtagged) is actually National November Writing Month and it is great for kicking your ass into gear. It encourages you to write a little bit of your novel each day (about 1680 words a day) and encourages a Community involvement. A Community is good because it creates Accountability. I must admit I attended Nanowrimo meet-ups and it was very good and fun. I felt a little abandoned once it was all over but I had certainly created my novel (or at least a very damn good outline).
I have to also admit that I originally thought that Nanowrimo was quite gimmicky – I will always admit when I am wrong. I was wrong. For me, although it might not be the same for everyone, it kicked me into gear.
Nanowrimo has actually been vital in getting me to this stage to start with and more so – before you start your Nanowrimo you have to enter a description of your novel. Sometimes that description changes but it is useful to look back on.
BREAKTIME OVER.
For Concepts the original description was:
The final one has fallen. All the questions should now be answered. So why is Death, one of the most powerful Concepts in creation, on a drip in a hospital?
That reads like a tagline hybrid…a bad one. But it does create mystery.
>sigh< There’s no way around this. I can’t write to Publishers at all without nailing this. And I certainly can’t sell a book without a description.
Ok Internet….any advice here for Question 2: The Back of the Book (part one)?