“Oh, how I dislike writing blurbs,” my writing coach client Morri Stewart exclaimed the other day as she struggled with what she called Take Two of her back cover blurb, which was probably Take Five once all the other attempts had been factored in.
Hard to blame her. The only thing more challenging than writing the first sentence of your book might just be crafting your back cover blurb’s opening line. The rest of the blurb copy doesn’t get much easier. On the other hand, what better time to wrestle with a challenge that will take your mind of how crazy the world has suddenly gotten?
If you’re writing fiction or a memoir, not only do you have to suck the reader in, you’ve got to clue them into who your main character is (in a memoir that’s obviously you), introduce the central conflict that drives your story, establish just what’s at stake, and finish up with some kind of tension or intriguing detail that will pique their curiosity. And you need to make sure your tone reflects the genre you’re writing in (romance, historical fiction, sci-fi, etc.). All in 150 to 200 words.
Of course, if you just tell them about your novel or memoir, you’ll trigger a snooze fest rather than gaining a reader. So you need to immerse them in your story with that oh-so-trying first sentence and then keep going.
Here’s what my client Morri and I finally came up with for her YA (young adults) fantasy novel after brainstorming and noodling:
Lilianna and Thom never thought they would meet a Sepherii, the mythical creature from stories of the Dark Days when Morauth spread evil like a contagious disease across the land. But why has Torr, the Sepherii, been summoned again?
Decades have gone by since the hero Rendar overwhelmed Morauth high on the Ledges, cutting her deeply with the black obsidian blade given to him by Torr. This time, Lilianna and Thom will be called on to help. Only the Dagger of Rendar has the power to banish her again, but in the hands of a child will the weapon be enough?
The young descendants of Rendar must be strong enough to strike the blow. Nothing less than the future of Faltofar and all its inhabitants is at stake.
It just gets a little muddled when the family tree also includes the sorceress Morauth.
Intrigued? Morri’s fantasy novel Faltofar will be available soon. I’ll keep you posted.
Writing nonfiction? I’ve got you covered in my next blog post.
Either way, I’ll also cover how to turn your back cover blurb into an effective Amazon book description the week after that. So check back!
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