It’s the first Wednesday of the month. That means it’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group day! What has me insecure today?
Well, for one, my blurb is never good enough for me.
Last week, I talked about my blurb. I’ve redone it again with some help from Elizabeth Seckman.
She’s the ruler of the broken. He’s the breaker of the rules.
He saved his wife and condemned his world.MaTisha died in the final battle of the Thanmir War. To revive her, Derek stole the power of the deities. Now, they want it back and demand he be the instrument of his wife’s demise.
Derek tries to flee his fate, but divine wrath isn’t his only problem. A mysterious illness threatens a race presumed immune to everything, endangering his only child. He leaves in search of a cure and a way to circumvent killing his wife.
With Derek gone, MaTisha faces trouble of her own. Istos, immortal monsters from myth, are literally sucking the life out of the population.
She must do something, but resurrection’s changed her. She’s lost her power, her guardians, and her self-control is slipping. An insatiable thirst plagues her, making even her closest companions look tasty.
She’s determined to protect her people, but who will save them from her?
*sigh* Why must blurbing be so hard? In the previous post, C.G. Coppola mentioned there wasn’t a question as to the stakes (also something Chemist Ken brought up). And though I recoil from the use of actual questions in my blurb, I did it anyway. As I sat and thought about literal questions to describe the stakes, I realized that I hadn’t emphasized some of the stakes in the story as much as I could. So after rewriting the blurb, I went back through my story and sprinkled some focus and concern throughout the chapters. Hopefully it’ll be enough to add the focus I’m looking for.
On a more secure note, I have to admit I’m proud of my progress in the digital painting realm. My latest digital painting of MaTisha is far nicer than my previous works of her. Yes, she looks different–I purposefully changed her eye and face shape to give her a softer/rounder appearance. But she matches my mental image of my character better than my other works so I’m okay with that. I still suck when it comes to backgrounds, though. 🙂
I’m skipping the IWSG question of the month (Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? For example, a positive and belated response to a submission you’d forgotten about or an ending you never saw coming?) because I couldn’t think of a good response to it.
How do you feel about blurbs? Have you ever found yourself questioning the stakes enough to go back and edit your story?
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
Blurbing is the worst! But I think you’ve nailed it with this one. Love, love, love the tagline. That definitely drew me in.
Oh blurbing is ridiculously hard. Ya have to give enough to tempt but not give anything away–and give stakes as you mentions—but not give anything away. Oy! Headache inducing.
This line threw me a bit: A mysterious illness threatens a race presumed immune to everything, endangering his only child. Because at first I thought that some race was unrelated to him, but then his child was a risk–so his child is the race that’s endangered? But not him or the mother? Or is that race protecting the child, so if they go, the child goes. I just sorta messed with me.
Yeah, that does get into the weeds a bit. His daughter is adopted, but he doesn’t think of her as “she’s my adopted daughter.” He’s an elemental, she’s a jesper, and it’s the jespers who are getting sick. I didn’t think “A mysterious illness threatens a race presumed immune to everything, endangering his adopted daughter” had as much bite to it as “only child”.
Thoughts on how to avoid confusion?
Blurbs are a pain for me, mostly because they force me to hone in on the story that *possibly* I haven’t fully developed yet. I think you’ve nailed it with yours. And I love the new graphic for MaTisha. But then, I’m partial to that blue hair.
Love the beginning of the blurb especially. Way to hook me. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
I was hearing your blurb in my head as the resonant voice in a movie trailer. It worked for me.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Blurbs are the devil. Glad I could help because it’s a good story! It needs a blurb!
Blurbs are a challenge. But with Elizabeth’s help, yours really drives interest!
Blurbs are tough. I swear they can be harder than the actual story!
I like the tagline, a lot, and the blurb. I’d say you got it right!
I have detested blurbs. When I first became pubbed with The Wild Rose Press, being the novice that one is, I was horrified that I, you mean I as in me? Me? I had to write the blurb? Grimes, didn’t the editor do that? Oh, groan, no, no, NO! So I scribbled around and came up with something, but I hated it. Hated it. Have hated them since. However, the last couple of years I’m writing shorts – even mini-reads, if you will – oh, maybe 10 pages or less – and I’ve found that blurbing is easier (new word, “blurbing”? You’re welcome, Mr. Webster). I’ve cut the blurbs to short sentences to compile one short paragraph. Thus, my fear and dread is now zilch.
Hey, love the digital artwork. Cool stuff!
Love the digital art! And I kind of like the black background. It makes the character pop, look more striking.
Your blurb is great! They are a challenge to write, but as you said, after you’d nailed your blurb you were able to go back into the manuscript and deepen where necessary. These blurbs do serve a purpose besides turning your brain into goo.
Blurbs are hard. My partner with themed anthologies is a lot better at them than I am. Love your art.
I have a hard time with blurbs too. I really like your beginning lines. They pull me into the blurb.
I’ve only tried a blurb once and it didn’t turn out so well. I think it’s going to take me forever to write a blurb to my novel that actually makes people want to read it.
I love this so much better! (And thanks for the shout-out!) Seriously, this version tells me what I’m going to read, presents multiple challenges, and I have no idea how it’s going to end. Great job, Loni! And yes, blurbing is downright awful. But at least you don’t have to worry about it much more with this one 😉
I definitely think this blurb gives a much better feel of the story for the reader. The stakes are clearer and I’m already worried for the protagonist’s future.
It’s really good. A little long. DLP limits authors to 120 words. Then there is room for reviews between the blurb and the author bio.
Wow Loni! Love the blurb! They can totally help focus the goal! I wish you much luck. I struggle too with amping up the conflict for my MC but am really trying 🙂
Yeah, blurbs suck. I can see the improvement in this one. As for me, one of the reasons I’m not writing at the moment is that I had to put away my novel as I had to start over because the stakes weren’t very interesting. Or really there. Sigh.
Love your painting! Absolutely love it.
As for the blurb, could I be honest? I hope I won’t offend you if I say you should have more focus in it. Your blurb outlines 2 distinct story lines. Instead, you should concentrate on one and leave the other out of your blurb entirely. A blurb is not a summary. It is a hook. Pick up the one you think most important, most enticing to the readers, either Derek or MaTisha, and go with it. Then your blurb will be shorter, which is a good thing, and more focused. As it is, it seems sort-of ‘disheveled’, pulling in to directions at once, and it’s too long.
No offense taken. It’s good advice. It does come with a conundrum for me, though. Derek is the main character of the series and the largest word count POV in the book. The series is about him and his trials with the niniers (the thing he used to steal the power of the deities). But the main threat of the book, the istos, is only a sliver of his story line where the other three POVs deal heavily with them. I accept that the split focus isn’t ideal, giving it the disheveled feeling. But for this book, it’s the way I’m going to have to go, because leaving one out entirely would give the wrong impression of what the book’s about.
I hate writing blurbs and usually write numerous versions and then combine or cut and paste from them all to get one I can live with. Love the digital painting.
I hate blurbing so, so much. I know I have to write one for my terrible romance novel soon and the list of things I would rather do instead is staggering.
It takes me forever to get anything remotely workable, and that usually doesn’t happen until I first write a haiku and limerick blurb (true story) to help me narrow down what’s most important in the story. Focus is always an issue for me.
I struggled with the blurb for my debut and haven’t faced the dilemma again – as nothing is ready. So, now I suck at synopses.
Admire your art.
Blurbs are insanely hard! I struggle with mine, and probably err on the side of not telling enough (I’m noticing how long many of the blurbs on Goodreads are, for example).
Ha! I just say MJ Fifield’s comment above! Maybe I need to just refine mine to limerick form and call it good!
I’m the worst at writing my blurbs. Mine is almost as long as my books. You do way better than me, my friend! I am in love with your digital art. You have an amazing gift.
Elsie
Ugh, blurbs are definitely hard! Your artwork looks great! And it actually gave me an idea for something promotional for my next book.
You have my sympathies. I hate blurbing my own books so much that I’ve hired people to do it for me before. It’s the worst.
The digital art is beautiful. It’s nice to have that to turn to when the writing is driving you crazy, and vice-versa.