Saturday, April 22, 2017

Blurbs and log lines..

Good morning, I hope your weekend is going well!

Okay, so you're down to the final stretches and you're gearing up to send your book out the door and in the hands of an editor/publisher. You've double-checked all on your list and things look great! The only thing left is your blurb. Let's say, you are not published yet and you're thinking, do I really need to write a blurb and send it out with this submission? Probably. But why?

Writing blurbs and log lines are really great practice, for a few reasons...

First, you'll learn how to hit on the most important details/hooks of your book. This will come in handy when you're sitting at a table with an agent and she asks about your book. Or, you're in a pitch meeting with an editor and she wants to know about your book 'before' she has even seen any of your work.

Blurbs can be sticklers at times to write, but they really do help with nailing down the 'grabbing' parts of your story. If you've never written a blurb, the easiest way, I think, to get the hang of writing them is by using your synopsis. Now, I realize your synopsis is long, but we're gonna start there. So, go through it and take the most important parts and jot those down. You may end up with a few paragraphs or more at first, that's ok. From those paragraphs, dwindle it down even more, just like you did... until you have one or two paragraphs.

Now, we're tightening up the main points/hooks of your story! Then, you'll narrow it down to one paragraph. If you're having a little trouble at first getting the hang of writing a blurb, just pick up a few of your favorite books and turn them over to the back cover.. read the teasers/blurbs. That's the goal we're trying to get to..

Second, once you've sold, more than likely you'll need to write a cover blurb and send it to your agent/editor/publisher.

And last, practicing this will help you nail down a log line..which is really a one-liner hook. As if writing a synopsis, cover, and blurbs aren't hard enough, now you need a one-liner?! lol ;) Sometimes, yes! They come in handy when you're doing promotion, or you literally have less than one minute to tell someone about your book. Practicing these now may come in handy if there is ever a time when you're in any of these situations :)

If this is a first time writing them it may be easier to break them down and write them in chunks. Start with your synopsis and then put it aside for a day or two. Then, go back to it and lean it down to a few paragraphs, and set it aside for a bit and so on.. until you end up with a one-liner!

Tip: If you're having a little trouble using your synopsis, try writing blurbs and log lines by using your cover letter with the steps mentioned above.. if you do though, because a cover letter holds more than 'just about the book info' make sure when you're practicing, you only use the parts that are of the book.

Hope this helps :)  Happy Writing!

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Pop Up Contest..

Hi, I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend! :)

I've been thinking, I know I know, not a good thing some days, lol ;) Anyway, the majority of the blog topics have been on things to work on when writing/editing or researching stuff and thought.. I've heard that writing should be fun, you should write from the heart and just have a blast.. but with 'keep your eye out for this, and this, and oh, here are five more things to add to the list'.. after a while, things can kinda go flat for a spell. I think it's time for a breather and a bit of fun. I hope you agree :)

So, on to the contest.. I know I've covered show vs tell in a couple of posts and since then, a lot more emails regarding this topic have come in. And, well, I thought, that's a great contest idea.

Onto, the details. There will be 1 (one) winner, chosen randomly, at the close of the contest.  The Show vs Tell Chapter Contest will close on April 30, 2017.  The winner notification email will be sent by May 5, 2017. The winner will have 10 (ten) days to reply to the notification. If winner fails to respond to the notice within the time frame, after the reply time period ends, an alternate winner will be chosen. You must be at least 18 years of age and/or of legal age, and you are not restricted by any law etc., by entering the contest. If you are chosen as the winner, the chapter you send in must belong 100% to you, as in, it's your creation, you wrote it.. and by entering you agree you own the work and you are not infringing on any person and/or copyright. If you're selected as the winner, you agree to send 1 (one) chapter (8,000 word count limit) via email only, to the email address that will be provided within the Contest Winner Notification Email.

The prize will not be substituted, exchanged, or any other here there and yonder of any which way, type, form, etc., aka: the prize is the prize offered below, period.

The prize: marking a chapter where there are spots of show vs tell.

How to enter: send an email to (kassie.lane.1@gmail.com) with (Show vs Tell Chapter Contest) in the subject line. In the body of the email, please list your name and the genre of your story.

Easy, right?!

Good luck! 

And Happy Writing!