"Breathe in experience, breathe out poetry." Mariel Rukeyser
A Writing Tool
You will have countless reasons to describe your book, such as in query letters, for pitch events, on the back cover, and when you are asked by friends, family, or strangers what your book is about. Can you make it exciting and succinct? Examples help. My newsletter subscribers now have access to the cover design and first few sentences of blurbs for some best-selling books by genre. The first sentences pack a punch!
Craft Tip
If you're struggling to create a summary of your book, start with the basics. 1) who is your main character, and what is most interesting about them, 2) what is the conflict in the novel, 3) what is at stake. A great example from the document above is from On the Come Up, by Angie Thomas. "Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day...but now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri's life as beats and rhymes. With bill piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it-she has to make it."
Photo Inspiration - There's a Story Here: Kauai, Hawaii, 2017
What story would you write about this photo?
Weekly Mindset Video - WFWA and Writing Communities
Next Step Book Coach - If you're ready to start your novel, are stuck in the middle, or have finished and need to know what to do next - we can help.