Writers in the Storm

By Sharla Rae

Readers choose a book in one of three ways: They like the author, it was recommended or they read the back cover blurb. After people-watching in Barnes & Noble, I’d venture to say most books are chosen by the last method. For people ordering e-books, blurbs are especially important.

That makes blurb writing pretty darn important. There are many ways to tackle the job. If you check the links below, you’ll discover how true that is. In any case, I hope my method helps those of you who are struggling with this.

If you have written a query letter, you already know how to write a back cover blurb. Sort of. A query letter blurb uses your writing style to relay facts about the two main characters, their goals, the conflict and how the problem is solved.

A back cover blurb does the same thing as a query letter with two exceptions.

• It does not reveal the end of the book.
• It ends byposing a question or a hook statement that leaves the reader wanting more. This hook or the gottcha statement as I call it, is the part you’ll have to add to your query blurb.

Blurbs vary in length. Some are one long paragraph, some have up to four paragraphs. Two to three are most common.

All blurbs contain the same basic information.  

• Name of character with her/his goals and motives and the obstacles to those motives.
• Name of conflicting character, be it a real person or mother nature; how the second character figures into the story. If it’s a real person, for instance a romance hero, than his motives and goals are presented in relation to heroine’s. Usually a conflict of interest enters the picture.
• The last section of a blurb presents a wrench thrown into the works and the gottcha lines.

As mentioned, if you’ve written a query, you’re way a head of the game. If not, I’m betting you have at least written a synopsis. Even self published authors need them for marketing and reviewers who request them.

Condensing an entire book into a short synopsis for an agent or publisher is hard enough so you might think summarizing a story in a few short paragraphs is worse yet. Wrong.

A blurb is much easier to write.

Let’s pretend you haven’t done a query and must use the synopsis to write the blurb. Generally, the hero and heroine are introduced in two separate paragraphs in a synopsis along with their conflicts and goals.

• Pluck those two paragraphs out of the synopsis and paste them into a new blurb document.
• Now pare down those two paragraphs and rework them using strong action verbs as well as words that evoke emotion. Be sure you have the basic info I listed above. Have fun! Pretend you’re writing an action-packed movie trailer.
• If you choose to use a three-paragraph format, summarize the conflict in the last paragraph with one sentence and pose your gottcha question or statement in a second sentence. [In the case of a romance, this hook may represent the obstacles in the path of the romance]
• In a two-paragraph blurb, the gottcha lines appear at the end of the second paragraph.

One Paragraph:

I’m a huge Dean Koontz fan so I pulled Brother Odd off my bookshelf to look at the blurb. It’s only one long paragraph. That makes sense. There is one main character, Odd Thomas. Yeah, there are sideline characters but Odd Thomas is the star of the show. One paragraph is enough.

Two Paragraphs:

The blurbs on the back cover of my first two books used the two-paragraph format. In Song of the Willow, the first paragraph describes the heroine and the problem that develops when she meets the hero. The second paragraph is about the hero, his undercover assignment and how it conflicts with the fact that he’s falling in love the daughter of his target. The gottcha lines? He knows he must do his duty and risk losing his woman.

From Song of the Willow

THE TOMBOY

Ladies don’t wear men’s pants or herd cattle, nor do they curse or sneak whiskey, but Willie Vaughn does. Growing up in a household of five men, Willie could play baseball, rope a cow and hold her own in a brawl. But she never thought she’d want to seduce a man, not until she met the handsome and dangerous Rider Sinclair.

THE LIEUTENANT

Going undercover to unmask Vaughn’s arms smuggling, Rider was prepared to romance the man’s only daughter. But nobody warned him about the infuriating pixie with the luscious figure and stubborn temper. And Rider certainly didn’t count on falling in love with her. There was no way out of it. He had to separate duty from desire and put her family behind bars. The betrayal meant he’d risk the one thing he cherished most – the fiery hellcat who’d stolen his heart.    

Three Paragraphs:

When the three-paragraph format is used the first two paragraphs contain the basic character info. The third paragraph contains only the hook/gottcha lines – usually not more than two sentences. This format emphasizes the gottcha lines, sort of an extra punch to the gut. With Song of the Willow, the last lines could have been reworded slightly and put into a third paragraph.

Four Paragraphs:

While it’s rare, I’ve seen as many as 4 paragraphs used a blurb. I just started reading The Belly Dancer by DeAnna Cameron. The blurb is 4 long paragraphs. That threw me until I thought about it. The blurb went into more detail about character growth and steps getting there. I realized that this book’s appeal spans several genres, Women’s Fiction, Romance, and Historical Fiction. That’s a marketing tool that can’t be ignored – the blurb needed to reflect the wide reading base.

When all is said and done, two or three paragraph blurbs really are the norm. I believe there’s a reason for that.

Everyone is in a hurry. Readers want quick bare facts [albeit interesting facts] so a fast decision can be made: Buy the book – don’t buy the book.

Blurb Writing Tips

• You probably used some word or phrases in your book that you really like to describe the characters or a situation. Don’t be afraid to recycle them in the blurb. This allows you to demonstrate your writing style as well.
• If you’re really stuck in the mud for selling words, search for ideas in books like Phrases That Sell, by Edward Wertz & Sally Germain and More Words That Sell, by Richard Bayan. Believe it or not these books cover everything from color to youth slang. I was surprised to learn this helpful little secret. Sometimes just thumbing through books like these helps you think of ways to better express your blurb.
• Have fun; get excited. Remember when you were a kid and you saw a really cool movie? You couldn’t wait to share some of the action with friends and gave them a glowing rundown. Do the same with your book. Make readers eager to slap down their cash.

Links On Blurb Writing

How to Write a blub by Marylyn Beyerly : This author separates the blurbs by genres. Very interesting.
Tips On Writing An Engaging Blurb: A three paragraph format
5 Tips For Writing A Compelling Book Blurb: at Romance University
How To Write A Blurb: at Penguin Blog

Writers are readers too. We’ve all made grocery store, Walmart and airport book purchases. For now, forget the books you bought because you love the author. Read the blurbs of the books you purchased because the blurb sounded exciting. What is it about those blurbs that convinced you to buy the book? Characters? Setting? Situation? Genre? Let’s talk about it.

Welcome to Last Fridays with Naked Editor Tiffany Lawson Inman on Writers In The Storm!

     Right now my physical self is driving up a Colorado mountain to Margie Lawson’s 5-day Immersion Master Class to be her co-instructor doing some micro and content editing, step-by-step editing fight/action scenes, and not sleep-at-all.  This ain’t no retreat!

I’ll be sneaking away from these amazingly hard working writers to chat with YOU throughout the weekend.  And as always – if you comment – your name is in the hat to win one of my writing courses. Woot!

I come on to a writing blog as an Editor/Writer/Actor and have a strong compulsion to jabber on about these 5 elements of fiction:

• Motivation and reactions
• What your character isn’t showing and should be showing
• Power within and under dialogue
• Choreography showing more than just the moves
• Emotions

     Why those 5? 

Because you could have the BEST internalizations, the BEST twisting plot, the BEST use of voice in your manuscript, but if you don’t have genuine tangible characters . . . your reader won’t be invested in the emotional story.

And they won’t care.

While I edit, I see it over and over again. Publishable plot. Publishable voice. Mediocre characters. There are many reasons a manuscript gets tossed out of an agents pile. This one is a biggy.

How do I know if the way I write my characters is good enough? What does good character writing look like, anyway?

Have you ever emoted with a character you were watching at the movies?  Audience members usually say they were caught up in the moment.  While watching the film, they were physically moved to tears, anger, or happiness.  These are usually the movies that rack up multiple best actor nominations during award season.

I ask you, why?

      Is it the setting? Costumes? Dialogue?

No. No. And, no.

The award winning element in these movies is character and the character’s ability to weld genuine emotion. Hmmm…instead of the Rita or Golden Heart Award where we honor the writer, what if there was an Oscar or Golden Globe Award for the characters in our literature? 

Would your characters win? Would they even be nominated?

      How do you write characters that are Oscar worthy?  It’s not like we can pluck them out of our manuscripts and scoot them off to acting camp. 

*clever grin*

Since you are the writer behind the character, this character has come from you. It is a part of you. No matter if it is a crazy-hopped-up killer or a 13 year old soccer star in the dregs of puppy love – it’s your writer DNA in that character. Right?  Sooo… LET’S TEACH YOU HOW TO ACT!

*crickets chirping…*

I know I know - you all are crouched over your computers in your pjs and are—

Quite comfortable thank-you-very-much! 

Well, I’m here to bulldoze the pj-comfort-zone and tell you that you need to get up. Out of the chair/couch/hammock or whatever and use your body+mind combo to create these red-carpet-characters.

      How?

By learning how to tap into how the character thinks, breathes, cries, walks, talks, runs, smiles, reacts to different stimuli, etc.

      Yes, but…HOW?

By using the tool the actors use.

      What? There is a tool?

I’m not asking you to take a dialect and accent course or strap on any ballet shoes.  I’m asking for writers to open themselves up enough to reach in and use your body+brain in a way that you never have before.

The tool is you.

The technique to use the tool is Method Acting.

I can’t think of one Oscar winner, in the 84 years of awards, that hasn’t had Method Acting as part of their training.   Method Acting is the base on which actors build their characters.  Writers build characters too, so why not borrow these techniques from our sister art?

Pre-method acting concentrated on building on to the actor with stress on external skills like dance, dialects, etc – thinking that if the actor looks like a duck and walks like a duck – he must be a duck. The difference in Method Acting: allows the actor to dig deep into the sensory, psychological, and emotional WHY behind the walk and the talk and therefore show the reality of this character, inside and out.

14 Method Blocks are: Relaxation, Sense Memory, Concentration, The Magic If, Objects, Substitution, Animal Exercise, Song and Dance, Private Moment, Speaking Out, Moment-to-Moment, Justification, Affective Memory, and Given Circumstances.

Sadly, you can’t post this list on the side of the computer (like all of my other awesome editing/writing lists) and hope to know what it all means without an acting class or acting for writers class.

      Ok, so how does it work?

There are mental and physical exercises that coincide with each of the 14 Method Blocks to help the actor recreate moments from their own lives, recreating emotions and reactions bringing memories to life within their role.

      But I’ve never been an Olympic athlete in danger of losing her dreams or a sad 46 year old detective still living with his parents.  How will MY memories help me write characters like these?

Memories are padded with emotion.  It’s what solidifies them in our mind. These emotions are found in our everyday moments and our high crisis moments, each creating a memory. The Method teaches how to reach in and grab the emotion to be turned into body language, vocal cues, reactions, motivations, relationship bridges, etc.  I teach writers how to transfer The Method found emotions into each facet of character.

Here is a thumbnail introduction to one of my favorite Method Blocks I teach and I use as an editor:

Justification.  It is reminiscent of the stereotypical director asking, “What’s your motivation?”   Those who know me will giggle here because Justification is VERY closely related to Cause/Effect (also called: Stimulus/Response or Motivation/Reaction.)

How does this relate to writing?

One of the first things I do when I edit, is look at Motivation and Reaction. During the Method acting exercise the actor will be running a scene (acting in a scene) and at every turn, every arm gesture, every vocal inflection, every facial movement -- the director can stop time and ask “why?” The actor must justify his/her choices for that moment.

As an editor, I go a few steps beyond asking, “What is your motivation?” or “WHY?”

Questions for a writer:

• WHY did that happen?
• Why did that happen at that time in the line/scene/chapter/plot?
• Why did the character tell it and not show it?
• Why did the character show it in that way?
• Why did the writer show it in that order?
• Where is the reaction?
• What was the motivation?
• Is that the best representation of your character?
• What does that reaction show about your character?
• Does this make sense? Or was it a mental speed bump?

What I’m really asking for is, Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep JUSTIFICATION.

How does this help an actor or writer? It seems tedious.

It is. Going through your manuscript line by line making sure every word makes sense with order AND placement AND motivation AND reaction is very tedious.  And well worth it.  Justification is linked to EVERYTHING that happens in your novel.  Characterization, Storyline, Choreography, Pacing…I could go on, but, I think you get my point.

What if Meryl Streep rushed through every dialogue line without facial reactions? What if her reactions ran together without a clear motivation?  In The Devil Wears Prada, can you imagine if she slouched or cracked her knuckles?!  It wouldn’t make sense, right?! And in any movie she has been in - what if each of her emotional breakdowns was choppy, missing visceral, missing physicality, missing interactions with environment, missing the other character’s reactions—

      WOW. SO MUCH to think about.

This is the gravy for your taters and turkey.  For some, this is what makes the meal!

Get ready - I’m about ready to ruin Christmas…

      Using Justification on your own is maybe 25-30 percent affective.  You need a director…I mean, editor or trained critique partner to see what you can’t see.  You are too close to the writing and have the ability to skip over those important questions and even worse, falsely justify.

And now I’m going to give you a knit hat under the tree, instead of an Xbox…

      The Method Blocks are most effective when used with one another. Justification alone is like riding a really well tuned bike without handlebars . . . or . . . a seat!

Ouch! How do I learn to use the rest of the Method Blocks?

Your next step as a writer, if you haven’t done so already, is to take an acting class. Not all of them get into Method Acting in the more advanced classes, but it couldn’t hurt to step in and give it a shot.

      Tiffany?!?!  Remember we are all in our pjs, have kids to chauffeur AND a job to go to AND need time to write! No TIME for acting class in my busy schedule, I’ll tell you-

      And we are kind of shy…an acting class with actor people? Actors are like extroverts on elephant doses of speed!

Oh. Right.

I’ll try not to take offense to that last comment.  DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE ACTORS. You are there to learn just the same as they are.

Ideas to take the edge off an acting class as a writer:

• Research the class ahead of time – If they mention teachings from Constantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, or of course – Method Acting  - that’s a good thing!
• Talk to the instructor – ask questions.
• Make sure the class is NOT Improv (for on-your-feet-flash characters) or Scene Study (for serious actors)
• Take a friend and use a buddy system!
• Before you go to the class, thumb through your manuscript and jot down what you are struggling with in terms of showing a genuine tangible character. A list of questions for yourself .

Specific questions like:

-how can I show her love for her father in this scene without making it melodramatic?

-during the fight between brothers, how can I show the ghosts of a true brotherhood.

-before we meet the hero we need to see that he is the type of man the heroine should fall in love with, how can I show this without showing the hero?

Or general questions like:

-how to show fear in a strong character

-how to show strength without being obvious

-how to show elements of depression without throwing a red flag

-how to show a protective mother without being stereotypical

The MAIN question should be:

-How do I write truthfully in these imaginary circumstances?

I’m going to repeat that.

Write truthfully in imaginary circumstances.  Something I heard, almost daily, in theatre school. And something actors are constantly telling themselves when approaching a character role: Act truthfully in imaginary circumstances.  It’s a simple sentence to take to heart and it’s easy to stick to your computer monitor, along with the grocery list and the reminder for your auntie’s birthday. *wink wink!*

      Thank you all for joining me today. I hope this slight introduction to Method Acting helps open your writing brain to embrace acting and all that it can do for you.  It really is the most dramatic of these two artistic mediums. I think our written characters deserve to walk down the red carpet just as much as Meryl Streep.  And if not to wear a fancy dress, then to sell books! 

Comment below and tell us what published characters would win the 2013 Character Oscars…if there were such a thing.( I’m pretty sure Katniss would be up for an award!)    Or just say “hi!”  

            p.s. If you comment, your name will be in the hat to win a free spot in one of Tiffany’s online courses offered through Lawson Writer’s Academy.

Courses Tiffany is teaching this year: In April - From MADNESS to Method: Out-of-your-chair acting techniques to invigorate your writing and make your characters Oscar worthy!    In May - 77 Secrets To Writing YA Fiction That Sells! TBA, Triple Threat Behind Staging A Sceneto be offered again in late-summer.  These courses will be taught at least twice a year. You won’t miss out!

Want to work with me in person?  Sign up for my Action Scene ALL DAY WORKSHOP  at: http://www.thinkbannedthoughts.com/Tipi-Tales.html mid-May

Tiffany Lawson Inman (NakedEditor) claimed a higher education at Columbia College Chicago. Here, she learned to use body and mind together for action scenes, character emotion, and dramatic story development. She teaches for Lawson Writer’s Academy and presents hands-on-action workshops. As a freelance editor, she provides story analysis and editing services.

You can find Tiffany at http://tiffanylawsoninmanisnakededitor.com/ or follow on twitter @NakedEditor

By Susan Spann

When Writers in the Storm invited me to guest-post on the last Wednesday of every month, I knew at once what my ongoing topic should be:

Equipping authors to make informed decisions about their publishing careers.

As a publishing attorney, I work with a number of publishers as well as traditionally-published and agented authors, self-published authors, and independent authors who publish traditionally and/or through a variety of other publishing options. I’m often asked to advise authors (both new and experienced) about the range of available publishing options and what factors authors should consider when choosing between them.

In fact, one of the most common email questions I receive from authors is Which publishing choices are right for me???

Unfortunately, this is a question each author must answer for him-or-herself.

It’s also a question no author should answer without serious thought and adequate information – and information is something I can help to provide. In the months to come, my guest column here at Writers in the Storm will look at a number of legal and business issues impacting authors, how those issues present themselves in traditional and self-publishing arenas, and factors authors should consider when making the all-important choice between traditional, independent, and self-publishing options.

Today, we’ll lay the groundwork for that discussion with the three most important publishing principles.

1.         The choice between publishing options is an individual decision which belongs to the author alone.

Only you, the author, can decide what path your career will take. You must accept ownership of that decision – as well as your writing career – before you can make more specific choices. For some, traditional publication is still the proper path. For some, self-publishing is the better road. And for others still, a combination of different options may prove to make more sense than choosing one option to the exclusion of all the others.

Many writers look at the publishing industry with fear and awe, as if their careers depend exclusively upon choices that lie beyond the author’s control. This is a myth – though not without a grain of truth. Those who choose the traditional road will be bound by the choices of agents and editors (just to name two). The independent author must abide by the rules of the company he or she elects to publish through. And every author is bound by the choices of readers – you can lead a book to market, but you cannot make it sell any more than the proverbial horse can be forced to drink.

Ultimately, though, your individual choices will form the cornerstones upon which your writing career will stand or fall. Before you can make those choices, you must acknowledge that you are making choices – and learn enough about publishing to recognize what is and is not appropriate for you.

2.         No single choice is right for every author or every creative work.

Publishing is no longer “one size fits all.” The decision to pursue traditional publication, independent or self-publication, or some other option altogether is unique and fact-specific.

Before you make a decision, you must consider your short and long-term publishing goals, your platform, your audience, PR and marketing, legal issues, and budget – and you must consider these issues for every work you create. In many cases, your initial decisions will impact multiple works, so you may need to re-evaluate only when conditions change. However, that makes the initial decisions even more important.

Don’t rush to judgment about your writing career. Take the time to learn about your options. Decide among them based upon facts and analysis – not emotion. Publishing is a business – your business - and you must treat it as one.

3.         In making choices, the author asserts and accepts responsibility for his or her choices – and the consequences thereof.

No choice is without consequences.

Every choice an author makes has repercussions for his or her career.

For example: the decision to pursue traditional agency representation and “big-house” publication almost always prohibits releasing the work for free download through the author’s personal website. Publishers are in business too, and most do not want to pay you to publish something you’ve already given the world for free.

Does that mean you should never make your work available free of charge? Not necessarily. But it does mean you need to think before you act and make decisions only once you’re prepared to accept the results of your choices.

Remember: “consequences” may be both good and bad, no matter which publishing path an author chooses. The point is not to avoid the bad entirely. There is no mystical fountain (or, if you prefer, no magical font) to protect you from bad reviews and worse decisions. You can, however, use the available information to make the best choices you can.

Are you ready to take control of your writing career?

If so – and even if your answer is “not quite yet” - hop aboard and join the discussion. Over the next few months we’ll explore the world of publishing options and factors an informed author should consider when choosing among them.

Next stop: What are my options anyway?

Tune in on April 25, when I’ll be discussing the difference between traditional publishing,  independent (or “indie”) publishing, self-publishing and P.O.D. (And yes, from my perspective those are four very different options – though sometimes with overlap between them.) I’ll see you then, right here at Writers in the Storm.

 Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author who practices in Sacramento, California. Her debut novel, in which a Japanese ninja and a Portuguese priest must save a teahouse entertainer accused of murder, will be published by Thomas Dunne in 2013. She blogs about writing and publishing law at http://www.susanspann.com and tweets @SusanSpann.