Writer's Guide

How To Write a Blurb + Tips

Hellooo! I'm back again!

Soooo I'm not sure if I've talked about this at all (I feel like I did briefly), but I decided I could give you guys some advice about writing a blurb.

A good story blurb should have the following:

1. A hint of the plot. 

It shouldn't be very vague. If it's really vague, then it's harder to get potential readers interested in your story.

2. Main characters are named and characterized.

This is obvious. Readers want to know who the story is about. 

3. An idea of the setting.

The setting is almost always important to the story. And if you're using a real town/city/village as your setting and that area is known for something, it may help the readers get a better understanding of what's happening. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama during the Great Depression (1930s, for those who didn't know when the Great Depression was). Discrimination towards black people was bad during that time, and the Great Depression is said to have been especially bad in Alabama (I believe). This gives the readers more background information. Am I making sense?

4. A question or a hint of mystery that draws the readers in to be solved or answered (not mandatory, but highly recommended).

This is usually the last sentence of the blurb. An example of this is, "(Insert question)? (Insert another question)? Find out in (insert story name)."

Now that I've gone over what should be included in your story description, I'm going to give you some other tips for when you're writing it.

1. Don't just use quotes.

I don't like it when authors (mainly here on Wattpad) just put a quote for the story description. It's really vague and, in my opinion, annoying. It makes me not want to read the story because what's one quote going to tell me about the plot and the characters and the important stuff that should  be in the description. 

If you want to include a quote in your story description, that's totally fine. I mean, I've seen writers (mainly on Wattpad) put a quote and an actual description in the blurb. If you want to use a quote in your blurb, I think you should still put an actual description of the story.

2. Exerpts from the story - not always the best description.

I wouldn't do this unless you've already completed the chapter that the exerpt is from. Don't write a scene as the description and then not include the scene in the story.

Now, I wouldn't necesarily use an exerpt as the description. I still think it's a bit too vague. Yes, it may leave the readers curious as to what happened before and after the exerpt, but still. Some professional writers will have both an exerpt from their story and an actual description. That is what I think is best.

3. Don't make the description too long or too short.

According to thecreativepenn.com, most blurbs seem to be 100-150 words long, but you can obviously make it a bit shorter or longer. I would say maybe four sentences minimum and, like, fifteen sentences maximum.

4. Don't tell the whole story.

I've seen some book blurbs that are so detailed and long that it's almost exhausting to read. You want to give the readers a short plot description, not a loooong one. I'll write an example of what I'm talking about. Let's say this is a story about a guy who has a crush on another guy who is a werewolf.

Example

Sixteen year old Derek Isaac has a crush on Martin Borman, the captain of the football team and the most popular boy in school. He thinks that Martin doesn't know he exists, but Martin does, and he feels the same way. So, one day, Martin asks Derek out. Derek is ecstatic! However, he doesn't know that Martin is keeping a dark secret from him. Martin is a werewolf.

One night on a full moon, Martin loses control and attacks Derek while he's out on a late-night walk. When Martin realizes what he's done, he takes Derek back to his house, where his pack lives. He and some of his packmates patch Derek up while he's unconscious.

When Derek wakes up, Martin tells him the truth.

After that, Derek is introduced to an entire world of supernatural creatures that he thought weren't real. The couple face many struggles and have to fight to keep their relationship under control. Will they make it out together? Find out in The Wolf Pack.

See how I've basically told you guys so much of the story? See how long it is? This type of story description is something I think you should avoid writing.

Anyway, that's it. I hope this helped you guys, or was at least a little interesting. 

What do you guys think I should write about next? Comment below.

Samantha

P.S. I can't believe this has gotten over 100 views! Awesome!