As NaNoWriMo gets going full speed, we’re going to take a different tact on writing prompts. Today, we’re going to go into non-fiction territory and create blurbs.
Blurbs are 1-3 sentences worth of marketing material used in query letters, elevator pitches, and websites. There is a difference between a blurb and an elevator pitch because blurbs tend to be a little bit longer (but not too much longer) than the 30 seconds / 1 sentence afforded by an elevator pitch.
The blurb must be concise, interesting, and drive the reader to your story. Bad blurbs lose sales. (To see some good examples of bad blurbs, check out this article by SFWA member Hilari Bell.) Good blurbs can make you famous.
If I were to write a blurb for Cinderella, I might say something like this:
Eligible young woman that she is, Cinderella needn’t think she’s going to the Prince’s ball. Her gown has been ruined, her chores have been tripled, and her family has locked her in the house. But a fairy godmother’s magic spell and a pair of glass slippers could change everything, if Cinderella is brave enough to take a chance.
or this:
Slaves can’t have “happily ever afters” in life, but Cinderella doesn’t care. With the aid of magic, she will attend the Royal Ball and dance with the Prince under her stepsisters’ own noses. But Cinderella’s evil stepmother has other plans, and if Cinderella isn’t careful, she will lose everything she never knew she had. Including her prince.
Da Prompt: Write a blurb for the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Maximum Wordcount is 60 words. Try to keep it under 50 if you can, though.
Remember, practice makes perfect. Write as many as you want. And please post your blurbs in the comments. I would love to see what you come up with.
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Writers are frequently asked the question “Where do you get your ideas?” The question is a hard one to answer because we all find our inspiration in different places. Some people need to be given prompts, little snippets of ideas to spark their imaginations.
With that in mind, I am posting Writing Prompt Wednesdays. The goal is to inspire writers with exercises meant to train their skills and fire up the creative juices. There are rules. Most prompts will have associated word counts or style instructions. These are not meant to restrict the writer, but give the writer a chance to explore different ways of writing.
If you are an author in search of that one juicy idea, I hope these posts help. If you have ideas for writing prompts, please let me know.
Da Rules:
1) Anything goes so long as you stick to the spirit of the prompt.
2) I ask that if you do publish something based on one of my prompts, that you post the good news (and the link) in the comments of the prompt that inspired your success. You want other people to help you celebrate, right?
