I’m trying to write a blurb and it’s driving me crazy.

Of all the difficult parts of writing a novel: the huge task of making up people, their problems, the main plot, sub plots . . .  

CHARACTER ARCS, PACING . . .

EDITING . . .

and the other stuff. You know, the miscellaneous emotional breakdowns, self-doubts, fear of people rejecting something that you have poured your heart and soul into? 

Setting aside all of that: the most difficult part for me has always been writing the blurb. It’s tougher than writing the synopsis, which is freaking difficult! And whenever I try to find an easier way to do it, I come across all this advice about rules of writing:

99% of which, I have broken more than once, in more than one way.

So what else is there to do, but  . . .

Still, I am an optimist at heart and have been trolling the interweb, searching for a little help.

A little hope.

I found the advice below at digital book world. The article is titled:

Four Easy Steps to an Irresistible Book Blurb

and thought I’d give it a try. And then, I thought . . .

I’ve shortened it up a bit, but if you want the full article click here.

Here you go:

Here is the formula:

(1) Situation. Every story has to start somewhere, with some people in some sort of circumstances. Describe them simply here.

(2) Problem. Every story (every interesting one, anyway) has some sort of hitch that either makes that situation untenable or makes change inevitable. This part of the description often starts with the word, “But…” or “However…” or “Until…”

(3) Hopeful possibility. Here’s the potential to overcome the crisis. This “cool thing” or “longshot opportunity” makes your audience want to read your story. Yes, the situation (above) seems doomed by the problem (above). Still, there’s hope because of this new twist. Parts 1, 2, and 3, if concisely written, together create the drama that propels the story.

(4) Mood, tone or spirit of the story. Finally, readers want to know what kind of emotional state they’re going to get into while they’re reading this book. Is it a dark, dystopian tragedy or humorous chick lit cotton candy? This is where you set the tone and clinch the deal, turning browsers into buyers.

Make it short. One thing self-published authors tend to do is include too much information in their book blurbs. It’s hard to cut out subplots you’ve slaved over and characters you feel are vital to the story. But internet book buyers don’t have a lot of time. Leave all that for the book itself.Make it dramatic. What do your readers want in a blurb, if they don’t want length? They want drama. They want tension. They want to know they’re going to dip into a world where they’re hooked and curious and completely immersed till the end. If your blurb doesn’t hook your readers, they’re going to assume your book won’t hook them either.