It's book blurb time. Time to stretch your succinct skills. Here's the basics:
- Use the photo (by Bryan Hanson over at Morguefile) of the tennis shoes as the front cover of a book.
- You decide what kind of book it is. A sci-fi novel. A YA story. A murder mystery. The possibilities are endless. You could even use this as the cover of romance novel. (Just picture heaving bosoms overflowing the shoes.)
- You come up with a title and a blurb--the blurb is the bait that will appear on the back cover.
- Your blurb should be 150 words or less (not including the title).
- You can jazz up the photo any way you'd like. You can put a title on it. You can also include fake reviews.
- Post your blurb on your blog, and then link it to this post via Mr. Linky. If you have the time and the inclination, you can also check out the other blurbs, to see what direction they headed in...
- And if you enjoy reading these blurbs, go over to Lisa Ricard Claro's site and thank her. She was the writer who began this prompt a long time ago. Now she's a big-time, multi-book author (she calls James Patterson "Jimmy-Boy," that's how famous she now is).
Here's my blurb: (I've set the bar really low this week ;)
The
Skinny-Dipping Damsel's Distress
It
was a sweltering July. Her summer job crammed every day full of
boredom, but the afternoons and evenings were Savannah's to savor.
And savor she did. Swimming. Midnight bonfires. Cruising through town
with the radio blasting.
One
Tuesday, it was too humid to walk home without doing something to cool
off. The river seemed to beckon her, as it often did. Savannah peeled
off her damp clothing. There was a steep hill that overlooked the
river, and she always chose a secluded spot around a bend of the river, so she
felt completely safe.
But when Savannah finished skinny-dipping, her clothes had vanished. Frantically, she ran up the hill... and what she saw--along with her shoes--made her scream. Read to find out how Savannah's innocent swim session turned into something awful. (135 words)
And of course, here's the photo for next week. Drink in all the details, and think about what kind of story you can cook up.
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| photo by Bryan Hanson at Morguefile |
Super. Even the blurb has a twist. I thought this was going to be some gentle coming of age novel and Wham, I should have known better. You got the reader!
ReplyDeleteClaudia--I tried to come up with something sweet, but it just wouldn't come. Thanks for playing along. I never would have imagined a romance/chick lit story from those shoes, but you did it!
DeleteGreat job, as always Sioux. It's funny the different takes on the same picture. The beauty of writing!
ReplyDeleteLynn--I agree. It's amazing how one photo can inspire such varied stories. Thanks for writing a blurb. You and I both saw something sinister in those shoes. I wonder what that says about us? ;)
DeleteOh, dear. I hope nobody had left a pair of feet to fill Savannah's shoes!
ReplyDeleteVsl--ONLY you would think there's a pair of feet in that pair of shoes. Most people think country living = a peaceful, quiet life. You are the anti-PR person for rural life. From your perspective, there are sinister vans and trucks lurking along country lanes, suspicious people standing on shoulders, dead people in wells (Am I remembering correctly?), and Seinfeld references around every bend in the road. I guess you want everyone to stay in BigCityLand?
DeleteSeriously, thanks for playing along. I know it means you only have to come up with 6 other ideas during the week, since you have only one post but you post every day. Seven posts a week is amazing. I bow down to you.
More skullduggery today! I only WISH I could give the boondocks some good press. Now I just have five more ideas to come up with this week.
DeleteGreat blurb, Sioux! You haven't lost your touch. :)
ReplyDeleteLisa--If you mean my ability to write twisted blurbs for books that would never EVER sell, then yes... I haven't lost my touch. ;)
DeleteHowever, I think these WILL help me in the future... when there really IS a book to sell.
Gotta love a pair of high top tennis shoes. Loved your take on the photo!
ReplyDeletePat
Critter Alley
Pat--Thanks. I love Chucks/Converse shoes, but have never been fond of the hightops--when it comes to my feet. Visually, however, they're more interesting then the low-top ones.
DeleteDarn! Now I want to know what she saw!! Thanks so much for doing this. It is really making me stretch my wings and grow as a writer.
ReplyDeletePat--I would like to know too. I have no idea what Savannah saw. ;)
DeleteThanks for playing. I enjoy seeing all the different directions the stories head off into.