Two days ago, I had no idea what my NaNo was going to focus on. Last year I knew way ahead of time, had done some scut work before November 1 rolled around, and was inspired and excited enough to the point that I'm still jazzed about the project. (Of course, I'm now working on the dental draft, making sure every detail is perfect.)
However, two days ago I returned to the idea that kept appearing on my radar--another historical fiction project for (probably) middle-graders. I figured that there was a darned good reason why it kept reappearing.... and I should take heed of why it keeps coming back to my brain.
So now I know what I'm going to work on beginning on Wednesday, alongside my students. I'm lucky. If it pans out the way it did last year, I'll have two 45-minute sessions every day to write with them.
And if you'd like to read about what I've learned from NaNoWriMo, read my post on The Muffin.
How about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? I'd love to hear about it if you are...
And now onto the business of the book blurb...
Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book of fashion trends? Is it a photo collection of mentally-ill patients and their clothing choices? You decide.
Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.) Blurbs are those enticing bits that prod you into buying the book. Sometimes they're on the back cover of the book. Sometimes they're on the inside front cover. What they always try to do is lure you into purchasing the book.
Lisa Ricard Claro was the original creator of this writing challenge. She moved to Florida, and is too busy to host a weekly book blurb. Her first romance novel, Love Built to Last, just came out as an audio book. She's quite busy these days. Currently, she's writing a screenplay about her life. Viggo Mortensen is slated to play her hubby; Marisa Tomei is going to portray Lisa. Working on a movie project is hard work, so she's too busy to host this writing prompt anymore.
Okay, back to book blurb stuff.
Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post. Also, link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is easy. If you've never done it, you'll be impressed with how simple he is. And then, check out the other blurb(s). It's interesting to see the different directions writers take, given the same photo.
Here's the book cover, along with my blurb:
The Artist’s Way
Jason was a kid who doodled all the time in school. His teachers took his sketch pads away, they tore up the scrap paper he drew on, they’d confiscate his pencils, his pens, his crayons.
Despite the earlier discouragement, Jason kept his love of art alive once he hit adulthood. In fact, he’d parlayed his passion into a full-time job. Jason’s Doodles was the name of his art business..
For a crazy-high price tag, Jason would draw anything for anyone. Working on huge pieces of paper, he’d begin with no rough sketch and no idea. Preferring to dive in without the benefit of constrictive plans, Jason would begin with blank paper and end with a masterpiece.
His latest collection? Drawings of wild animals that should be better protected, and circus animals that should be permanently retired.
Will Jason continue to doodle and dabble, or will his drawings make a difference? (150 words)
No NaNo here. To me, it would make writing seem like a job, and take the fun out of it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your Jason can use his talents to design a series of postage stamps. It may not pay much, but a lot of people would see his work. Of course, he'd have to scale down his drawings A LOT!
Val--Somehow, I don't think Jason wants to create postage stamp art. But I'll pass along the suggestion nonetheless.
DeleteOkay, so how about no NaNo, but how about considering beginning a collection of vignettes? It'd be like writing a third post every day...
Man, I could use Jason to doodle on a wall in my house but I don't think I could afford him!
ReplyDeletePat--No, Jason doesn't work cheap enough for a teacher (or a retired teacher) to afford. Maybe we should have chosen a more lucrative career?
DeleteI'm not doing NaNoWriMo (I have a poet exemption), but my high schooler is!
ReplyDeleteMZ--I wish your daughter good luck. Will this be her first time?
DeleteI'm impressed. I haven't done NaNoWriMo - not ever. But I send you lots of energy and well wishes. May you enjoy the process too, Superwoman!
ReplyDeleteRobyn--I appreciate the good wishes. I am sure I'll enjoy the month, even though I won't have a chance of getting down 50,000 words.
DeleteNot doing Nano, either. But I'm sure gonna use it as my excuse not to cook on Thanksgiving. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo to NaNo this year. I wrote a full length novel earlier in the year (COLD CASE MEDIUM: ICE COLD MURDER) and just finished THE WRITE MAN, a novella slated for December 8th release. I'm doing revision work on the latter right now, and November will be my NO-writing month. I need a break! As to blurbs, well, I'm still writing them---just finished the blurb for THE WRITE MAN which I'll share on my blog as soon as I get the go-ahead.
ReplyDeleteI think you're trying to fix me up with VM, because you always choose him to play the role of my husband or personal something-or-other. I'm not sure how my hubby will feel about this, but I'm willing to give old VM the opportunity to audition. All in the name of art, of course.
I'm doing NaNo, though obviously not very well since I'm here instead of racking up words. Oh, well.
ReplyDeletewww.patwahler.com