Stumbling... and Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 104

I've done some stumbling this week when it comes to my WIP. I had a writing goal last week, and really did nothing with it. I'm late posting with my writing accountability group--they might kick me out, I've been so under-the-radar.

The reasons? Well, for one, the class I'm teaching. It's a fun group of teachers I'm working alongside. The writing they're sharing is incredible. However, I envisioned getting the chance to work on some of my own writing during the month-long class. The big chunks to write--like last year--are nonexistent. It's a larger group, so the schedule is more packed with teacher demonstration lessons. Also, during the time I could write, I'm sometimes chatting with my teaching partner. That's my fault.

The other reason why I haven't made any progress on my WIP is I got drawn into writing an essay on postpartum depression. The story reared its head and insisted on being told. I tried to set it aside for a while, but I kept getting pulled in.

Next week we will have our anthology ready to get printed, so I'm hoping that I can get some research and revision work accomplished. Wish me luck--and now onto the business of writing book blurbs.

           Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book on the art that adorns money? Is it a photo collection of close-ups? 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. Check out her blog, along with her books. She's a writer with so much talent, she writes such compelling romance novels, even readers (like me) who don't read romance novels get sucked into the stories.  

     

          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:

A Finely-Pressed Man

Franklin’s shirt was always ironed, his pants always had a sharp crease, and yet there was always a hint of something under his fingernails.

He also always had money. In town, he did lots of shopping and always had plenty of crisp five-and ten-dollar bills. What did he do for work? The neighbors wondered how he could afford to live in his small brick house… when he never seemed to leave. They knew he wasn’t into that drug sort of thing--he wasn’t that kind. Too polite. Too proper.

But something strange was going on. From what his nosey neighbors could see, Franklin was busy late at night in his basement. Occasionally (when they snooped around), they could hear the sound of some sort of machine working away.

When the authorities started asking questions, Franklin got nervous… nervous enough to do something extremely risky.

Would he get away with it? (148 words)

If you'd like to work ahead, here is the photo for next week:

Writing: A Chance to Vent

I got a pleasant surprise on Friday. An email began, "Congratulations!" and after reading it, I discovered a letter I had submitted for an upcoming anthology has been accepted.

For many people, writing is a vent. It's a way of expressing feelings. Anger lessens through writing. Joy can be re-experienced via writing. 

We finished our first week of class by writing eulogies. On one side of the handout was an example of a eulogy, to help with the format. On the other side, there was an explanation. (It was similar to this: "This class is life-changing. The other instructor and I were transformed when we took the class. We're hoping it's just as transforming for you. Hopefully something will die while we're together. Perhaps your inner critic needs to expire? Maybe your lack of self-confidence needs to be smothered?")

The expectation: write a eulogy to what has died or will die.

What I did not expect: A couple of the teachers who shared shed some tears as they read their letter aloud.

Feelings of rejection. Feelings of inadequacy. They run deep... and those horrible feelings that are buried way below the surface prove how necessary writing is.

How is writing a vent for you? Sometimes angry minds want to know.