Here’s a writing exercise that’s useful for any writer who’s working on a book, whether it’s in the planning phases or a finished manuscript.
Write the back cover copy for your book. Try to think about your book the way a copywriter would: Be enticing, be pithy, and don’t be afraid to be (subtly) sales-y. Remember this is the back cover: Keep it less than 300 words please.
You can post your back cover copy here in the comments or on the forum.
-Maria Schneider
*flickr photo by powerbooktrance
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a good tip, but extremely difficult to do, although still not quite as tough as writing a synopsis. I hated writing my synopsis. In fact, it’s the least enjoyable piece of writing I think I’ve ever had to do.
And of course, we do have to write these things. Pah.
Funnily enough, I just tried my hand at this the other night and found myself feeling much more confident about where I’m going with the novel. It’s hovering somewhere between point-form and full sentences, so I won’t subject you to it now, but I’m pleased so say it’s a modest 100+ words!
When angels of light and dark collide on earth…
Once he held a favored position in the heavens. But one moment of weakness casts Dante out and now he is cursed to walk the earth, collecting the souls of vulnerable women to buy his way into hell.
All hell breaks loose…
But standing in his way is Peter, an angel of light. Peter is everything Dante is not. Pure, above reproach. And determined to prevent Dante from achieving his goals. Peter will stop at nothing to protect the souls in his charge, even if it means achieving the impossible – leading Dante back onto the right path.
And no one is safe from the fall-out.
Nora Kendall believed in angels. Once. But then she lost her brother to cancer despite all of her prayers – and she lost her faith in all things angelic. Now, she is a lost soul who wanders through life like a sleepwalker, playing it safe and leaving the risk-taking to others.
Kyle Cameron is one of those risks. Burned by a bad marriage, his only concern now is providing a stable life for his children, who are left motherless by the unexpected death of his wife. This means working overtime to grow his architectural firm into a viable business – and leaving the care of his children to the care of someone he trusts. Despite his past connection with Nora, Kyle isn’t certain that she’s the right person for the job. He also doesn’t want to reconnect with her and repeat history.
But fate – and the machinations of two angels – has other ideas.
‘Sick Like Me?’ is the story of an athletic teenager coming to terms with her mothers death, in a depressed seaside resort. After learning that alcohol is a convenient off switch to her problems, Lucelle soon finds herself in a new fight: not just for her dream of making the Olympics, but for her health, her looks and, inevitably, her survival. In the end, will her competitive streak be her making or undoing?
An honest and chilling look into the dangers teenagers face through binge drinking in modern Britain, as seen through the eyes of a tragic young starlet with the world at her feet. ‘Sick Like Me?’ is moving, shocking and, at times, darkly funny. If you only allow your teens to read one ‘drinking book’, make sure it is this.