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At this point in my "career" on BC I've written nine entries in my Toni With An i serial, and one entry for the New Year's competition, Marking Your Card. And I've been thinking about how a story appears on the front page, and whether I should include a story summary or blurb. (You should all enter the competition, it's a challenge and enjoyable but not too difficult. Flex those writing muscles! It's fun, I promise!)
I often appreciate it when someone writes a blurb for their story, it gives me a quick idea of what to expect and sometimes invites me to read something that otherwise might not catch my attention. Equally, as an author, I worry that it could put someone off who'd otherwise start into my story and find they enjoy it. Combine that with blurbs really not being a skill I've worked on and I've been hesitant to do it. Although I'm increasingly thinking with the length and complexity of Toni a little summary could be really helpful. Even just as a reminder of where we are for the readers I do have.
I'm certain images are incredibly helpful, everyone loves a good book cover, which we 100% judge books on (at least on first glance) but images are beyond a lot of people, taking in graphic design and licensing, etc. Blurbs are just text though, and for the writers here a bit of practice will at least get us to "competent" at creating them, if not into the fine art of really selling a story, or knowing precisely what and what not to give away.
I'm curious what others think? Both writers who don't use blurbs, do use blurbs or might have experimented with them, and I'm equally curious what readers think? And whether they help you choose a story or not?
Comments
Blurbs And Illustrations
Both can help to "sell" a story, just by catching the eye. But, of course, it's the story that matters in the end.
Try it. You may think your first effort is a disaster, but it rarely is and there are people here who will help you polish your skills, and the site needs you. Authors are the lifeblood of Big Closet.
Ask not what this site can do for you, but what you can do for it. Did I hear something like that somewhere else?
I like blurbs.
I'll be honest: I'd rather miss out on a story I might have loved because the blurb somehow misrepresented it, than risk reading a story by an unknown author that might end up sending me into a depressive spiral over stuff I can't handle.
So, I'm absolutely pro-blurb :D
That said, a blurb doesn't have to be complex or deep, provided you give good tagging elsewhere. So find a balance that feels right for you.
Melanie E.
As Nike would say . . .
“Hail, conquering hero.” Wait. Wrong Nike.
Anyhow . . . The site’s default text that appears in the “story teasers” box is the first few lines of text from what you’re posting. Sometimes that’s perfect. But often not. What I usually do is take a line of two from deeper in the post that I think is more interesting, more likely to draw people in, or more indicative of the story, than the first lines. I noticed Erin using that technique, and liked it.
Sometimes, though, a short summary sentence or sentences works better, and I write something just for that text box.
Emma
I Confess
To not being familiar with how to format everything exactly when it comes to that.
I'd want to balance the blurb between enticement to read and being the equivalent of the preview trailer that gives away the whole movie (which, if they made modern trailers for classic movies, they'd absolutely make sure the shot of Rosebud burning would be in it).
blurb
as a reader i find the blurbs and warnings very helpful in helping me decide if i want to read the story or not .
Absolutely!
The whole point of the snippet on the first page is to entice the reader.
And yes, pictures are nice, but when it comes to the equation of one picture equaling a thousand words, I always go for the thousand words.
More than once I've had the experience of pulling a book off a shelf in a library or bookstore (when there were such things), opening it more or less at random, and being so struck by the power or excellence of the writing, that I had to take the book home and read it. Of course, I'm not in that class of writer at all, but my aim when I write to make the reader keep on reading, even if they have something better to do.
However, I find it difficult to write a blurb without sounding generic.
Instead, what I do is try to find a couple of lines from my story, to act as a teaser. Hopefully, those few lines are funny enough or curious enough to merit the story a look, and hopefully the look will be enough to hook the reader through to the end.
At the risk of telling something everyone already knows, if you go to the Authors page (the page that lists all the authors), and click on any name, what you'll see is a collection of all the blurbs or snippets or whatever that author decided to have appear on page one.
Also, you can always go back and change them. Fix them, tune them up. It's fun. I recommend it.
hugs,
- iolanthe
Cuts both ways...
At least if you're trying to warn your reader about the content of your story upfront. I certainly don't want someone, myself included, to get into reading something that might hit them wrong or needlessly cause them pain / regret / stress. Yet, even if the story skirts / contains an uncomfortable topic / premise, but spins it around into hope or a positive - the warning sheds reads, at least it seems that way in my experience. Blurbs might help, but need to be crafted well so you're not giving away too much - though done right (write - lol) might actually encourage the read. Ying / yang, Catch 22, whatever... Something I'm on the fence about and may try a blurb upfront just to test it out in the future.
A graphic - bait / lure / possible hook even. I'd love to be more graphically inclined to be able to include something like that. I've seen some 'cover' art that absolutely has drawn me in to a read - so I'm guessing there's value there.
Great topic... Some very good replies. Thanks everyone!
XOXOXO
Rachel M. Moore...
I think Blurbs and Cover shots are important for the writer too
Every writer's process is different, but I think the best ones use a routine. Mine always starts with random inspiration and word-salad of a few thousand words in a single sitting. It's rarely a story I'd feel good sharing. To focus myself, I write the blurb, and create the cover.
For me, the blurb is the mission statement. Who is the main character? What is the story trying to say? Where does it begin, and where does it end? Writing the blurb makes me slow down before I get too far in a story.
JK Rowling is problematic, but none of us knew that when I started writing twenty years ago. When I finished my first story and wanted to write a blurb, I turned to her books as an example. Here's the blurb on the back of the first Harry Potter book:
Her later books use more complex blurbs on the back cover, but I like this one the best. It introduces the character, establishes the place, raises questions (what is quidditch?), and explains there will be conflict. It is able to do it in two sentences.
My blurbs change as I write my stories because I rarely understand the character when I start. This is the final version of the blurb I wrote for my latest story, The Last Perfect Day:
Notice the similarities to Harry Potter? Short, sweet, but doesn't tell too much. I use the first Harry Potter example every time I write a blurb. Looking back, I should have included more about the place, but it's tough to know how much to put in the blurb. The great thing about this site is you can always change it.
Creating a cover is easier than you think. My first covers were stock photos with a title superimposed using Microsoft Paint. I suspect that's how many of the writer's here started making their own covers. Here's the image I used when first writing my "Last Perfect Day" story.
Just as I made changes to my blurb as I wrote the story, I did the same thing with my cover art. Here's my final image:
You may be saying -- I can't do that. Again, the first picture is stock and run through a simple "Oil Paint" filter in a free paint program called Krita. It's easy to do. Adding the titles is simple too, and this is the way I made my covers for a long time.
AI has changed everything. I know some have their issues with AI and I get it because it threatens the livelihood of people who draw for a living. If I were someone who made a living from writing, I'd certainly use a real artist. The above picture was created in LeonardoAI and took me several nights to get it how I wanted it to look. Then it went into Krita, where I fixed her makeup, then used several filters to remove the 'uncanny valley' look you see in most AI images. It's not hard, but it does take time. If I can figure it out, anyone can figure it out.
Bottom line - For me, blurbs and cover art are essential to my writing process. It makes me slow down and help me figure out my story.
Writing a hook
One of the writing techniques that helps entice readers to read your story is the first part being a hook, something that draws people to want to know what it's all about.
To that end, I often make the first part of the story a prologue. In it I reference part of the conflict that must be resolved in the story. In posting, this can be accomplished by by clicking the "Edit Summary" link at the top of the text box. Simply pick a part of the story that states something in the story that will give the reader the impetus to find out either how that happened or what will be done about it. And cut and paste it there. It will appear in the teaser.
As to pictures in the teaser on the front page. There are a number of sites that will provide free photos you can use and there are at least two free graphic editors out there that will allow you to add text to the photo. I used to use Gimp2 but it's not all that user friendly. I've pretty much switched over to Pixlr Editor. It's a lot more straight forward. The one thing it won't do is read PDF files. Gimp2 will. For that reason, I keep Gimp2 around. If I need to use a PDF, I pick it up in Gimp2, save it as a Jpeg and then use Pixlr Editor to do the rest.
I'd be happy to create pictures for you to use. I enjoy stretching my creativity with it. PM me if you're interested. All I ask in return is credit for the graphics.
Here are two examples of what can be done with Pixlr Editor.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Tried a blurb
OK. I've tried a blurb for Marking Your Card, and I'll probably be slowly going back and adding them all to the Toni Parts.
"Dave doesn’t have friends, he has acquaintances. He sees the same people in the same pub every day, always betting on the horses. And for all the friends he doesn’t have he does have secrets, he’s unemployed, he likes men, and... well... he’s been on female hormones for over two years.
With Cheltenham, the biggest jumps racing festival of the year coming up, a string of bad luck means Dave might miss out on the week of gambling. That is until Chelsea—the only female gambler in the bar—makes an offer; a simple, honest offer, and one from her heart. No, she doesn’t want Dave in a dress, she doesn’t know his secret. It’s something far more direct than that."
I think it works.
A fine blurb
Well done -- it certainly got my ears up.
- iolanthe
My own habits
My fiction is overwhelmingly long-form. With episodes, I simply do the 'trimmed preview' thing.
When I publish the whole thing, though, I use a photo cover, from my own photo collection, together with a blurb. Here's the one from 'Sisters':
"Elaine found it hard to disappoint her parents, but she had no choice. She didn't hate men, they simply didn't attract her. In one traumatic hour she had not only shown them how her brother was actually a woman but also revealed her sexuality. When her sister was savagely beaten she vowed never to forget it, and with the help of friends and her life partner she set out to do something to make the world brighter as a police officer.
She was doing well, rising steadily through the ranks as her sister's own life took flight, right up until a brutal and steadily worsening series of attacks on gay men began in Cardiff and Swansea.
This wasn't a case of making the world brighter, it was a case of finding and stopping a group of evil men before someone was killed."
Reader's point of view here
I am just a reader, avid yet also discriminating. So what I offer here, is my personal opinion as well as some observation on how things seem to work here on this site.
On the front page of BCTS, located (unsurprisingly) at https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/frontpage and accessed via https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/, I almost never scroll down beyond the Quick Cuts - Recent Content to look at the STORY TEASERS. Therefor usually do not see the blurb and/or cover image. Though I will periodically use the author links in the “Quick Cuts” section to mark the authors I am [currently] reading and/or following by opening them in a new tab. That refreshes the “recently visited link” function of my browser and shows those authors in a different color. Which in turn helps me select the stories to read from the “Quick Cuts” list.
The “author” page, that starts with
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/author/, is a list of all the stories posted by that author in reverse chronological order. Meaning, the most recent post is shown first and the oldest at the end of the list [on the last page of the listing]. Here every post is shown with the teaser blurb, title image and the selected tags. I use this when exploring a “new” [to me] author, or when looking for certain chapters of stories, or when I am looking for older material to re-read.Then there is also the so called “Table of Contents” page that replicates the author index side-bar on the right of each story, that starts with either
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/orhttps://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/. Here an author can collect and organize their posted stories into a cohesive reading order that makes sense to their stories. And this organization is arbitrary to how each author's choices. These listings are more akin the “Quick Cuts” from the front page, with no teasers nor tags listed. I prefer these pages re-read certain universes and/or books, as well as check if I somehow missed a chapter in an ongoing serial, or refresh my memory by going back a few chapters in a serial.As for the tags: While reading, I do a quick scan of the tags after having opened the story in a new tab from the “Quick Cuts” list on the front page. Though I find tags to be useful when using the search functionality of the site. They can be very helpful when drilling down through long lists of hits.
I hope that my experience and usage feedback is useful to the wonderful authors that post in this community, as well as to the operators of the website that enables this community.
Another gateway . . . .
As an author, I want to make it as easy as possible for people who might like my stories to find one that would appeal to them (because I tend to write whatever genre or mood happens to be hitting my brain at any given moment). So I've spent some time on my author's page, categorizing stories for potential readers. And, because the author page isn't always the easiest to find, I add a tag to the end of each of my stories -- For information about my other stories, please check out my author's page. That way, readers get the information when they are most likely to be interested in it!
Emma
Author Page Formatting
I don't understand author pages. Sometimes I click on an author's name and I get taken to a pretty simple list of all the author's stories. Another time I'll click on it and I'll get taken a feed of stories, with the blurbs included. Sometimes they're even formatted pretty nicely.
Does the author name link to different pages depending on the origin of where you click on it?
Yes
There are three.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Gah!!!
I was drafting my answer when the authoritative response posted!
Emma
Yes and no.
I think any “author” first has to be a “member.” Everyone who creates a sign-in is a member, and if you click on their name most places it appears (like by one of their comments), you get a simple box that ells you things like how long they’ve been a member. Like this, which I got to by clicking on your name link in the “by” line of your comment.
People who post a story (maybe a blog alone will do) are also given a page that shows all of their story and blog posts, generally in reverse chronological order. Like this. You can get to that by looking at story posts in the “teaser” section, and clicking on the author’s name the second place it appears — in the top left of the listings of tags for the story. You can also get there by clicking on the author’s name on the “authors” tab at the top of the website.
Finally, inside the chronological listing of stories and blog posts on the page just described, you will find an “author’s page” which automatically includes a simple listing of your stories. Yours looks like this. But you can edit this page to your heart’s content. I was inspired by Iolanthe Portmanteau’s page to do something more interesting (she seems to have pared it back)! But to give you some ideas, here’s a good one by Rachel Moore, who talks about her approach to writing and feedback, and a very different one by Teek, who organizes her stories beautifully and adds some real artistic flair.
Emma
That's Brilliant!
Thanks Emma, that's great. My plan for the next few days, while still writing, is to start sprucing up all that. I've gone back and added a blurb to my first Toni entry, and I'll be getting around to all of them. Then I'll be attempting to sort out the other pages. And I hope I can still keep doing "proper" writing while I'm doing all this. Tags for the stories too, as I didn't realise people utilised them so much.
Blurbs
For each book I did a 'back of book blurb' on the book's title page, and then later while posting put the blurb at the top of each part - though I may have cleaned that up after posting the next part. Hmm, may be worth checking. Whether they helped get more clicks on the story though I have no idea.
And for the Author's page, one afternoon of whimsy tossed an 'About the Author' paragraph or two on there to indicate my utter lack of sanity. :)
Though thinking about it, the books for the saga and the two short stories that are 'canon' with them might be better served under their own organizer. Except then I'd have to write a blurb for the whole thing, ack! To quote Princess Bride, ‘Let me explain! No, there is too much. Let me sum up.'
Likely would still need a wheelbarrow...