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Writing Blurbs using Loglines
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Patti thinks it's a great way of looking at blurbs!
David wrote: "Patti has ordered suggested I give this its own thread here.So I have:
D.D. wrote: "I've cut it down to this:
It's hard to tell if it's interesting, I know what's going on after all!!! "
Bette..."
This link is excellent. I have so much trouble with loglines and the difference between a logline and a tagline.
I've been merrily calling a tagline a strapline. It's all so very confusing and since I don't have any sous chefs or alcoholic ex-superheroes in any of my stories (so far), I'm a tad bewildered.
And old matey boy seems to think it appropriate to write the logline before the script? He's just showing off. I couldn't possibly consider doing that. How the devil am I supposed to know what's going to happen in one of my stories before I've written it? I'm not psychic.
Beverley wrote: "And old matey boy seems to think it appropriate to write the logline before the script? He's just showing off. I couldn't possibly consider doing that. How the devil am I supposed to know what's g..."You mean you don't use a time machine? Tsk.
You're lucky. Usually I have no idea what happens in my stories even after I've written them.
Hence my blurb-writing problem, I suppose.
At least you've got a valid excuse. I'm just rubbish at blurbing.
Beverley wrote: "At least you've got a valid excuse. I'm just rubbish at blurbing."I do genuinely find it the hardest part of writing. I've had finished stuff hanging around for weeks sometimes trying to find a half-decent blurb.
It doesn't help that some of my stuff is incredibly silly and just sounds odd when I try to describe it.
How very ironic. My stuff's odd and just sounds silly when I try to describe it.I actually try to think up the blurb as I go along now. It helps a bit, but not much.
Beverley wrote: "How very ironic. My stuff's odd and just sounds silly when I try to describe it.I actually try to think up the blurb as I go along now. It helps a bit, but not much."
I've thought about trying that. I've also thought about summing each chapter up into a sentence, then cutting it wall down to a paragraph or two. But I'm not sure that would work, becoming more about each incident than the broad sweep, as it were.
Maybe this is where writing the blurb before the book could work, giving it a focus, keeping the writing to the point and so forth. Although, I don't think I'll be using that aspect of the technique. The rest though will give me a skeleton to hang something on.
I hope so, anyway.
Beverley wrote: "And old matey boy seems to think it appropriate to write the logline before the script? He's just showing off. I couldn't possibly consider doing that. How the devil am I supposed to know what's g..." I am with you in this! What if the characters refuse to do what they are told in the logline? No, they write the story (or dictate it to me) but the logline idea written after the story works! I should try it later. (At the moment all my books are spinning because somebody changed the rights from worldwide to individual in the database and I chose to change it back!)
Beverley wrote: "And old matey boy seems to think it appropriate to write the logline before the script? He's just showing off. I couldn't possibly consider doing that. How the devil am I supposed to know what's g..."Um... that's called planning? ;)
I couldn't write without a plan/outline (which is not to say that I actually follow it. But I have to have one there). The log line is always the first thing I write - that's my story.
But I might have to write another log line when I've finished!
orderedsuggested I give this its own thread here.So I have:
D.D. wrote: "I've cut it down to this:
It's hard to tell if it's interesting, I know what's going on after all!!! "
Better.
I'm hopeless at blurbs. so what I've decided to do in the future is build mine around what is outlined here:
http://www.raindance.org/10-tips-for-...
The above is intended for selling film scripts, but I think there is plenty of overlap with book blurbs for it to be useful. Mainly, I think because it makes you look at your story from the outside, from the reader's POV, as it were.