The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Friday, March 30, 2018

A Break & a Marvelous Movie...Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 98... and a Scary Writing Critique Group Meeting

     My Spring Break begins in a few days. It will be delightful to have some time off, but I won't be lounging around watching TV and eating bonbons. I'm going on another quick trip to Turkey to rescue some golden retrievers. Pray for the passengers in the plane, that I don't fall asleep and snore during the flight.

       Also, I got to see the movie The Darkest Hour. It was wonderful. Gary Oldman did a fabulous job as Churchill. The film made me want to read his memoir (if he has one) or a decent biography about his life.     

And now, onto back-of-the-book blurb business. Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your bookYou choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book on meditation positions? Is it a photo collection of mentally-ill patients and where they choose to sit? 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. If you'd like to read my review of The Write Man, Lisa's most recent novel, you read it here.  Lisa nudged me into reading her first romance novel... and then I read the next two in the series. She's that good of a writer.
     
          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 Cure for Crazy

     Mrs. Higginbottam still loved teaching, even after 49 years. When the teachers around her had smarboards and computers, she still had her trusty green blackboards and a paper gradebook. Those things never failed!
      Her students thought their teacher was whackadoodle. If they whispered, Mrs. H shuffled up and down the aisles and yelled. If they laughed, her face turned beet-red and she'd stomp her feet and twirl around like the cartoon Tasmanian Devil. When the teacher wasn't lecturing the class, the kids were hunched over their desks furiously working.
       The kids were stressed out. Some of the kids started biting their nails down to the quick. Some started pulling out patches of their hair. Some started muttering under their breath.
        After one of the kids saw his mom meditate, a light bulb lit up. Maybe some mantra-muttering would make them calmer? But would Mrs. Higginbottam let them do it? (150 words)



      Plus, something weird happened at this week's writing critique group meeting. I always hope that everyone's opinion of my piece is favorable. Nobody wants to hear five other people say, "That story stunk!" However, I don't get nervous as the group reads my work. If they don't laugh at the funny parts or understand the story, that just means I have to do more revising.

    But this week I shared a synopsis I've been working on. It's for a manuscript I've worked on for more than a year. The piece means a lot to me. 

     As they read, I almost snatched it out of their hands and said, "It's not ready to share yet," I was that anxious.

     It's crazy when our writing makes us crazy.

And Val, here is the photo for the next back-of-the-book blurb:




      
       

13 comments:

  1. I'm dying to see The Darkest Hour! Be safe!

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    1. Mama Zen--I don't think you'll be disappointed. And I'm back, safe and sound... with a foster dog to love.

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  2. Well, you beat me to it this week! I've got to start burning the 4:00 a.m. oil, because apparently, I've gotta stay up pretty late at night to beat you to the early-bird worm.

    I'm hoping that Mrs. Higginbottom doesn't have a yardstick (OR meter stick) handy, laying up on top of the metal frame of her greenboard. She doesn't seem the type to allow meditation on her watch.

    Have a pleasant flight. Perhaps you'll be allowed to roam freely about the cabin. Just don't use that freedom for sleepwalking.

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    Replies
    1. Val--The only reason I beat you is I had to schedule my post due to my travels. What a surprise that I was on time. I'm sure that will be the only surprise from me for a while...

      On the way back I was held prisoner--I didn't have an aisle seat, and hated to keep asking the man next to me to get up. However, nothing or wet happened...

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  3. Writer anxiety is our cross to bear. I don't know of any writer who doesn't, at least sometimes, stress out waiting for those reviews whether it be on a synopsis, a novel, or those first wobbly five pages. You put it out there! That's the best thing. And I'm betting you got some great feedback.

    Travel safely to Turkey, and God bless you for your work on behalf of Goldens.

    Mrs. H is clearly very dedicated. There should be more out there just like her.

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  4. That teacher sounds like some of the teachers I've had! I hope I wasn't like her! I don't know if I could ever get my students to sit still long enough to meditate. LOL

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    1. Pat--Me, too. I worked with a man who lectured all day. The kids sat perfectly quiet all day, as he murmured away. I could never get my class to sit still or to be quiet.

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  5. Your synopsis was all encompassing and succinct!
    I'll be saying I knew you when.
    I think Mrs. Gregg was related to Mrs. H.

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    Replies
    1. Linda--Thanks so much for your feedback. You ladies rock!

      And you'll say you knew me when I was still unconvicted? ;)

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  6. Safe travels to Turkey! And here's hoping no one puts a pillow over your face. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Cathy--I'm glad the guy next to me doesn't read my blog. Otherwise, he might have seen your comment and then had an idea of how to stop my snoring.

      It was a wonderful trip. I will have to post about it next week...

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  7. I had a bad experience recently with feedback on a piece, so I know what you mean. Ouch!

    Yoga in class? You bet. A few years ago, we were visiting juvenile detention centers around the country to observe programs we could bring to our facility. You'd be shocked to hear how many boys told us their favorite program was yoga!

    www.patwahler.com

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