so ... how exactly do you write a blurb LMAO

The Necromancer's Lair
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okay to preface this, i just want to say that i’ve done a lot of research in the past via google and even sometimes youtube, but i genuinely can’t figure out how you’re supposed to write a blurb? i always end up adding way too much information or sometimes i might think it’s too much info and then i look at published book blurbs and there are parts that would actually work really well, but i cannot find the balance :sob: like, this is unnecessary to mention, but because i :sparkles: info dump :sparkles: i’m saying it anyway — i genuinely believe it’s because of my adhd or it has something to do with that because i have a hard time processing information anyhow and figuring out how to pace myself without literally just projectile vomiting all of my thoughts everywhere first (which is literally what i’m doing right now .) but even then, the cleanup is horrific.

someone told me once to do, like, three or four paragraphs but i’ve tried that and realized it’s too long, but then i won’t know how much information to cut so it ends up being really choppy and confusing. i also have no idea if you’re supposed to follow specific structures for blurbs depending on genre, but if you are, i’m specifically talking like… slice of life?

anyhow, if anyone has any advice i would very much appreciate it because i, for the life of me, cannot figure this one out. i know it might be a little confusing without an example of my story idea or something, but i also didn’t want to just lay out all of my ideas and then it come off like i’m asking someone else to write one for me LMAO because i definitely am not. i want to write it myself, i just don’t know how . yeah . i think this is a good place for me to stop, otherwise i’ll keep on rambling . but, uhm… yes . how exacty does one write a blurb :sob:

(also how the heck did they even come up with the word blurb . it reminds me of blub, which reminds me of blubber, so i can’t stop imagining just . seals . it also sounds so funky, b is an odd sound to put at the beginning end/beginning middle of a word . anyways.)

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I should be the last person to comment here because my blurbs suck :smiling_face_with_tear: but then again I’ve been in the same position as you, and maybe I still am. I just relate so much to this that I have to comment :sweat_smile: I definitely feel you. I’ve spent literal hours—much more than five, I know for a fact—researching blurbs, reading articles on how to write blurbs, and rewriting blurbs, but none of them turn out right. Just when I think it’s fine, someone points out issues in my blurb, then I rewrite it, then someone else points issues with that one, and so on. It’s a horrible cycle and I hate them with a passion :sob:

That being said, I sort of know how to write a barely passable one? If it’s even passable, lol. So this is just a really basic formula:

First 1–2 Paragraphs: You may or may not want to start with a 1–2 sentence punchline or question to pull the intrigue in. Introduce the main characters, the setting, set up the situation basically.

Middle Paragraphs: Introduce the conflict, the twist, why the characters are involved, something like that.

Ending Paragraphs: What may happen because of the conflict and stuff stated in the middle paragraphs, hypotheticals, maybe an ending “punchline” or question to wrap things up.

Another tip that may or may not help is to avoid stuff in blurbs like “Read to find out!” or “Will they or won’t they?” Idk, I’m a lost cause at this point.

If it helps here are the blurbs for my current stories. The first three blurbs are from the same fantasy series—Books 1, 2, and 3—while the last is one of the hardest blurbs I’ve ever written and it’s still not good enough, I will rewrite it again someday when I have more time :melting_face:

Blurb 1

The quietest towns always hold the most magical secrets.

That was what thirteen-year-old Stella learned when she was sent to stay with her Aunt Celestine during the summer. During her stay in the sleepy town of Oppidula, Celestine gives Stella an heirloom bracelet. She fastens it around her wrist and makes her promise to not take it off.

Soon, Stella learns that there is more to the bracelet than its family legacy. A morning stroll around the small town and a chance encounter with two new friends reveals secrets beyond her imagination.

First, Oppidula hides a portal to another world.

Second, her bracelet gives her powers.

And third, she’s not the only one with such jewelry.

Under the tutelage of a group of elders, Celestine included, Stella and her new friends embark on a journey to master their powers. However, not everyone is happy to know that a few humans have access to abilities. One of them is hell-bent on stopping them entirely… and last time, he was very close to doing so.

Blurb 2

Actions, well-intended or not, have consequences. Some of them may be deathly.

One year after the events that happened at Otrâlmondé, the trio reunites in Paris to spend the summer together. When they’re not busy sightseeing with their families or hanging out in Eddie’s home, the three would head to Nitea to further their training. It seemed that their vacation would go about normally… minus the realm-hopping.

Until a hidden curse turns a human girl into glass. And it might be Eddie’s fault.

With only two weeks to spare before the curse becomes permanent, the trio and their allies go on a scavenger hunt to find a cure. However, with their relatives close by to watch their every move, leaving Earth and coming back unnoticed will not be easy. Will the trio manage to break the curse in time, and do so without getting caught?

Blurb 3

Some things are better left buried.

Two years after the events of The Hidden World of Nitea, the Realm Seekers reunite for their first official mission: accompany a royal on a top-secret journey. They first head to the Kingdom of Serpania to meet with Princess Selenia. After gathering in a private room, the Princess divulges the remaining details surrounding their trip.

The Kingdom of Draconyn was a once-prosperous land inhabited by dragon shifters. Thousands of years ago, a group of mages sealed Draconyn under a powerful curse. The kingdom has since been barren, forgotten, and even wiped from history. The trio and Princess Selenia are to find Draconyn’s remains and break the curse. After a lengthy briefing, the princess makes them promise to not tell anyone of their plans.

They soon set out, accompanied by a few of the princess’s guards and servants. As the trio and Princess Selenia make their way to the cursed kingdom, a mysterious group of mages continually pursues them, determined to stop them at all costs. However, when a clash between the two parties results in both sides claiming hostages, the trio begins to wonder if there was a good reason why Draconyn was sealed in the first place. Will they aid the princess or abandon their mission?

Blurb 4

What’s worse than a past that comes back to haunt you? One you don’t even know.

In the realm of Idelhen, where wild monsters threaten to wipe out mankind, being a gifted is both a blessing and a burden. As the only ones born with special abilities - and thus the only ones who can slay beasts - all gifteds are forced to become guardians and protect the rest of humanity. While most oblige, a particularly powerful gifted has rejected that path.

Damon the Demonic has been terrorizing the realm for years, using sorcery to mold monsters out of stone and shadow. Having amassed more power than most gifteds combined, it’s a matter of time before he removes the last obstacle in his way: Arden Mægenstern, Idelhen’s strongest guardian.

Until Edin comes into the picture.

Soon after awaking in a stranger’s bedroom, with no memories of his past prior to his rescue by Arden, Edin begins training under her tutelage and works with her to regain his memories. A fateful encounter with a wild beast deems him worthy of being a guardian, and his sheer power promises an end to Damon’s terror. However, just as he’s thrust onto the battlefield, he realizes that there are other monsters than the feral creatures he’s forced to face.

And they’re waging a war within him.

As Edin’s inner demons and obscure past creep out of the shadows, the world wonders whether he really is Idelhen’s next hope or its demise in disguise. Only blood will tell.

Oh, and fun fact, back in the old Wattpad forums I opened a thread asking for blurb help. Someone came in and though they did have valid feedback, they also called my blurb boring and reading that made me cry :smiling_face_with_tear: I know, I’m a thin-skinned crybaby :sob:

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I don’t even do blurbs I just do a plot or summary for my story.
I just don’t get them.

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no because your blurbs actually seem like they have a personality and voice to them (which i love by the way, the fantasy vibes are 10/10) and it made me realize that mine always sound like so robotic :sob: which is funnier than anything to me.

i feel you entirely on feedback. like even now when i’m more accepting of it, there’s still a breathing period where i have to step back and remind myself that i asked for help, like i asked for someone to judge my work LMAO otherwise i get so defensive and it’s just downright sad.

this seems super helpful though !! (wanted to write that in caps but i did not want to look like i was just shouting) it’s a lot easier to have an idea of where i need to take the blurb instead of just writing (especially when i know how my brain works smh). i think right now my biggest struggle is trying to figure out how much of the main character i should give away and how to tie in the drama.

actually wait. i was going to type out a big ol’ paragraph, but that tricked my brain into giving me an idea. i’m going to go see if this works :sob:

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Maybe these will help…? ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯

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If we’re breaking it down to the basics…

Brief background + inciting incident + character goal/ conflict = blurb.

For example:

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Mary Ann is twenty-five and arrives in San Francisco for an eight-day holiday.

But then her Mood Ring turns blue.

So obviously she decides to stay. It is the 1970s after all. (Background)

Fresh out of Cleveland, naive Mary Ann tumbles headlong into a brave new world of pot-growing landladies, cut throat debutantes, spaced-out neighbours and outrageous parties. Finding a job as a secretary at an ad agency, (Incident) Mary Ann wants to start her own life, away from her parents and with the flower-power freedom to make her own friends and her own decisions. (Conflict)

Memorial by Bryan Washington

Benson and Mike are two young guys who live together in Houston. Mike is a Japanese American chef at a Mexican restaurant and Benson’s a Black day care teacher, and they’ve been together for a few years—good years—but now they’re not sure why they’re still a couple. There’s the sex, sure, and the meals Mike cooks for Benson, and, well, they love each other. (Background)

But when Mike finds out his estranged father is dying in Osaka just as his acerbic Japanese mother, Mitsuko, arrives in Texas for a visit, Mike picks up and flies across the world to say goodbye. (Incident) In Japan he undergoes an extraordinary transformation, discovering the truth about his family and his past. Back home, Mitsuko and Benson are stuck living together as unconventional roommates, an absurd domestic situation that ends up meaning more to each of them than they ever could have predicted. Without Mike’s immediate pull, Benson begins to push outwards, realizing he might just know what he wants out of life and have the goods to get it. (Conflict)

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

Gaspar is six years old when the Order first come for him.

For years, they have exploited his father’s ability to commune with the dead and the demonic, presiding over macabre rituals where the unwanted and the disappeared are tortured and executed, sacrificed to the Darkness. (Background) Now they want a successor. (Incident)

Nothing will stop the Order, nothing is beyond them. Surrounded by horrors, can Gaspar break free? (Conflict)

If you want to go further… this is followed by an overview of the type of story it is (i.e. a multigenerational family saga, vignettes of twenty-something year olds) and the vibes (i.e dark, heartbreaking, funny, Marvel meets Friends etc).

This is just one way of doing it though.

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I usually use the structure of:

[ominous line that generally summarizes the plot]

[backstory/context behind what happened]

[set the stakes]

[where the plot’s going/wrap it all together!!]

This structure is fluid, but this is usually what I stick to as a loose outline, and it works pretty well for me!!

Blurb 1

Ten years ago, Julia Reddings’s girlfriend climbed a set of stairs in the woods and never came back down.

When she was just a teenager, Julia Reddings watched her girlfriend Alice ascend a staircase in the middle of the woods and vanish at the top without a trace. In the ten years since, Julia has never been able to find Alice. Or the stairs. Now working as a park ranger, Julia has gathered the stories behind every paranormal encounter and local legend she can get her hands on, trying to unravel the mystery of her girlfriend’s disappearance. But it seems that Alice has been wiped off the face of the earth.

Until she finds the stairs again.

Desperate for the truth, Julia returns to the place she lost Alice. But the woods that were once so dear to her are different, now. They feel dangerous. And the staircase that took Alice ten years ago is calling to her.

Blurb 2

After being accused of witchcraft, a young girl is forced to run away from her hometown.

Aubrey Delacourt was able to keep her magic hidden for fifteen years. But when rogue Wardens invade her town, her powers are revealed to everyone. Charged with witchcraft and forced to run away, Aubrey finds herself completely alone.

Beyond the safe bubble of her town, Aubrey is left chasing legends to try and survive. As her magic becomes harder and harder to control, she struggles to hide from the Wardens who draw closer every day. With no other option but death, Aubrey sets off on an epic quest to try and neutralize her abilities.

Aubrey knows what happens to wayward souls. But as she starts to drift away from reality, she wanders closer and closer to where the lost things go.

Blurb 3

When an attempted vigilante infiltration operation goes sideways, Jaime Collyn starts to question the government they’ve been serving their whole life.

Jaime Collyn is everything their government needs them to be-ruthless, cunning, calculated, and merciless. One of the most highly esteemed operatives in the world, they’ve been trained since birth to be a weapon.

Jaime is ecstatic when they’re authorized to go after the elusive Ivory Spiers. But once the mission begins and they meet Ivory, they find themself starting to doubt their loyalties.

As Jaime grows closer to Ivory, they slowly begin to realize just what she’s fighting for. When the political tension starts to rise and old loyalties are tested, Jaime isn’t quite sure if they’ll be able to pick the right side when the time comes.

All they can do is hope.

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It might be helpful if you are first able to summarize your story concept in a single sentence. Screenwriters call it “the elevator pitch”. It might not work for all stories bit it’s easier to write a blurb when you have a clear idea of what the story is about.

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The Watty Mentorship Bootcamp runs workshop on Blurbs during Watty prep season specifically with Wattpad in mind. I left link here, and you can also try their discord and see what various people submitted, what the mentors suggested for each blurb, how the writers edited them and see which approaches/tips worked for you.

Personally, yes, I start my blurbs with elevator pitch that sells the story, then do a voice-y blurb in 2-3 paragraphs with a oh, yes!!! Sentence at the end.

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thank you for these resources!

OP: @marsonearth I also recommend K.M. Weiland’s Outlining your Novel Workbook

As well as Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat method for writing summaries and blurbs

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oh thank you for these !! i haven’t had the chance to read through them yet, but i appreciate it c:

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oh i like how the examples are broken down, thank you :sob: this is super helpful, especially since i kinda threw something together last night and can apply it to that .

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This is how I’d brainstorm a blurb.

Answer each of these questions. Try to limit yourself to one sentence if you can but no one will go after you if you go over, this is just for you. Most important rule is: keep it simple, no run-on sentences. Don’t try to get fancy or witty yet.

  1. Premise/hook: It can be the idea that sparked the story, or the idea that you think is the coolest, will spark reader curiosity. It could be a situation or an unlikely combination of tropes. What about this story makes it different and cool?
  2. Protagonist: who is it about? Mentioning character’s name isn’t enough, you need to give us a description. Noun + adjective works well and can tell us a lot. You can use tropes too. DO NOT FEAR TROPES. It’s a tool to say a lot in very few words.
  3. Goal: What does the protagonist want? Too many blurbs I read are about everything but the protagonist. Focus on the protagonist, their goals or dreams. Tell us why we should care, what we should relate or emphatize with.
  4. Conflicts/antagonist. What’s stopping the protagonist from achieving their goal?
  5. Stakes: What will happen if they fail?
  6. Genres, themes, mood, style. Make a list of what you want the reader to know after reading the blurb.
    You can use this list later when you’re editing your blurb to add little details that will hint at the genre and themes.

The bottom line is that you don’t want to attract everyone to your story. You want to attract the right reader, the one that will read the blurb and think, this is exactly my kind of story.

In the finished blurb, DON’T:

  1. Ask questions. It’s my major pet peeve. Not everyone has a problem with questions in a blurb, but it is a cheap cheat and looks unprofessional. Instead, pose the situation in such a way that the reader will ask that question.
  2. Add quotes/excerpts. Don’t even think about it. It never adds anything good and takes up valuable space you should be using for a proper blurb.
  3. Be vague. Vagueness is the killer of blurbs. Telling your reader that something mysterious happens isn’t mysterious. BE SPECIFIC. If it’s a major spoiler, then don’t say it at all. But if it’s the basis of your hook, then you have to say it.

I’ll use a novela I’m working on to demonstrate.

  1. Hook: (a cool idea) A magical gadget that allows you to see the past
  2. Who: 22-year-old Merlin, a magitech inventor.
  3. Goal: He wants to prove to the world just how awesome his inventions are by solving a mystery no one else can, the unexplained disappearance of two lightkeepers.
  4. Conflict: When he uses his past-revealing gadget, he discovers information he doesn’t want to share because it would be harmful to people like him.
  • This might give away too much. Hmm. Let’s try again.
    The truth he uncovers with his tool is too dangerous to share.
  • It sounds a bit vague. I’d have to work on that or pinpoint an antagonist to focus on instead. Ooh, I have an idea.
  • Seeing what no one was meant to see puts him in danger of suffering the same fate as the lightkeepers he’s looking for.
  1. Stakes: If he doesn’t solve the mystery, not only will he fail to rise in fame, but also the two lightkeepers will be doomed.
  2. Genres/themes: science-fantasy, paranormal mystery, Merlin. Moral dilemma.

These are the essential pieces that I want the full blurb to contain. So now that I have that, I’d start putting points 1 through 5 together so they’d form the bare bones of my blurb.
It doesn’t have to be longer than a paragraph or two. Definitely not over 4.

The goal is to hook the reader with ONE idea. You don’t have to reveal all the cool things in your story. It takes just one idea to spark curiosity. Instead of trying to do everything and confusing the reader, do one idea very well.

Point 6 is the last step. After you have the basic blurb, sprinkle in keywords to hint at the genres, themes, your writing style, etc.

In the above example, I didn’t describe Merlin as a magical experimenter, but as a magitech inventor, which in itself suggests science-fantasy. That word choice helps me check off one of the important points (character intro) and indicate genre at the same time. As a bonus, Merlin’s name is also a very well-known trope that I totally want to capitalize on.

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oh yeah this is honestly a good idea. i think my only struggle is that the sentence tends to turn into a run-on because i have literally no idea how to break things down :sob:

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just gonna put these together bc i wanna respond to both but i don’t want it to seem like a copy and paste LMAO (which is fruitless because this does in fact sound like a copy paste from my other message . oops :sweat_smile:)

thank you both :sob: i’ll have to check these out soon and see if maybe i can finally grasp it LMAO it takes me a minute sometimes ngl. i’ve been taking my writing seriously for about 6 years now (technically i started writing 8 years ago) and literally just a month ago i found someone on youtube who actually explained story plotting to me and it all just . clicked . i didn’t even know i didn’t fully understand it until i realized i had nothing motivating the story :person_shrugging: obvi some writers don’t need to have a message or intent beyond just wanting to write something, but i have to have something that pushes me along otherwise my motivation absolutely fails at doing its job. it was a very strange realization :sob:

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any chance you could post the link to the video you watched?

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okay oh my gosh, i love how you explained this. the 6 questions will definitely help a lot and the fact that you further broke it down and explained what to do after is super appreciated LMAO i was going to ask a question and then it was answered as i kept reading on, and as someone who needs that clarification and explanation, thank you. some people have an idea of what to do after but i struggle with taking things a little too literally and/or not being able to work it out myself. the last paragraph had me going ‘oh wait that’s really smart’ bc i’ve just never considered that before. thank you again :sob:

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i can search for it !! i have to remember the channel name and the name of the video LMAO if i find it though i’ll definitely share

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I hope it helps.

Just remember what made you want to write the story, what got you excited about it. That should be your pitch.

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What you need to do is to time yourself. Come up with a single sentence in the span of one minute to describe your story. Who is the main character, what do they want, and what is at stake?

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