I don’t summarise things because that’s when you lose the whole point of it. When you’ve written a book, you shouldn’t be able to reduce it to a short story, not to mention a summary. All the authentic sentiments would disintegrate into some tasteless and dull adjectives with no meaning because you don’t see the whole picture. This is what I think when you say “summary.”
It’s called a blurb. When you write a blurb, you do not summarise a book; you bring to the surface an introduction of characters and the overall theme and motivations. Then, you hook the reader with a question that makes them want to learn more about the character or the story.
My friend Ed pointed out that some people check the back cover for smashed insects. I hope that people won’t do this with mine until they have read it. The blurb matters, doesn’t it?
It will be a paperback. So, unlike the hardbacks, there won’t be a separate sleeve inside the book with thorough details. To get a better idea about blurb writing, I should read the blurbs of fifty books.
It takes Damon Albarn up to three hours to write a line, but it took Philip K. Dick a year to write thirty books.
Some minds are like on-going typewriters, and their only weakness is their short-term memory.
I shall still finish my book blurb with an intriguing question, but I want to rule out stereotypes.
It’s complicated; I can’t just be Dandy Warhol, grab Marilyn Monroe’s face and re-invent it. Postmodernism needs to be handled with more originality, which is not easy if you only have 150-200 words.
Anyway, I’ll give it a try:
>> Ellen Parker is a junior heart surgeon in New York. The city is her hideout; the hospital is her life, and the patients are her guinea pigs. With her PTSD, she finds meaning in operating theatres and sex. Yet, her existential dilemma continues to throw her off track. As her past unearths and becomes more transparent, she realizes that success alone isn’t going to fix her broken heart.
The story touches upon female guilt and examines femininity on a darker level. Ellen is an absurdist who decides to revolt and believe in something that gives her life a purpose. But what if what she believes in isn’t the truth?<<
