Adventures in Writing

4) Your Summary

Your Summary

When you pick up a book at the store, you generally flip it over to the back or read the inside of the cover for the summary. You want to know what the book is about. You want it to catch your attention, because if it's boring, you'll just put it back down and move onto the next one.

Wattpad provides the chance to make a summary and you should take it. Not only should you take the chance to write it, but read it. Summaries are extremely important to your story. It's not extra space for you to just babble incoherently. It's important.

Summaries tell you what the book is about in just a small paragraph of four or five sentences. Summaries also contain warnings, so you know what you're getting into. Not reading these is like going swimming in shark infested waters because you ignored the giant red sign, and then you get out screaming because you're missing a leg and going "WHAT JUST HAPPENED".

Well, you didn't read the summary. So mneh.

But really, read the summaries, write the best damn summary.

How do you write a summary?

The summary, again, should be a very short description of the book in four or five sentences. You can put warnings afterwards. Don't give away any spoilers in the summary, just explain it briefly so that they know what it is, and make it attractive. Start with a question, or a quote from the book even. After the summary, put your warnings so the readers know what they are getting into. Is there mpreg or incest or cheese-whiz naughtiness or swearing? Let the reader know! Some readers aren't a big fan of being surprised with something they are strongly against.

A few other no-nos:

Do not tell us that this is your first book. Why would telling us that matter? Do you want us to go easy on your book? Then maybe writing isn't for you. As harsh as that sounds, it's true. As a writer, you must be prepared to accept criticism. Criticism is meant to help you improve your writing. Critcism is totally different from bullying, though. We don't care that it's your first book. It's a book and we're ready to read it and see what it's all about and maybe even help you improve your work!

Do not tell us "this is gay, if you don't like it, you can go to H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS". First of all, that's incredibly rude and people will curl their lip at the immaturity of it. You are a writer and apparently an LGBT supporter. You are shaming the community by spitting at intolerance the same way they spit back at you. Remain professional and politely inform the reader in your warning section that your characters are gay.

Even better, stick it in the title afterwards by putting: (malexmale) or (boyxboy). This is a big sign that you hold up so readers know.  And while I personally hate having to do this, it thankfully weeds out the intolerance and allows the readers who ARE interested in this genre to come pouring in. I'd rather have that obnoxious blotch on the title than have hundreds of angry misled people in my comment section.

So basically:

Summaries are a must. A short snippet that lets the readers know what your book is all about.

Warnings let the readers know what they are about to jump into. No one wants to be shark bait. OOH HA HA.