Write Your Back Cover Blurb First

There are endless ways to write a story. Some authors pen their prose early in the morning or only at night. Others are daily writers or weekend wordsmiths.

Planners & Pantsers

But one of the largest dichotomies in our world comes down to one simple question: Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser?” Do you hold off on starting a new project until you have a scene-by-scene outline or do you discover your story as you write it? 

There’s no right way_, except the one that works for you.

Except that neither approach works for me. 

“Pants-ing” leaves me with plotting dead ends, scenes that I painfully exorcise when I realize my story’s gone in another direction. “Plotting” leaves me wondering where’s the fun in writing a mystery if I’ve already sussed out the entire puzzle. 

Backing Into A Third Approach

So I’ve backed my way into a third approach. I write the back cover blurb of my as-year-unwritten book to sketch out its major plot points. In fact, I won’t type “Chapter One” until I’m satisfied with that blurb.

What’s the benefit? If you read back cover blurbs—and I bet you do—you know that most highlight three or four of the major plot points traditional mysteries contain. They reflect the traditional three-act structure we know so well. When I finish drafting my blurb, I know generally where my story is going — and can avoid those dreaded dead-end scenes that need to be deleted. (All those beautiful words!) And I like the spontaneity of “pants-ing” my way through scenes that get me from one big picture plot point—one tentpole—to the next. I still get to discover the details of my story as I write them.

Connie Berry described the process as “tentpole plotting” in her recent MissDemeanors blog post. The major plot points are the poles that “hold up” the story, with still-to-be-written scenes leading from one tentpole to the next. I could write a tentpole outline, instead, I suppose. But writing a back cover blurb makes the outline process feel more like a game.  

Let me show you how I use the format of a back cover blurb to brainstorm major plot points, using a bit of the blurb I wrote for my mystery,The Paris Mistress, as an illustration. Play along using your own Work In Progress.

Setting Up A Back Cover Blurb

1. Write an “everyday life is about to change” sentence(s). Your story probably begins here, and it’s where the reader gets a first glimpse of your sleuth.

Becca is eager to reach Paris to marry Daniel, who’s gone ahead to take up a new post there…. 

2. Write your “everyday life is turned upside down when…” sentence(s). Add your “sleuth has no choice but to investigate when…” sentence.

But their idyllic prenuptial life unravels when they accept an invitation to reside with Benjamin Franklin, America’s ambassador to France…When a man is murdered on the roof of Dr. Franklin’s home, he calls on Becca and Daniel to investigate.         

3.Write one or two “things go from bad to worse” sentences.

The duo’s investigation points to members of Dr. Franklin’s inner circle. 

4. Write a sentence or two to suggest the climax.

As Becca and Daniel race from Paris to the gilded halls of Versailles, they discover their lives are at risk and that the stakes for America are higher than they could have imagined.

And there you have it: another way to brainstorm the start of your mystery plot. I hope you’ll give this a try. You may surprise yourself with a back cover blurb that serves you well through the process of crafting your own wildly creative story.

Mally Becker is the two-time Agatha Award-nominated author of the Revolutionary War mysteries, which include The Turncoat’s Widow, The Counterfeit Wife, and The Paris Mistress. A former attorney, she also teaches mystery writing at The Writers Circle Workshops, interviews authors for the Historical Novel Society’s website, and hikes and kayaks in her spare time. Mally and her husband live in the wilds of New Jersey, where they raised their wonderful son.

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