Should be construed as fact. It is my opinion.
Subject to scrutiny and proof.
Nor am I an accomplished writer or story-teller. Let us progress from here.
There are two types of authors; commercial writers; and story-tellers. The first follows all the accepted norms with the sole intention of selling books. The second has a story to tell. It may not be within the realms of reader popularity, but must come out anyway. I am one of these. My aim is to transport a reader into my far-away world. An unexplored place of mystery.
Regardless of an author’s intentions, two salient conditions must be met:
The BLURB – There are certain rules that must be followed. Story arc, story flow and the consequences of a character’s actions are among these. These form part of reader psychology. Without them, a story will meander aimlessly along and will be consigned into oblivion.
The BLING – is our writing style and the interesting little bits that make a story exciting. Without it, all books would be the same. It is an inherent part of each writer’s learning and experience. If we want to achieve any degree of fame, we must develop these into an art form and search for something to make our work stand out.
Even with lots of bling, a story may fail because we have not learnt the Blurb. We can adapt our style, invent fascinating scenes and tell them vividly, but still the unavoidable blurb must be followed. This fact seldom emerges unless an author is trained or has learnt from bitter experience. Many ‘no answer queries’ and rejections are the consequence. There are so many author resources available on the net that one can become overwhelmed. Many of them also cost money. To be a successful writer, we must know and follow the Blurb, whether through writing courses or personal research. The Blurb seldom comes naturally. It must be studied and learnt if one is to succeed.