https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/ Writing Excuses Transcripts - Dreamwidth Studios Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:26:00 GMT LiveJournal / Dreamwidth Studios wetranscripts community https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/33854.html Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:26:00 GMT https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/33854.html Posted by: <span lj:user='mbarker.livejournal.com' style='white-space: nowrap;' class='ljuser'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?userid=92151&amp;t=I'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png' alt='[identity profile] ' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://mbarker.livejournal.com/' rel='nofollow'><b>mbarker.livejournal.com</b></a></span><br /><br />Writing Excuses Season Four Episode 25: Mating Plumage<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/06/27/writing-excuses-4-25-mating-plumage/">http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/06/27/writing-excuses-4-25-mating-plumage/</a><br /><br />Key points: mating plumage -- book covers, titles, first lines. Marketing people are the ones who think of books as products. Covers mean a lot, but you may not have much control. Titles need to grab readers, make them wonder what it's about and guess at it. A title should make people want to find out more. First lines, too, should draw the reader in, make them wonder. Zingers, conflict, question, character, tone...<br /><span class="cut-wrapper"><span style="display: none;" id="span-cuttag___1" class="cuttag"></span><b class="cut-open">(&nbsp;</b><b class="cut-text"><a href="https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/33854.html#cutid1">What's under here?</a></b><b class="cut-close">&nbsp;)</b></span><div style="display: none;" id="div-cuttag___1" aria-live="assertive"></div><br />[Dan] James, give us a writing prompt?<br />[James] Brandon and Julie go on a safari and get attacked by monkeys.<br />[Dan] All right. There you go. You are out of excuses. Now go write.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=wetranscripts&ditemid=33854" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/33854.html first lines book covers conflict titles mystery marketing people mating plumage products zinger dazzled public ext_88293 0