Is it harder to come up with the title or to write the blurb for that novel you just finished?

The November 2021 Insecure Writer's Support Group takes place during NaNoWriMo. I wish to express my enthusiasm for all of you out there who are attempting to complete a novel by the end of the month. That's quite an accomplishment.

It's also an excellent time to do this blogfest that was started many years ago by science fiction author, Alex J. Cavanaugh. If you'd like to sign up for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, please go HERE and do so. It's a great way to bolster your confidence, get advice, and find encouragement for all of your writing needs.

Here's more that is cut and pasted from the IWSG sign-up page:

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Remember, the question is optional!

November 3 question - What's harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

My answer: Hoh boy...this is a big question. But, I think I have an acceptable answer. It is much harder to write the blurb, because you have to put on your marketing hat (if you have one of those) as well as your editor hat (hopefully you have one of those) and chop chop chop while also trying to hook the reader. Some of us don't have that many heads for that many hats. So, we can end up clumsily putting one hat on top of another and that just makes a mess. However, there is at least one strategy that might help: look to your query letters.

So yeah...if you are submitting the novel for publication to agents, you've probably been through the grinder regarding the query letter. That is...you've written one...and then submitted it to peers to get butchered and sliced and diced and quartered and rearranged until your writing ego has been cut to shreds. But hopefully, you've come out of that experience with a solid product: the query letter that has a bit of a shine to it. At least one of the paragraphs or a few of the sentences describe your book (or capture the essence of it). This might be perfect to use as the start of a workable blurb for your novel.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

I'm going to bow out early for the holidays. Congratulations to all of those who finish their novels by the end of November. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you. I will be back in 2022 for the January Insecure Writer's Support Group (I will miss December's so please don't kick me out, Alex).