As some of you may know, Mahriya decided to run the Typewriter Project, which is basically an excuse to have your blog post ideas handed to you write fun prompts and compete to earn points!! Obviously, I’m very competitive, and so I’m about to give you the best challenge response you have ever seen. You can read an intro to challenge #1 and an awesome guest post on writing a blurb over on Mahriya’s blog, but I’ll sum up the basic rules for you below.
- Write your own blurb for an (imaginary) book [i guess it could be real if you’ve written a real book]
- Include a diverse character
- Use the word “tranquil”
- Optional: author quick reviews
- Optional: snippet of ‘book’
The winners will get 5 points and are judged on creativity and originality. This challenge is due by May 26th, and you get an automatic 2 points just for doing it!
In the year 2296, everyone has their place.
The Coloreds have the collectives, The Gays the Western colonies, The Patriots have the inner city, and The Ladies know that they will be assigned to their ideal home.
On Melanie’s assigning day, she knows exactly what will happen. She’ll be escorted to the edge of the city and deposited on the opposite side of West Gate, the first time in her life that she will ever see the world beyond. The 2,000 mile walk to the colonies is far, but The Walk Guard would be there to protect her, and Melanie is looking forward to being reunited with her girlfriend on the tranquil western coast.
But the week before her choosing, her father, an influential lawmaker, tells her the truth. Nearly everyone dies on The Walk– there’s no food, no protection from the elements, and no Walk Guard. She must become a Lady or die.
Suddenly forced into a life she had never imagined, Melanie must make a choice. Hide her identity forever, or risk the perilous journey into the unknown.
From debut author Joce comes a powerful novel of choice, identity, and becoming an individual in a society designed to make everyone the same.
“But I don’t belong there” Mel explained for the 10th time that night, confused by her father’s insistence that she choose to join The Ladies. “You and half the town know that, and tomorrow I’m headed west.”
“Mel,” her father sighed, annoyed. “You can’t go. I’m not giving you a choice.”
“This is the one thing I can make up my own mind on,” she said angrily, hating the fact that her father still could not accept her. At that moment wished more than ever that her mother hadn’t been reassigned. It was the eve of the most exciting day of her life, and the last night in her childhood home, and yet her father wasn’t even attempting to make that special for her.
“It’s not safe” his voice was rising now, and Mel raised her eyebrows slightly. It was unlike him to lecture her like this, and even when he did, his voice was normally quieter, more disappointed than anything else.
“We have the Walk Guard” Melanie hissed.
“No. No you don’t” he screamed, leaping up off his seat and standing over her. Just as quickly, he flopped back down, and the heat left his face, replaced with worry. “Look Mel, honey, there’s no such thing as the Walk Guard. The Gays? The Coloreds? They’re sent out there to die.”
Mel stared at her father, blinking, unsure of how to respond. After a few seconds of dead silence, she burst out laughing.
“Die?” she had trouble talking over her laughter. “That’s funny Dad, and I know you didn’t want me to be gay, but this is a new low for you. We got a letter from Trish a few months ago saying she made it, remember?” Mel tried to continue laughing, but something on her father’s face caused the laughter to die in her throat.
I know my blurb was a little longer than the guest post recommended, but I honestly could not figure out how to cut it down to fewer words, so I’m just letting it go. Also, I came up with this Story Idea just for the blurb, and I kind of like it, not gonna lie. If I wasn’t already 50 pages into my cliche filled wreck of a story attempt, I would try to write this one instead. Who knows, maybe if I write them both simultaneously I’ll enjoy both more, not sure.
ALSO MAHRIYA WHY DID WE NEED TO USE THE WORD TRANQUIL. That word had me struggling, and I probably would have cut out that whole sentence if I didn’t need to include it, which would have brought me back in the word count, so it’s not really my fault that it’s long I swear it.
As far as my excerpt goes, I’m not sure if we were supposed to write one that long, but I just went for it anyways because once I started writing I couldn’t stop. I feel like I know Mel better than I know half the characters in the story I’m currently writing, which is probably just because I haven’t tried writing her enough to realize what I don’t know, but who knows, maybe it’s actually just a better story idea. It’s official I’m a mess, but hopefully you guys at least enjoyed the story idea.
Did you enjoy the first challenge for The Typewriter Project? Would you read my story based on the blurb? Are you participating in the project? If so, comment with the links to your blurb, because I would love to read them!
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