Wanna know what one of the most often asked about topics coming from writers is? Queries.
Most writers I know have, at one point or another, cursed, spit, shouted and cried about queries. They're the Valentine we send to agents and editors, screaming LOVE ME, damn it. My book. Here's my book. I've spent so much of my time, my dreams pouring myself into the pages and you are going to spend exactly 81 seconds before going "nah, not my thing," and move on.
Well... I think it's time to admit we have a problem, writers. Do you know why queries suck?
They're not our passion. They're not our book, our story, the thing that makes us tingle when we think about it on the drive home, waiting to slam open the lid to the laptop, or flip on the monitor, or for you sadists who write with a pad and pen, that.
I have a secret I'm willing to share. The first of what I hope are many.
Queries CAN suck, but they can also be made easier, and make you stand out.
The first trick assumes you are a writer who works well with characterization. If not, stay tuned, I'll probably get around to one of the other strengths in a while, but with the holidays coming up, who knows when that'll be, so pay attention.
So let's say you are good at letting people know this guy's a dirtbag, or that girl is wounded and needs someone to make it all better, and you can do that in about three lines of dialogue. This is for you.
Treat the query as a character.
Now, that doesn't mean you should write in first person. That's a bold move, and not one a lot of people agree on. Most agents and editors I have seen comment on this say don't do it. Then they actually take people who do (Because honestly, the biggest draw is if it's good. If you are that good at writing a query, all bets are off, and why are you wasting time and bandwidth reading this? Go be famous already.)
The query should be another character without a name. Your story is its back story. Don't tell me what happens. That exists between the pages, or maybe cut and dry in the synopsis, where those standout hooks don't have to catch an eye in the amount of time it takes to warm up a latte in the microwave.
There's love in your pages. Your love, and it bleeds out when you show how someone feels. There's no reason a query can't do that.
Here's an example that I just made up:
Dino has always wanted to see space. His dream is to be an astronaut, and when he gets a call from space camp, he can't wait to go.
Sure, it tells you what Dino wants, right? Boring!
Ever since Dino was a little boy, he knew he had to fly. Space was out there, calling to him. He was going to be an astronaut, no matter what, so when the space center called and told him he'd been admitted into their program, Dino was already on top of the world.
Which one reads better? Which one do you want to pick up, regardless of whether or not you care about space?
Go... Write a query. Practice on an idea that's NOT your book. Maybe that will help you see the differences you can't see because you're tooclose.
