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Status: Drafting the fourth book in the PERILOUS series!

Friday, April 30, 2010

Query-ness: Putting it into Action

I attended Elana Johnson's fabulous query workshop last week and got some great information (aside from the illegal candy that got me through the afternoon/evening). It inspired me to rethink my query.

As a general rule, writers hate queries. I'm no exception. But it's good to have an outline of what a query should have. Now, everything Elana taught us is copyrighted and I can't share it with you. Sorry! But I can share with you my knowledge of queries--and how it's improved.

First, your intro. Here is where you want to address the agent you're querying and tell them why you're querying them. I.E. "I read that you are looking for boy fiction" or "your agency is looking for writers to grow with them." Basically you want the agent to know that you sought them out for a reason. So if you don't have a reason, find one. This is also where you usually say your novel title, genre, and word count.

Second, your hook. This is kind of a one-sentence summary of your novel. You want to get it into your query as quickly as possible. Maybe at the end of the intro, or maybe a one-sentence paragraph right after. Ask yourself this: "What makes this story more interesting than the last romance/mystery/YA/thriller that this agent read? What is the whole point to my novel?"

Third, set the scene. Lay out in 3-5 sentences who your MC is, where this is, what's going on. Give the agent a picture of your book. (Figuratively.) You want YOUR VOICE to sneak into this paragraph. I've heard lots of people advise writing this and the next paragraph from you MC's POV so you get the right voice. Then change it back to the POV of your query, keeping the voice. I've tried it and it worked for me!

Fourth, the conflict. Your next paragraph should tell us what your MC wants and what obstacles are in the way. This is the reason you have a book and not a travelogue! (I hope it's okay to mention here that Elana said NOT TO FORGET THE CONSEQUENCE.) What happens to your MC if the conflict isn't resolved?

And fifth, your closing. This is where you mention all the great things you've accomplished as a writer. Probably not a good place to mention the five books you self-pubbed and only sold 30 copies of. If you have no bragging rights, leave it out. No problem. Be sure and tell your agent if this book is completed or not (which is silly to me, because nobody in their right mind would query if it weren't finished)!

Don't forget your contact information! And if you want to make your book title POP, put it in all caps instead of italics.

And finally, just to ice the cake, I'm going to make up a query following these examples.

Dear Heidi Bogart,

Since your website says you are looking for dramatic women's fiction, I thought you would be interested in my novel ROCK THE BOAT, a romantic drama that takes place in the 1980s. Carmen and Justin work hard to keep their marriage intact after a coworker begins to show an interest in Justin, and he finds himself returning it.

Carmen meets Justin on a starry night after a lakeside barbecue, and she thinks that romantic kiss in the moonlight meant they would love each other forever. Justin takes Carmen to a beautiful house in the country, where she spends all her time doing what she wants. She doesn't see much of Justin, but as he says, it's his job that keeps her at home with the kids.

But then Carmen finds the sexy text messages in his phone, she realizes that he isn't working late for the money. Furious, she starts her own investigation. What she discovers is that she doesn't want to lose him. So she does the only thing she can think of: Carmen fakes her own kidnapping. She just wants him to come and find her. And if he does, she has a special reunion planned.

ROCK THE BOAT is complete at 58,000 words. The full manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your time!

Kristy Hatman
231 Ingletree Ave.
Beha, OH 89789
(232) 979-3987
Kristy@hatman.com


And here's a video that made me laugh and cry and inspired me to write that silly query.




21 comments:

Mary Gray said...

awwwww. I love the ending. sweetness! Thanks for sharing, Tamara!

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

I stole it from Kate! Did you get your prize?

sarahjayne smythe said...

Wow. Great post. Thanks so much for laying this out for us. :)

Stina said...

Great post! I've read Elana's book. She's a query goddess. :D

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

You're welcome,Sarahjayne! Isn't it great to build upon our knowledge? :)

Stina, she sure does!

Jemi Fraser said...

Elana is the Queen! You're so lucky to have been there :)

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

yeah,I had no idea how famous she is! LOL.

Annie McMahon said...

This is so well explained, with an example and everything! I'm bookmarking it for future reference. Thanks, Tamara! Now I know who to ask if I need help writing a query. ;) (I'm not there yet, but eventually...)

I liked the video. Yeah, married life isn't always like in fairy tales, but there's always a way to keep the flame alive despite all the demands of being a mother. And a housekeeper. And a writer. And...

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

I'm so glad it was helpful, Annie! The video (I love the original song anyway) made me laugh and cry. Loved it.

Talli Roland said...

Thanks, Tamara! How great that you got to go to something like that. Thank you for all these helpful tips.

Ann Best said...

Excellent information on querying. It really is an art in itself.

Jay said...

Great post and great example. Thanks for sharing, Tamara.

Anonymous said...

This is great, Tamara, and comes at just the right time. I SO need to work on my query. I will pass this on to a friend as well who is writing one as we speak...lol...Thank you, Tamara :)

Unknown said...

I've just had an email from Kurt Chambers, telling me to pop over here and read this post. Really glad I did!

I'm currently composing my query. Pulling-out-hair-material. Need I elaborate...

Excellent post. Many thanks :)

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Uh, Ann, you said it. Querying is an art. A hard one!

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Kurt and Wendy, I'm so glad I could help! I totally revamped my query after the conference. Let's see if it works!

Anonymous said...

If mine doesn't work then I can totally blame it on you haha!!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Thank you so much for posting that video. It made me smile. :)

Tana said...

OK I confess I took notes! I'm getting ready to query again and I need great advice like this, so thanx!

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

Yay, T. Anne! Now, I'll let you know if my query generates results!

Amanda said...

Boy does that video ever hit home! Seriously, what is a date night anyway. Sometimes we're just lucky if we can get the kids to bed early and watch a movie together on the couch.

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