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edelweiss
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« on: May 10, 2012, 06:20:35 PM » |
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If the query is supposed to cover only the first 50 (at most 100) pages, has anyone tried writing one when they've gotten only that far in a WIP? If so, how's that working for you? I thought it might be interesting to write one early, then another at the end to compare and contrast, because, you know, queries are such a laugh. Waddaya think?  |
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Clever as a Fox: Animal Intelligence and What It Can Teach Us About Ourselves (Bloomsbury USA, 2001; paperback, Harvard U. Press, 2002) Housebroken (novel) - represented by the Maria Carvainis Agency The Trail (novel) - WIP www.sonjayoerg. |
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Mere Joyce
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« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2012, 07:03:36 PM » |
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Haha, I haven't written one on paper for my WIP, but I've been brainstorming what it will look like since, like, chapter 2. It'd be quite interesting to see what an early query and a finished query would look like in comparison, though...
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WIP #1: YA - 90k - Querying WIP #2: MG - 46k - Querying WIP #3: YA - 73k - Completed/Editing My Blog: http://merejoyce.blogspot.comTwitter: @MereJoyceWrites |
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LydiaT
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« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2012, 07:49:24 PM » |
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I always write the query before the story. Not only does it help me know what's most important, but I also get a feel for the voice and make sure that the query isn't bogged down in details -- since I haven't even thought of them yet! It goes through some revisions after that, of course, but I've found that it's easier to do.
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edelweiss
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« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2012, 09:25:56 PM » |
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I always write the query before the story. Not only does it help me know what's most important, but I also get a feel for the voice and make sure that the query isn't bogged down in details -- since I haven't even thought of them yet! I love this. That was my intuition: create the jackcover before there's a book. When I get to page 50, I'll give it a whirl. Karma to both of you! |
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Clever as a Fox: Animal Intelligence and What It Can Teach Us About Ourselves (Bloomsbury USA, 2001; paperback, Harvard U. Press, 2002) Housebroken (novel) - represented by the Maria Carvainis Agency The Trail (novel) - WIP www.sonjayoerg. |
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tlbodine
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« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2012, 01:23:58 AM » |
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I really wish I could find the first query letter I wrote for Tagestraum. I wrote a query letter for the rough draft, just for practice. Then I revised, and the plot changed dramatically, and it was like "...welp, looks like that query won't work."
Next time I'm writing my query letter first and then coming up with a book to match it. ;)
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"We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." -- Mal from Serenity
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Falen
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« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2012, 08:28:43 AM » |
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I always write the query before the story. Not only does it help me know what's most important, but I also get a feel for the voice and make sure that the query isn't bogged down in details -- since I haven't even thought of them yet! It goes through some revisions after that, of course, but I've found that it's easier to do.
This. This is exactly what i do as well. It really helps me keep the big picture in mind, too, as i write the draft. |
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meddyK
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« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2012, 11:10:41 AM » |
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I always wrote a query early on when I started to seriously consider writing a new story. I agree with the other Lydia!
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LydiaT
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« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2012, 12:22:01 PM » |
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I always wrote a query early on when I started to seriously consider writing a new story. I agree with the other Lydia!
Yay for Lydias! |
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meddyK
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« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2012, 12:03:11 PM » |
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Casper
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« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2012, 07:26:50 AM » |
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I write mine first too! Though I've never heard about the first 50/100 pages thing. My queries always kind of sum up the big problem/choice faced by the mc at the end. It keeps me on track and makes a pitch easier to write when I'm finished  |
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Midwest
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« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2012, 08:45:42 AM » |
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For my NaNo ms last year, I wrote the query, then the synopsis, then a detailed outline, then started the book. I followed the process used in a blog called The Other Side of the Story. I quite liked doing it that way.
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Magpie
Hero Member
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Pecking away at the keyboard
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« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2012, 09:11:37 AM » |
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I wrote my queries pretty early in during the writing of the MS. To me, it helped me ground the story and know where I wanted it to go, clarified the goals and motivations of the characters. Even now, before I start writing a project, I give my agent a set of pitches, which read like the story paragraph of a query letter, and let her choose which one she thinks has the most legs. After I get fifty pages written, I show it to her to see if she thinks I should keep going. In a sense, I'm still querying every project I work on. I think writing that pitch before you get very far into a project also helps you hone that skill. Even after you sign with an agent or get an offer from a publisher, you need to be able to write a good, concise pitch because they will lift heavily from it when your agent pitches your MS or when the publisher is doing the cover copy of your book.
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edelweiss
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« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2012, 11:01:41 AM » |
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Lots of wisdom here, folks. Thanks for taking the time to share what works for you.
Unlike the last book, for this one I wrote a pitch sentence, then a paragraph, then a four-paragraph summary. Then for each major character, I told the story, in a couple pages, from their POV. I have all that, but have not tackled the query. Perhaps today...
Karma!
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Clever as a Fox: Animal Intelligence and What It Can Teach Us About Ourselves (Bloomsbury USA, 2001; paperback, Harvard U. Press, 2002) Housebroken (novel) - represented by the Maria Carvainis Agency The Trail (novel) - WIP www.sonjayoerg. |
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LisaAnn
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« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2012, 08:11:49 PM » |
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Love the responses from everyone! I also wrote a query for my latest project when I was still in the midst of Act One. The novel changed 100 times after that, but the query letter remained remarkably accurate, because I only wrote it up to the turn into Act Two. All I had to do was tweak it a little bit when I finished, and it was good to go!
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