Friday, April 20, 2012

C's Your Query

After a few sessions with my therapist:


I am ready to descend into Query Hell once more (totally affectionate name because I am actually one of those peeps who gets excited by this process). 

There are numerous online resources designed to help you perfect your query from published authors, stellar agents, and experienced bloggers.  I'm not one of them.  But I do believe I have read Every.Single.One. Not to mention taking a workshop or two.

Here are a few of my favorite MUST READS:
Query Shark-Janet Reid. 
Elana Johnson's Free E-Book From the Query to the Call.
Matt McNish's The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment

But beware of information overload.  This is what happens when you've learned too much on a subject and it spins a tornado of facts in your brain too loud to make any sense (or I suffer from ADHD).  The only thing that works for me is to concentrate on the C's of a Query.

Character
Conflict
Choice
Consequence

Once I have that...I write the whole thing 1st person, in my character's voice while it's still fresh, then let it simmer for a few days.  Then I go back, change it to third person, and try not to sound too crazy.

DONE.

See not so hard...

Have a great weekend!!!

6 comments:

  1. Excellent way of breaking it down with the four C's, though you scared me for a minute there when you said you write the whole thing in 1st person. I thought I was gonna have to do an intervention. But you brought it back to reality at the end. :)

    Good luck! You're ready.

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  2. Sounds like a great formula. I especially like the tip to write in 1st person first. Good luck with your querying!

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  3. omg cute pug. And good advice!

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  4. Glad you got Elana's book, and the other two as well.

    P.S. This would be a good week to scan your computer for viruses.

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It helps to know I'm not just talking to myself.