Friday, April 30, 2010

Write me a query

While we're waiting for the rest of the bio info from our winners, I thought you might want to do a little writing, and at the same time, hone your query letter skills. This should be fun.

I want you to write a query. Not for one of your own works, though. This will be the query you would write if you had written an already published, well-known book. Here's an example to give you an idea of what we're talking about:


When she doesn't make it into the cellar in time, Dorothy runs to the safety of her bedroom. But before she realizes what's happening, the funnel cloud is lifting her home from its foundation and dropping it into a strange new environment filled with singing and dancing little people.

Unfortunately, the tornado has dropped her house on top of a wicked witch. If things weren't already bad enough, now she's got the dead witch's sister ticked off at her, and her problems are about to get much worse.

When the sister of the dead witch, equally wicked, learns that Dorothy has stolen her sister's ruby slippers, she's bound determined to get them back. No matter what the cost. Dorothy's only hope in getting away from the witch and finding her way back home lies with the Wonderful Wizard. With the help of her three new friends, they make the journey to the Emerald City to seek the wisdom of the great Wizard.

But the Wizard turns out to be no help at all. Dorothy has to solve the problem on her own, and she discovers that she's had the power to do that the whole time. 


In case you haven't guessed by now, I suck at queries, and this one is no exception. But I think you get the idea. So think of a well-known novel and create a query for it. Try to imagine what the author would have written, in the style they would have written it, and pen me a masterpiece. Don't give us the title, and we'll see if we can figure out what it is. Are you game? Then get busy. Just post your query as a comment and give it some kind of title so others can comment on it using the title you've chosen.

7 comments:

  1. Great idea! Funny, my younger kids have become obsessed of late with the Wizard of Oz. They've even been putting it on as a play for the rest of us. (I've got nine kids, so they can do most of the cast.) It's been really windy here in KS, so I think that's been the inspiration. I'll see what I can come up with.

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  2. Wow Michelle, you have your own casting crew.

    Hum, I will have to think about this one since I have a hard enough time writing my own.

    Yesterday I found a wonderful picture book retelling the song "Over the Rainbow" the imagery was beautiful plus it came with the CD of Judy Garland singing.

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  3. I so needed to see your today- the parentheses portion up above- if you can ever stop editing. I've been ripping out my hair all day. I actually like editing but this little bit has me frustrated making me feel as though i'm never going to get it right. I'm trying to hard to cut words and then feeling as if I have to work soemthing in. Thanks for reminding me that I'm not alone and therefore, hopefully not insane.

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  4. sbjames -

    Have you considered posting what you're working on in the AW forums? There's lot of great help available there, and someone might make a comment or suggestion that would spark something for you. Just a thought. And yeah, I never get finished editing either. How do you know when to stop?

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  5. I'm game:

    Wrongly imprisoned as a traitor, Ed is condemned to die in the country's most notorious prison. His life sentence ends abruptly with the death of a fellow inmate in whose coffin Ed escapes; this sets him on a path of vengeance for those who betrayed him.

    After bartering for a new life and fortune with a group of smugglers, he learns the habits of old friends who are now enemies and one by one deconstructs the lives they bought with his freedom. Every secret they hold comes to light - theft, murder, torrid affairs - every hidden deed made public. By the time his plan reaches fruition the delicate alliances of French aristocracy will find themselves tried beyond their strength and those cast out of favor will envy those he merely kills.

    Taking place over the course of Ed's adult life, and many assumed identities, The Wronged Man leads the reader through an adventure like no other.

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  6. Independent minded Lizzy is determined that only one thing will induce her to marry: true love. But in Regency England, a young lady from a debt-ridden middle class family of five daughters and no sons is expected to marry for money.

    Enter the dashing and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy. He overcomes his abhorrence of her low connections and makes an offer of marriage to the fine-eyed Lizzy. She spurns him, accusing him of arrogance and being the instrument of separating her most beloved sister, Jane, from Darcy's best friend Bingley. With no prospects of marriage on the horizon for either Lizzy or Jane, the family's financial future appears bleak. The worst of it is, Lizzy grows to love the much-humbled Darcy, just when all hope of attaching him again is annihilated by her younger sister's impropriety with Wickham, Darcy's long-time enemy. Dare Lizzy hope that despite everything, true love will conquer all?

    Thank you for considering FIRST IMPRESSIONS, a novel of many words.

    Sincerely,

    A Lady

    ReplyDelete
  7. Independent minded Lizzy is determined that only one thing will induce her to marry: true love. But in Regency England, a young lady from a debt-ridden middle class family of five daughters and no sons is expected to marry for money.

    Enter the dashing and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy. He overcomes his abhorrence of her low connections and makes an offer of marriage to the fine-eyed Lizzy. She spurns him, accusing him of arrogance and being the instrument of separating her most beloved sister, Jane, from Darcy's best friend Bingley. With no prospects of marriage on the horizon for either Lizzy or Jane, the family's financial future appears bleak. The worst of it is, Lizzy grows to love the much-humbled Darcy, just when all hope of attaching him again is annihilated by her younger sister's impropriety with Wickham, Darcy's long-time enemy. Dare Lizzy hope that despite everything, true love will conquer all?

    Thank you for considering FIRST IMPRESSIONS, a novel of many words.

    Sincerely,

    A Lady

    ReplyDelete

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