Starting with the Query

 

Happy Friday Friends!

Have you ever typed "The End" at the end of your novel, sat back with a sigh of satisfaction, and then shot up with the harsh realization that there was still miles of work to go before you were ready to send off to agents?

Just me?

I think all of us, especially as we are starting out, have worked hard to complete a novel only to realize there are revisions needed, beta readers to bribe, synopsis to write, and the query to perfect.

As a (mostly) pantser this can be overwhelming for me. And more than once I have knocked everything out, started my query and realized there was a giant plot hole. Or WORSE, no actual conflict in the story. To this end, I did get a great piece of advice that I want to share and that's.................................

                                                START WITH THE QUERY 

Even if you are not a plotter you probably (hopefully) have some basic idea what the story you want to write is about. Plucking out the key elements that make a query shiny can help provide direction, but even more important are the pieces that are missing. 

No conflict, no stakes, no protagonist? Now you know.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you in the comments below or on twitter @MidlifeCreative or using the #querysupportgroup tag.

Happy Writing!