Friday, July 31, 2009

Query vs Synopsis

Which is worse? Trying to spit out a query and convey the excitement of your book in a couple of paragraphs or taking a 280 page book down to a couple of pages? I'm attempting both right now.
The query isn't yet perfected, but I'm not sure what more to do with it. I'm going to wait till tomorrow morning when the house is quiet (I'm always up first) and I have a hot cup of coffee by my side to open it up and look again. Sometimes I look at my query and think....did I get it all in? Would a fresh pair of eyes look at this and really get the gist of what my story is about? Or am I reading something into it that isn't there?
I'm also working on my synopsis. I work on it when I need a break from query letter hell. Erica Orloff gave me some great coaching on what makes a synopsis great and I'm happy to say they have gotten easier since then. But its one of those things where I know my story so well, lets face it I've read this thing cover to cover about ten times now, sometimes I think I can't see the forest for the trees. This weekend I'm going to take my last printed draft and set it next to my puter and write two or three lines on each chapter and then try to piece it together from there. At least then I'll make sure I don't forget anything important.
Does anyone out there have a system for doing queries or synopsis? Care to share?

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I hate both. I've never been accomplished at either.

Patience-please said...

You left a kind and insightful comment on my query on Query Shark. (#112) After that posting, I worked on that query almost every day for two months. I don't belong to any writer's group or critique group, so it was only my poor husband who suffered along with me. "I can't do this!" "Yes, you can."
Well, this week I finally sent in my revised query and she accepted it!
I just wanted to thank you. Some of the commenters were less than kind (and more than clueless).
Good luck on your query. That was the hardest bit of writing I've done.

all the best-
Patience

Jeannie said...

Patience, Congratulations!
I think as much as I love the Query Shark I'm also scared of her. lol I'm so glad any of my comments helped.
I know sometimes the people there forget the craft and get snippy. You have to take what helps and disregard the rest.
I sent her one of my queries but have yet to see it posted.
My knees are shaking. lol

Glynis Peters said...

This is the scary part for me. Good luck with yours!

glovin said...

Patience, Congratulations!
I think as much as I love the Query Shark I'm also scared of her.

--
glovin
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