Cinco de Mayo
May. 5th, 2007 08:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrockwellWriting
*Rejection (2), Dreams & Nightmares, 5/4 (RT: 1 week)
Okay, writerly friends. I am in need of brains to pick regarding the mystical art known as query-writing.
Seeing as I was offered the contract for Legacy of Wolves without having to write a query, I'm a bit behind the curve in this area. I have a novel I'm working on (the YA-turned women's fiction with a sprinkling of paranormal), and I know I will need to craft an eye-catching query for it. I've read quite a bit about writing queries, and, having seen several examples of ones that worked, I think I have a pretty solid grasp of what needs to be done. However, I have a question that I have not seen answered anywhere, so I was hoping my fellow authors might be able to help me out.
My novel is based (very) loosely on St. Catherine of Siena. Since Catherine is not a household name to non-Catholics, I want to open my query with a couple of quotes about her - one from a "classic" Catholic source, and one much juicier quote from a more academic text that touches on some aspects of her life which make her the ideal inspiration for a YA-turned women's fiction novel (or at least the one I'm writing). I think this information is vital to understanding the premise of my novel (information that wouldn't be necessary with a more widely-known historical figure, such as Cleopatra, where the editor/agent and I would instantly have the same frame of reference).
No matter how intriguing the quotes, are they likely to turn agents/editors off? Will they see the quotes and automatically think I'm querying non-fiction (and probably toss the letter without reading further, thinking I'm an idiot who can't follow guidelines)?
Opinions, O Writerly Ones?
Everything Else
Booked my flight and (uber-expensive) hotel for GenCon today! I shall be leaving my children in the capable hands of my neighbors (or possibly the ILs, if they decide the ignominy of having the neighbors watch their beloved grandchildren is just too much). Watch out Indy, here I come!
*Rejection (2), Dreams & Nightmares, 5/4 (RT: 1 week)
Okay, writerly friends. I am in need of brains to pick regarding the mystical art known as query-writing.
Seeing as I was offered the contract for Legacy of Wolves without having to write a query, I'm a bit behind the curve in this area. I have a novel I'm working on (the YA-turned women's fiction with a sprinkling of paranormal), and I know I will need to craft an eye-catching query for it. I've read quite a bit about writing queries, and, having seen several examples of ones that worked, I think I have a pretty solid grasp of what needs to be done. However, I have a question that I have not seen answered anywhere, so I was hoping my fellow authors might be able to help me out.
My novel is based (very) loosely on St. Catherine of Siena. Since Catherine is not a household name to non-Catholics, I want to open my query with a couple of quotes about her - one from a "classic" Catholic source, and one much juicier quote from a more academic text that touches on some aspects of her life which make her the ideal inspiration for a YA-turned women's fiction novel (or at least the one I'm writing). I think this information is vital to understanding the premise of my novel (information that wouldn't be necessary with a more widely-known historical figure, such as Cleopatra, where the editor/agent and I would instantly have the same frame of reference).
No matter how intriguing the quotes, are they likely to turn agents/editors off? Will they see the quotes and automatically think I'm querying non-fiction (and probably toss the letter without reading further, thinking I'm an idiot who can't follow guidelines)?
Opinions, O Writerly Ones?
Everything Else
Booked my flight and (uber-expensive) hotel for GenCon today! I shall be leaving my children in the capable hands of my neighbors (or possibly the ILs, if they decide the ignominy of having the neighbors watch their beloved grandchildren is just too much). Watch out Indy, here I come!
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-06 06:26 am (UTC)I guess what I'm more concerned about is if starting the query off with a quote or two would make the editor/agent want to read on, or not. I could convey the same information without the quotes, but a) it would take up more space in the query and b) I personally think the juxtaposition of the two different quotes about the same figure are intriguing, especially when you then tack a "what if?" on to the end which is essentially the heart of the novel. But I am, undoubtedly, biased. ;)