There is a lot of advice on the internet saying to write your query letter well before your novel is ready. It can help you focus the novel, and it gives you time to get your best query letter together, so you don't rush it the day before you want to start querying.
All good advice. All advice that I've followed.
But if you're like me, sometimes you run into a problem. You work on your query, finally send it to CPs and get it somewhere you're happy with...and then you change a HUGE plot point in your novel. So huge, in fact, that it renders large chunks of your query letter moot, if not the whole thing.
(Likely I don't need to say this, but even if you polish a query you don't end up using, it's great practice, and you'll be that much better at it next time.)
Just recently, I had a query that was almost good enough. And I had a manuscript that I thought was almost ready.
Except, the manuscript is definitely not anywhere near almost ready, and I figured that out when a minor plot tweak that I just couldn't get right turned into me questioning 10 chapters in the middle (that's almost 1/3 of the novel.)
As a way to test my new ideas to fix those chapters, I wrote a new query letter. I wrote it as thought I had already done the revision. And it helped. The major thing my old query was missing ended up fixed with the new query, and I was able to focus it much better than last time. The fact that the query worked better means I'll go into the next ms revision feeling like the novel will also work better once I apply all my changes.
Anyone else ever done this? How early do you write your query? How do you test out your plans for revisions before jumping in (or do you)?
I have tried this and I have to say it does help. I write out of order and I usually don't have the nitty gritty of the plot down until I write it. But sometimes writing the query helps focus on what points I want to concentrate on. Plus, like you said, it's great practice, cause for me, queries are my arch nemesis.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I wrote my query before I even started drafting my WiP, which helped me to stay focused on the plot. After I finished drafting, I decided I wanted to change something in my story, so all I needed to do was tweak the query. Now it's not so hard going back in and making those changes. :)
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who write the query first, or at least very early, but I don't think I could ever do that. I mean I have no reasonable reason why - considering I outline every MS I've ever written, but it just feels backwards to me. Maybe I should just shut up and try it?
ReplyDeleteI just jump into revisions usually, but I've never really done a huge plot change or anything. Writing the query as a tester seems like a good idea though, I will keep that one for the future :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about this. Nope. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou know the story on my query, and it was very helpful in terms of focusing me for my rewrite. I think everyone finds a process that works for them. But I like the idea of writing the query beforehand. I don't know that I will always do that - every project's a little different - but I like the idea.