Query Pains

So I finally took a stab at writing a query letter for my novel. Didn't work out so well. I posted the letter in forum over on Agent Query Connect (my new favorite website) and got some good feedback.

Good in the sense that it helped me see what was all wrong with it.

Writing a decent query is harder than I expected! At least for this particular manuscript. This one was written mostly by the seat of my pants, with very little planning or outlining. I just started a new book, but this idea was much more thought out in advance, with several pages of notes on what I wanted to happen, etc. And I pretty much wrote a basic hook and summary (the important parts of the query!) before I even started writing the book itself. So maybe the query letter for that one will be easier.

But back to my first manuscript. I've finally let it be for a bit since I've started working on something new. Maybe another couple weeks and I'll go back with fresh eyes to revise and edit. Then I'll set my sights on the query letter once again. After that....

Well, who knows. I may be sending letters to agents by April. :-)