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How to craft a query: a step-by-step guide. The purpose of this thread is to help you create a starting point/query template upon which you can build! And customize! And generally spectacular-ify! Starting in 3...2...1... #querytip #amwriting
Queries should usually open with "Dear Mr./Ms. [agent's last name]". Some agents are okay with "Dear [agent's first name]," but I'd say to default to the former just in case. DO NOT open with "To whom it may concern" or "Dear agent." Don't be overfamiliar or unprofessional.
Remember: query letters are first and foremost a form of professional correspondence. A light, fun tone is totally okay!! But getting too personal/familiar with the agent (ie mentioning her looks, using a "Hey Jen!" salutation, etc.) is creepy.
So many manuscripts I read are just... a sequence of stuff happening. A plot isn't just stuff that happens. A character isn't just someone stuff happens to. A book isn't an accounting of stuff that happened.
A book has to be *about* something.
A book has to be *about* something.
Plot derives from character. If your character isn't interesting then no amount of interesting stuff happening will make your story interesting.
What makes character interesting? Stakes. There has to be something at risk for your character. It can be small thing: a toy being taken away from a child, a job promotion, the regard of a friend.
