Query Letter Shenanigans

I've posted before about how this query letter is probably the most difficult thing that I have ever written. (In fact, I believe I've posted about it more than once, which when you consider the total number of entries I have on this blog is actually a fairly high frequency.) But I'm making progress.

I think that, much like a novel, a query letter is something that is never actually done. Sure, a novel can be published, and technically then it can be called 'done'. In the same vein, once a query letter does its job and attracts the attention of an agent, that particular version can be called 'done'. But as a writer, I am always going to find something else that I want to change or tweak or rephrase. It's just who I am-- my creations are little tiny pieces of my soul that I'm tearing out of myself, and whether the creation in question is a novel, a short story, a poem, or a query letter, it's difficult to know when to let go and just send it out there into the universe.

I've had the help of my best friend's mother (a published author herself, Miranda Neville-- and if you like historical romance, you should definitely check out her books, because they're fantastic, especially her characters) on revising and editing this query, and she has been absolutely priceless and wonderful and irreplaceable, and the minute someone takes a bite from this query letter I am going to send her flowers, because this has been such a great learning experience for me.

I have to say, if I could give one piece of advice to someone writing a query letter, it would be to have someone else read it before you do anything with it. If that someone else has experience with the industry, so much the better, but no matter who it is (unless it is your pet monkey-- not sure I would advise that) a fresh pair of eyes looking at a piece of writing can do so much. Another person is always going to see something that you won't see, because you've been immersed in whatever the piece of writing is to the point that the old 'forest for the trees' adage becomes terribly true.

I think that I am going to give this letter one more round of edits, and then take my own advice and just let it go. Send it out there. Because I'm ready to send this book out into the world-- this piece of my soul that I've been tearing down and rebuilding for four and a half years. There's only so much you can do before editing and revising stops being a way to make your novel better and starts being a way to procrastinate putting yourself out there, and I've reached that point.

It's time for me to stop being afraid of this and take a chance.