Quintessential Queries and Savvy Synopses
Instructor: Jennifer Svendsen Delaney
Whether or not you have finished a novel, a memoir, a book of humor, or a narrative non-fiction work, learning the art of writing queries can help you move your project forward and, ultimately, get the attention of an agent. Query writing reveals the core of your manuscript. By boiling your project down to its essence, you will learn to choose the best words to pitch an agent and most accurately represent your book. Before I attended graduate school, I was informed by several prominent literary agents that my query was better than my book. Since then, my narrative has improved, but to this day, I continue to write dynamic queries.
Week 1. The Layout and Opening Paragraph – We will go over the five essential elements to writing a query and review the most important elements of the opening paragraph, which sets the stage for the rest of the letter. Learn the different ways to “hook” an agent as well as the statements that will turn them off.
Week 2. Boiling Your Manuscript Down To Its Essence – While this exercise will ultimately be useful for writing your synopsis later in the course, the final outcome of this exercise will become your second and third paragraphs of your query letter. These paragraphs will also help you describe your project to friends, family and prospective agents who may call you. (Agents happened to call me twice and I was happy to be able to refer to the brief written description I prepared.)
Week 3. What Makes Your Piece So Special? – The fourth paragraph convinces agents to buy your book.
Week 4. Who Are You Anyway? – We will begin by writing a full biography and the paring it down to five lines necessary in the query letter.
Week 5. That’s all Folks! – Important features of the closing paragraph.
Week 6. What’s So Important? – Learn to identify the driving elements of your plot and the most distinguishing qualities of your main characters. A three or four page synopsis summarizes your novel without leaving out any of the vital details, including the all important ending.
Private coaching fee for individuals: $35 hour
Sessions begin: Contact Instructor.
Course: 6 weeks
Private Mentoring: $35
Tuition: $85
