Queries and Loglines

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to come up with a better query for TBW. I loathe writing queries, especially queries for fantasy. I've lost track of how many queries I've written for this story.

Like many other blogging writers, I subscribe to Miss Snark's First Victim, and I noticed last week that she was holding another logline critique this week. So, I condensed TBW into a couple of sentences and submitted it. If any of you want to advise me, it'll be up for critique tomorrow as Entry #35.

Working on a logline helped me come up with a new (and hopefully better) query. We'll see.

Do you have any tips on writing queries?

First Draft Finished!

I just finished the first draft I've been working on since August 26th, so YAY! And I wrote the whole draft in a notebook, which is a first for me. Usually I start out in a notebook and transition to the computer after the first chapter or so. The Unusual Nightingale won't look the same when I type it into the computer, especially when I've researched everything that I want to, but now I'll always have a record of those first ideas to draw on.

I'm unreasonably smitten with these characters and their story, but I need to research the time period and geography better, so they're sitting for a bit.

I've been neglecting my other projects for the shiny new idea, so it's past time for me to get serious about revising TBW and its query. And I might have a couple of new PB manuscripts that need revising as well.

In other happy news, my husband is home from working in California for the last five weeks! I'm really hoping that means I'll be able to sleep again. My writing is SO much better when I sleep more than three hours at night. And with that goal in mind, I'm going to bid you all a happy week. :o)