Writing a Query: The End

"I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but no one with such justice. I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh. Mr. Darcy sends you all the love in the world that can be spared from me." - Elizabeth Bennet

The lines above are, for me, the end of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Of course there are maybe six more pages, but it's all pleasantries and wrapping up loose ends and stuff that was necessary in Austen's mind to end with, but has little to do with the real heart of the story.

A query ends this way too. Once you've pitched The Heart of your story, it is necessary to wrap up the business portion of the letter.

The End of your query should include your Title, genre, and word count (unless you stated these before your hook), comp titles, and a bio.

Finding comparative titles was the hardest part of The End for me.

I've mentioned before that My Favorite Book (that I've never read) is John Green's THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. All those years ago, when he read the first chapter aloud and a little piece of me died inside, I knew my book would be compared to his.

Using TFioS as a comp title felt like waving a big banner in the air that screamed I-think-I'm-as-awesome-as-John-Green! But I don't. Because he's John Green.

Unfortunately, TFioS was a catch-22. Even though I've not read it yet (see why here), everyone who'd read my manuscript said it was comparable to TFioS. Not mentioning that would make me look uninformed.

So, I had to mention it, but I also had to mention what made mine different.

At the SCBWI conference last spring, I signed up for a query critique with a talented, if not slightly abrasive, literary agent. I say "abrasive" lovingly, because she reminds me of my godmother, who I adore.

In front of an entire room of people, this agent grilled me on every aspect of my query. It was the most uncomfortable I've EVER been. But, I learned a great deal from her.

She dubbed mine a "cancer story," and demanded I clearly communicate how mine was different from all the other cancer stories.

That stung because I didn't think of my story as a cancer story, just like I didn't think of my friend Em, who'd inspired me to be brave and write, as a cancer patient. I thought of her as My Em.

Mine is a love story. Mine is the story about being willing to love someone, even while you know your heart is about to get trampled. But I hadn't said that in earlier drafts of my query.

Once I'd tackled the comps, it was smooth sailing through my tiny bio and the pleasantries of, "I look forward to hearing from you." Amazingly, I was finished.

Hahahahahahaha!

Not even close.

Up Next: Writing a Query: The Handshake (or researching specific agent likes)