Tuesday, December 1, 2009

General Query Advice

Keep submitting to the post below!

I just wanted to give some general advice, based on what I've gathered from reading a few of the entries so far.

Voice.

I am a whore about voice. I want more voice, always, all the time.

I will choose strong characters with strong voices over plot any day of the week, which I know works better for some genres than others--YA benefits hugely from characters and voice, SFF needs more of a backbone in plot and worldbuilding and other un-voicey stuff.

But ALL GENRES OF QUERIES NEED VOICE.

ALL OF 'EM.

Your voice is what sets you apart. You have to understand that you did not stumble across a wholly original story that isn't at all like anything else out there (and if you did, no one will be able to sell it ;)) Your voice is what makes people sit up and take notice. It's one of the only ways left to be truly original. Take advantage of it! FILL YOUR QUERY WITH THE VOICE OF YOUR SOULLLLLLL.

5 comments:

Emilia Plater said...

Ahaha. Love you, Hannah. I'm also a voice whore... I generally read contemp and if there's anything I can't stand, it's that same female YA narrator, the one with just enough snark, just enough good heart, just enough boy obsession, just enough averageness ... and not enough anything to make her stand out. And it's sad when a great voice is shrouded with a query that sounds like it's coming from one of those boring narrators. Go all-out!

Vee said...

Free query crits and free query advice? Has anyone ever told you that you are amazingly, fantabulously generous? XD

And voice is SO important and I always forget it. Voice, voice, voice. I can do it in novels but it somehow doesn't translate over into my queries. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

I've always found voice in queries and summaries extremely difficult to do -- but I'm trying, and I hope I'll be better by the time I am ready to query. :)

Ellen Brickley said...

If I had a query to be critiqued, it would be sitting one post below this one.

Just wanted to pop up and say I agree with you about voice, it really does mean so much.

Thanks for offering this, it's really generous :)

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