The Query Shark Speaks

Three recent lessons from the query shark [always spotlighted in the sidebar]:

1)  "Log lines are imported from Hollywood, and they have NO place in query letters. I don't care what any one else says, even normally smart agents. I'm right and they're not. Log lines are of the Devil. Shun them."  She makes excellent points here.  Read. Digest. Learn from her attitude whether you follow it totally or not. I think log lines are important for YOU to know what you're writing, whether you agree or disagree about putting them in a query letter.


2)  "Write simple declarative sentences, then add the pretty."  Some of the best advice on query letters I've ever seen in that single sentence.

3)  "Query letters can do a lot of things, including make you crazy, but one of the unexpected things is it can reveal problems with the actual novel."  THIS.  Blake Snyder makes the same point about pitches and loglines in Chapter [can't find it right now, grrr] of Save The Cat!, where he describes the situation where you're in a meeting and you realize the people you're pitching to aren't as impressed as you want them to be and you find yourself adding a new twist that wasn't there before--changing your pitch in midstream, meaning revealing/fixing a problem.

So, to sum up, the Query Shark began by telling you to ignore loglines, something Blake Snyder says is vital, but by our third example they are on the same page.  Of course, the Shark is looking at novels, and Snyder scripts. The Shark, at pitching to NY and Snyder, pitching to LA.  And finally, the Shark is talking about the end of the process, when you're trying to find an agent. Snyder is talking about the creative process, choosing the right subject and conflict from the very beginning.

They are both excellent resources. I suggest you pay attention!