Write to Inspire Conference

American Christian Fiction Writers and Inspire Christian Writers are co-sponsoring "Write to Inspire" conference, August 26 and 27 at First Baptist Church in Elk Grove. You don't want to miss it.

The featured speaker is editor and agent Karen Ball who will lead the following sessions:

• Editor, Friend or Foe?
• What’s in an Agent?
• Refine Your Craft
• The Power of Storytelling (in Fiction and Nonfiction)
• Taming Your Dragons
• Write Your Passion

You can also pitch your project to Karen and participate in the writing contest. All the registration information is on the Inspire Christian Writers' website. I look forward to seeing you.

 

 

Six Ways to Open Your Query

The opening of your query letter should have all the impact of an article hook. Consider using a variety of techniques.

1. The straightforward lead jumps right into the topic with statements, contrasts, or quotes.
2. The surprise opening could be a clever turn of a phrase, a startling statistic, or a shocking situation. Overplaying or overacting this hook could have a negative impact on the editor.
3. Leading with a question can be tricky. What if the editor's first response is, "Who cares?" To use this opening, your answer must come quickly so the reader won't lose interest.
4. Opening with your article's lead is good if you're selling reprints of something you've already written. Otherwise it's like thinking backwards, since the query is used to see if there is an interest in the topic.
5. Starting with "why you" and "why now" will establish yourself as the right person to write on the topic. This works for specific stories, but is usually later in the letter.
6. A complimentary comment about an article you read that the editor wrote is another trick to have in the ways you open your queries.

Which of these is best for you? Which one is best for your story idea? More in depth descriptions of opening your queries are in the book Queries and Submissions by Thomas Clark. This is a must-have for your writing library.