tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post8501070811273587715..comments2023-09-16T15:03:34.579+07:00Comments on Adam Heine: Yet Another Post About Query LettersAdam Heinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02225813532455467868noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-31778880311514683802009-05-20T07:13:26.705+07:002009-05-20T07:13:26.705+07:00That's the basic idea, Matt. I suppose I should cl...That's the basic idea, Matt. I suppose I should clarify, you <I>start</I> with the main storyline, but you will have to add things in order to be specific and make it flow logically. The trick is to add as little as possible.<br /><br />Yes, this is hard. Most of us suck at it :-)Adam Heinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225813532455467868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4665052536053897386.post-21277838960848772832009-05-19T23:38:00.000+07:002009-05-19T23:38:00.000+07:00Some questions, based on the example you mentioned...Some questions, based on the example you mentioned: "Frodo doesn't need to destroy the Ring; he needs to throw it into the bowels of Mt. Doom, located in the center of Sauron's wasteland domain."<br /><br />The crucial things from the story are:<br />1) Frodo needs to destroy the Ring, as only that will break Sauron's power.<br />2) The only place he can do that is at Mt. Doom.*<br />I don't think you can leave out either of those details, but it gets tricky putting them together. How would you do it? Everything I think of seems forced. In fact, re-reading, you might also need:<br />1a) Sauron's power needs to be broken because if it isn't, he'll take over the world and Evil Will Triumph.<br /> That is, you need to ground it somewhere - a query-letter reader can stop asking "Why?" when he gets to Evil Will Triumph.<br /> Query letters are hard. I'm glad I'm not a writer.<br />-Matt<br />* Technically, the only place the Ring can be destroyed is in Sammath Naur, in the heart of Orodruin. Perhaps some of the great dragons of old could have done so (one thinks that Glaurung could have possibly done it), but they're all gone now. <I>Ahhhh...Geek Out!</I>MattyDubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04202037980573994507noreply@blogger.com