By adding a curse.
Here's the new query letter for Alexia's Pen:
Fifteen-year-old aspiring novelist Alexia loves the colorful pen the mysterious Arthus, a recent transfer student, gives to her. The pen is special – anything it writes comes true. When the pen writes of its own accord about a mystical Land of Imagining, Alexia learns she’s not just an ordinary girl, she’s an All-Knower. So is Arthus, and her mother.
The rest of the magical All-Knowers are in terrible danger. The Head Demon seeks to enslave and kill them, determined to rule the Land of Imagining. Alexia is able to control the All-Knowers with her pen, but the power comes at a cost – each time she writes with the pen, an All-Knower becomes a demon. After the Head Demon kidnaps her family, Alexia must find a way to go to the Land of Imagining. She will do anything, even if it means giving up her power, to save her family and her people and to prevent the Land of Imagining from becoming the Land of Terror.
So now the query letter is finished. I just need to go back and revise the story so that the story reflects the query. Talk about writing backward! :) I think the curse definitely makes the story darker and more YA in tone.
Have you ever written backward before?
I saw 'writing backward' and took it literally because I can write backwards...but that's another story.
ReplyDeleteNice query twist--enjoy watching it grow and change!
Love your query, Nicole. I've done that before. Wrote the query then outlined and wrote the book. Only the book ended up being very different from the query after someone critted it. :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea to have a blurb or query written for a book and then make changes in the book or write it afterward. That way, you won't have anything too extra in the blurb or query, since you might not have the fully extra stuff figured out. Of course, I've always found things change when you're writing, so it's good to remember to make sure everything matches everything else in the end. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that query! The story sounds amazing, Nicole. You've definitely outlined the stakes involved, and that's great.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I've ever written backward before, but who knows if it'll happen in the future!
I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I can write backwards, literally, so that's what I thought you meant, too. :P
ReplyDeleteI love the query! It sounds like an amazing story.