trick question and some teasers

In reference to erica's post from Tuesday, (the one she gave away the secret that we're writing a novel together in) I'm curious what you thought about the lines she shared.  Do you think the voice is consistent?

I ask because syncing our voices to make our character consistent would be the most challenging part of cowriting a novel, right?

Who says we're writing the same character, hmmm?

Yes, cowriting is so much fun.  Especially when each chapter reveals more about each of our characters...to each other.  erica was especially pleased when she learned her character's best friend's name was Goon and that her character liked to stay up late writing comic books.  In the last chapter she sent me...she got me back.  I learned that my character practiced kissing at a young age--with her mom's make up on and using a mirror....  Funny girl, that erica.

Here are a few more teasers.

Then the phone in my hand dinged. Okay, maybe it beeped, or clicked, or vibrated, or played the entire National Anthem. That's not the important part.

My voice echoed around the library. No crabby librarians here to tell me to shush, that was for sure.

Now I was ticked at two people and I just wanted to stop thinking about them both for a little while.

I had everywhere to go.  But all I could do was sit there with my head against the steering wheel.

AND HERE'S WHERE I CONTINUE TO CRY ABOUT MY QUERY WOES

Aside from passing the manuscript back and forth, I'm still struggling, sweating and crying over my query.  I've had some luck with two versions of it, but it's still not good enough.  The people over at QueryTracker have been so so patient with me. 

I've known for a long time that I'm supposed to start my query with a hook, but that H word has never sat well with me.  I never fully understood what it meant.  I guess I still don't.  BUT I think I finally understand how one is supposed to start a query.  I said I understand how ONE is SUPPOSED to start A query.  NOT that I understand how to start MY query. 

One really SHOULD start with a summarizing logline that tells the agent about the character and the conflict.  THEN follow with the details about that character and conflict...ending with the stakes. 

My problem is knowing my MAIN conflict.  CONFLICT.  CONFLICT.  (so important that it's worth repeating, in shouting print) There is one angel on query tracker who's never read my book and yet was able to HIT ME IN THE HEAD with my main conflict.  I KNEW what it was.  Really, deep down I KNEW. 

My novel is a contemporary one.  There aren't any ghosts or flesh-eating zombies or catastrophic fires or world-ending wars or governments trying to kill my characters.  Just a girl with some mean friends, a couple of cute guys who tug on her heart strings, a boss with the early onset of dimentia, and a few family issues. 

My character starts out almost annoyingly weak--a doormat.  So her biggest problem is herself.  HERSELF!!!!  And that's who she has to deal with throughout the book and overcome in the end.  HERSELF!

duh.

And that information may or may not make the next (final?) draft of my query go a little better.

oh, and i liked THIS POST by gabriella lessa.  she offers a helpful Query Wednesday post.  to learn more about improving your query letter, go read it!