Instead of reading today, I spent a good deal of the day tinkering with my query letter. Taking a friend's advice, I rewrote it from my protag's POV, let her tell it the way she'd tell it, and it's interesting to see that she thought the book was about things that didn't show up at all in the first query version. I'm still not too sure about what I've got because the query seems to cover a good deal of the book, probably 80% of it (though it's only 271 words, which I think is still on the high side of what agents want for queries) and that seems way too much, but by the same token I don't think the true stakes of the novel come out until the last section (is that a bad thing? So far the critiques haven't suggested such, but I still wonder.).

I spent most of my day reading agent blogs...well, Nathan Bransford's in particular, whom I've decided that when the time comes I will query regarding my novel. He seems like a nice, personable guy who'd be nice to work with (and he's pretty darn funny). I should probably be making some personal notes about each of these agents, things I notice that could help me craft queries specifically for them (like NB despises opening queries with rhetorical questions. Not that I would have, or had even contemplated doing so....). Barring any sudden inspiration on the short story front, I'm probably going to spend this week researching agents and reading blogs and getting a feel for who's out there and who I might eventually want to approach for representation. I also talked myself into joining Pike Peak Writers, which hosts an annual writer's conference in Colorado Springs which I'd like to go to but am glaring at the $300 price tag. I don't feel anywhere ready to have a one-on-one with an agent or an editor, and the thought of reading any part of my novel aloud in front of a crowd for an agent or editor to critique makes me physically sick to even contemplate. Or maybe I've been hiding on the internet too long and have forgotten what it's like to be in a face-to-face crit group like back in college (though in college there's was always the comfort of knowing that 90% of them didn't know anything useful about writing and took the class thinking it would be an easy 3 credits.). If I decided to go this year, it would be only in an observational capacity, but I'm not sure if that's worth $300 bucks plus hotel. Anyone been to the PPWC and care to share their experience? Or to any conference for that matter?

Or whichever ring is specifically reserved for those struggling to write query letters. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! I've got about a page of notes, I even cracked open my copy of How to Write Irresistible Query Letters (which I almost immediately threw aside and said, "This is such crap!"), then spent the rest of the evening trolling the Snarkives for tidbits of wisdom to help me along. Tomorrow I'll troll the archives over at Nathan Bransford's blog and Pubrants, to see what else I can dig up that will enlighten me and help me turn what right now sounds like a very typical fantasy plot into something that feels special like my novel. Miss Snark was right: this will take at least a month to write "good." Unfortunately I have to have something by Friday to submit with said novel to crit group, and while I love my novel, I'm embarrassed by my query letter so far.

I think I'll go down some gin (well, probably a Bacardi Silver Raz, because hard liquor gives me headaches these days, and gin tastes like what I imagine paint thinner would taste like) then go to bed, and hopefully wake up tomorrow bright-eyed and ready to conquer query-land again.