How to Write the Perfect Query Letter - Query Letter.
Short story, brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually deals with only a few characters. The short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few significant episodes or scenes. The form encourages economy of setting, concise narrative, and the omission of a complex plot; character is disclosed in action and dramatic encounter.
How to Write a Short Story: Capturing Reader Interest. Your short story is suspenseful, meaning readers hope the protagonist will achieve his best goal, his Need, by the Climax battle against the antagonist. Your story entertains. This is especially necessary for Genre short stories.
The Short Query Letter This is the query letter I typically send to a new-to-me editor. Because I write mostly newsy, fact-based stories, there’s not a lot to say until I’ve been out and done the reporting and obviously, I won’t be doing a large chunk of that reporting until I’ve been assigned the story.
Here are four write-ups from the New York Times Bestseller list for November 2017, two fiction titles and two nonfiction titles. Review the list and consider the common thread between these pitches: brevity and concision. Consider how you might apply the same style to your own pitch.
This is the point in the query letter where you get to offer some more of the details of your story. It can be quite the challenge to condense your massive novel into one paragraph, so take your time on this section of the letter. Expand upon the hook you’ve written. Think about how you’d promote the book on the back cover and put that content into the second paragraph.
Yes, your query letter is a showcase of your skill and your ideas, but in the end, it’s also a piece of marketing. Most writers will forget that and focus far too much on the story idea and the actual writing in the query letter. Remember, all good marketing ends with a call to action.
As a short story writer, you already have an uphill battle to fight. If you’re working on a novel, or have a fantastic idea for a novel, it might be better to just do that instead. If, like me, you are deep-in-your-soul a short story writer, then I am sorry for you and glad for you. Just be prepared for a long slog.