Q&A Thursday

No One Way Edition

Hi friends!

Let’s answer some questions today!

L asks: [Here the author describes their still-in-progress novel that’s part murder-mystery part historical novel where there’s a dead body on the first page and most of the rest of the novel is a flashback. The reader thinks the protagonist is dead, but this is a twist. Edited for length.]

My questions are:

-How should I approach sending the first few pages of the manuscript if/when requested by an agent? The opening scene certainly has potential as a compelling hook, but we don’t actually meet the protagonist in it as they are supposedly dead. If I were to submit the first five pages or so to an agent, it’s likely that the only time we get with the protagonist would be about a page and some change. 

-Would the sort of plot twist I mentioned above be worth giving away in the query letter? I of course want there to be some intrigue, but knowing just how much to reveal is still a bit of a gray area to me. Would love any insight you have on this.

First, stop thinking of this and finish your book. We ALL do this, so you’re not alone, but now is not the time to think about your query. Tbh it’s fine to wonder about it and take some notes and keep an eye on publishing news etc. But you do not know what your first pages are going to be yet. You might completely change the beginning over the next several drafts. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Do not worry about this yet.