Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Plot Arcs & The Query

NOTE: This is going to be a progressive exercise. The query below is NOT in anyway perfect, nor do I claim it to be. Its purpose today is to demonstrate where plot elements can come in. Tomorrow we'll look at then adding Character Stakes, and the day after that Voice.

Hi! I'm kind of nervous to talk about this today! I mean, it's not like I'm some pro here. Please, oh please, take this all with a grain of salt. If you disagree, you are totally allowed. There is more than one way to write a book, and there's more than one way to write a query.

I'm talking plots today. Now, there are a ton of ways to write a story, but every story needs to have at least a few things: an inciting incident, rising action, a climax, and a denouement. Yes, hi, we're back in high school. But it's true! Every story has these elements. Some are more subtle than other stories, but they have them. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, quick, lame summaries ahead:

Inciting Incident: What triggers the story.

Rising Action: Increasing tension, try/fail cycle, complications, leading to the climax.

Climax: The peak moment in your story, with the most action and emotional impact.

Denouement: Decreasing action, leading to end of story.

No matter how you plot, these elements will appear in your story. They are fundamentals. As such, at least three of these should make an appearance in your query—you don't necessarily need the full denouement. When agents say, "I want to know what your story is about." This is what they mean. The plot.

But that's not the only plot arc in your book. You probably have several character arcs as well. Ideally, your characters should be reacting and changing along with the events in your novel, and if you can slip in that emotional arc into your query as well, even better.

So how does this translate to the query? Well, I'm gonna use one I wrote up for Transparent yesterday as an example. Note: It's not perfect, but we'll pick it apart so you can see how I incorporated plot anyway.

Fiona McClean is invisible—literally—which makes her the perfect thief in her father’s crime syndicate. She and her mother have tried to escape, but that’s no easy feat when her father can charm any woman into doing what he wants. Still, they try again, because all clues point to Fiona being groomed for a new role in the syndicate: Assassin. (This is the inciting incident, the trigger for yet another escape attempt.)


This time, Fiona is determined to earn her freedom at any cost. (Character arc inciting incident: Change from just wanting freedom to being desperate for it.) But that means trusting Graham, her oldest brother and her father’s flying lap dog. (Rising action: Complication.) He says fetch, and Graham shoots off to catch. How is she supposed to believe he’s on their side this time? There’s a catch. Fiona knows it, and she won’t let Graham destroy the normal life she’s building for herself. (Rising action: Obstacle.) She finally has friends, plus there’s a boy that could be even more. And without her dad’s brainwashing, she realizes her invisibility doesn’t define her like she thought, and she must find out what’s underneath. (Character arc rising action: Growth from not only wanting freedom, but to find out who she is.)


Since Graham’s acting far too suspicious, Fiona enlists her other brother, Miles, to help figure out what he’s up to. (Rising action: Trying to solve problem.) But with their father zoning in on her location (Climax), it’s looking like Fiona will have to stop hiding in more ways than one. If she wants the right to choose her life, she’ll have to fight for it. (Character arc climax: Growth from finding out who she is to wanting to fight for it.)

So there you go. The elements of plot are there. I'm certainly not saying this query is perfect, but it's important to have those key moments in your story. This is what gives an agent an idea of what happens in your book. Not the themes (though you can gather an impression of those). Not what books it resembles (though you could make a good guess based on this). This is your story, and when you are able to clearly point out its structure, an agent is more likely to take interest if it's something they're looking for.

If I haven't made this clear enough—which I admit is entirely possible—please feel free to ask questions in comments. I will answer as quickly as I can.

26 comments:

  1. Thanks, Natalie! Though the query for my first novel is complete & works well, your outline will help me get my second book in order. My first came to me complete but the second has not so I need a roadmap & you have just given me a GPS! Can't thank you enough!

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  2. This is fantastic. Truly.
    I've been doing this for a few years and this is just what I needed this morning as I sit down to write my synopsis.

    I've never had it so clearly defined and I'm a member of a large writer's organization where we are supposed to be learning things like this.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.
    Lesli

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  4. Queries are the hardest part of an author's tool kit. Really. It's a sales pitch at the end of the day. You have to squeeze your 100K novel into a 150 words pitch. But I will say this - once you get the hang of it and can do it objectively, you're on to a winner. After all, it's a skill that is definitely worth perfecting.

    I think the key to writing a good one is to take a break once you've done a first draft and come back to it. You only have one shot to get an agent's attention, so best not to rush but to take your time.

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  5. I've found I have much better luck writing queries that only go as far as the obstacle(s) that's keeping the character(s) from getting what they want. It really limits how much of the plot I need to worry about, and makes it much easier to fit coherently into one page.

    So, what do you think of that? (I've, uh, never actually written a successful query, so it's not like I know anything.)

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  6. This post has helped tremendously!! You are very good at writing queries. Thanks so much for the good insight :)

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  7. Thank you Natalie! This is really helpful, and I have to say, I can't wait to read the book!

    Which is, I guess, the whole point.

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  8. Thank you--I found this post extremely helpful. I appreciate the way that you are always very specific with your advice--much more helpful than "outline the plot"!

    I do have a suggestion regarding climax. As a high school English teacher, I've taught the dramatic arc and climax more times than I care to admit. Defining climax as the peak moment can lead to a lot of confusion--ask anyone what the most emotionally charged scene is in the book and they will likely give you very different answers because it is entirely subjective. This is an old way of defining climax, and one that isn't taught very often anymore (at least in the two schools I've taught at--can't speak for the rest of the country).

    It is more helpful to define climax as the point where everything changes. Perhaps for Fiona, this is the moment when she decides that she can no long keep hiding and she needs to fight. No doubt there is an emotionally charged scene that occurs right around her decision--but it isn't the fight scene that is the climax--it is her decision--the point when everything changes.

    I know this goes against years of defining climax as the most intense moment in the story. And it isn't really the focus of your blog post, but I have found this change in definition helpful for my own writing, so I thought I'd mention it.

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  9. Ben, I mostly agree with you! Notice that I really only hinted at the climax and didn't give any of the ultimate solution. I think at least hinting at the climax lends to a feeling of impending resolution, instead of leaving a query off at a blatant cliffhanger.

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  10. Heidi, that is a good way to expound upon climax, but I would argue that it's both. Ideally, that emotional climax you speak of coincides with the "action" climax as well. That way it really does pack the most punch in both respects. The closer you can get that "changing moment" to the technical, dry plot action that cause the change, the better.

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  11. Great post, Natalie! And so good to meet you at LTUE!

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  12. Great post Natalie! I think you nailed down all the important stuff!

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  13. Great post and example. Thanks so much for sharing! :)

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  14. Thanks! My challenge comes from trying to put that emotional/character development within the summary without going overboard and taking away from the story. It's difficult but important to master :) Thanks again for posting!

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  15. I love this - it is SO helpful to have the query broken down like this! It makes it really easy to see how all the pieces fit together and make a really great whole! Thanks so much for posting this!

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  16. Thanks so much for this post. I'm going to go through my query and make sure it contains all of your points!

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  17. This really puts into words what can seem so illusive! Thank you. (Your draft has me intrigued; I hope you're writing that book!)

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  18. Thanks! You have a way of writing things out in terms that really make sense to me. Can't wait to learn more!

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  19. Love the breakdown of the example. That's such a helpful way of doing it. Thanks for putting yourself out there to help others (as usual) Natalie! You're the best. :)

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  20. Natalie, this is an excellent post. I'm going to try and do the same thing with my query.

    thanks!

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  21. I love how you break down the plot elements and character changes in your query. Great post.

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  22. I think this really works for the purposes you're going for in this post. I see a lot of KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetie) in here too. Summarizing is always a pain for me, so thanks for giving a general and specific low down.

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  23. I suck at writing query letters. No natural talent for it.
    You do much better.
    Conclusion: I'm sending you my next book so you can write my query.

    K?
    ;)

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  24. Awesome post! I struggled SO MUCH writing the query for Blood on the Moon. Still, when I re-read it I wonder what my agent was thinking! Queries are so difficult and there's very little out there for examples/tips/instructions. That is why I LOVE your blog. If I'd had this rescource when I was trying to write my query letter I think it would have turned out a lot better. That's not to say I'm not happy with the agent I ended up with. =) I'm just embarrassed she had to read that crap! lol Thanks SO much for this post and all of the others in the "writing" section of your blog. It's really so invaluable for writers just starting out to get an insider's POV. You rock!

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  25. Great help! Thanks for breaking one down for me. :)

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  26. This is really clear and I think it's an excellent way to write a query!

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