Do You Speak Query?

by Kris Kahrs

I speak query. Do you speak query?

Lately, query-ing has been on my mind because the prolific writers here at Pen and Ink (yours truly-cough- excepted) have all been preparing their various works for submission. An exciting time indeed.

It then occurred to me that querying is such a specific language that if everyone had to queryspeak like a writer looking for publication, we’d all be looking for a nice place to lay down.

Texting would look like:

Dear Dude. Enjoyed your talk last night at TOH bar. U rock. May I send you my proposal for Friday night? Two guys sit on ice at hockey game. One gets hit with flying puck. Afterwards guys get loud at club 4 real. A timeless tale with YA appeal.

Or twittering:

Dear Andrea. Best schmooze eva. Here’s my story. Girl tries to p/u drycleaning. Drycleaners lost sweater with diamond ring from fiancé in pocket. Drama. Call me.

And the ubiquitous Facebook post:

Allyn! Enjoyed the kidlit podcast yesterday. Very informative. Here’s a pic of me listening to the podcast. I’m the one with the martini glass in hand. Here’s a pic of me working on my MG MS. (I’m the one at the computer. No, wait, that’s the cat. I’m the one with the martini glass in my hand.) My MS is an absorbing tale of love, redemption and loss among 13-yr-olds in the cafeteria. It all plays out between the meatloaf and the mash potatoes. Sort of Anna Karenina meets Harry Potter. By the time the Jell-O starts flying in the food fight, it’s all over but the tears. See you at the retreat! BFF