Nathan Bransford has had a come-to-Jesus-moment about a devilishly injurious mistake some – maybe even many – of us look to be making. Dut don’t worry, peeps, he know how to fix it. Take it away, Mr. B!
by Nathan Bransford
Last week I went to the movies for the first time since the pandemic started, and I encountered a curiosity I’d largely forgotten existed: movie trailers.
And while I was coaching a writer on how to improve their query letter, I had an epiphany: lots of authors are writing their query letters like the “voice of god” who narrates action movie trailers.
You know what I’m talking about. That gravelly deep voice who says things like, “In a world where nothing is as it seems…three friends…must go on a journey…to save the world…”
Now, this works when it’s accompanied by exciting visuals of the friends, the action, passionate kisses, people reaching plaintively for each other as they’re separated by evil security forces, and all the other images that populate movie trailers.
It doesn’t work in a query letter. Why…?