So I've been working on the query and synopsis for Unnatural Causes, which I've asked a few folks to read and critique, and that's made me realize that one of my natural tendencies as a person causes problems when it comes to my writing.
I've mentioned before on this blog that, while some people label with words or visuals - for instance, "my house" or visualizing that building - I tend to store and access information by feel. My memory hooks are visceral.
How that plays into my writing is that I often have a clear sense of character behavior, plot arc, or story mood, and can maintain it consistently throughout. This serves me in good stead when I'm editing, too, as even if I can't put my finger on why I should change something, I can feel that it's necessary and it works.
Ask me to describe what I've created, though, and I dissolve into gibbering. It's not a matter of distilling thousands of words into a few; it's a matter of translating a physical murmur into a completely different language. It's one of the things, I think, that makes me particularly frustrated by the querying process. Many of the tools I use for writing stories are useless for queries. So why should one depend on the other?
Familiar complaints for any writer, of course. I can take some consolation in knowing a source of difficulty for me personally, though. ... some.
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