Summary Workshop

Part of selling the manuscript is having a great query letter, and within that letter is usually a solid, very brief summary. Below are 2 different summaries I've written for Flywings.

The first one was used for quite some time in several rejected query letters. I trimmed it to focus more on the MG hero, Stacey. First there was too much focus on the dad. And later, certain plot points were just too complicated to be explained in brief--like Wally and his grandfather's magical mutant garden. I wanted to intrigue the reader not confuse them, and sometimes (cliche alert) less is more. Much of rewriting is refocusing... and cutting.

In the 2nd, latest summary, it's all about Stacey, plain and simple. Enjoy:

................

[Old version]

Stacey is new in town and bullied at elementary school until her shipping-clerk dad brings home a lost parcel. The dress-up wings look normal, but as her dad naps, Stacey discovers they actually fly. She sneaks outside, perfects her flying skills, and soon, when she swoops down to save a boy from drowning, her magic feats go viral. Global media investigates the mystery, and dub Stacey the Arlington Angel. She shares her secret with her friend Wally and his grandfather, a botany genius whose mutant plants hold their own secret powers. And when Stacey’s dad eventually finds out, it’s the least of her worries. The powerful magician that lost his parcel is back and he wants more than just wings. Stacey’s dad is captured and only she can save him, as two families discover that magic is more trouble than it’s worth.

...................

[Latest version]


Stacey is new in town and bullied at school until her shipping-clerk dad brings home a lost parcel--costume fairy wings that actually fly! Stacey sneaks outside, perfects her flying skills, and soon, when she swoops down to save a boy from drowning, her magic feats go viral. News reporters and detectives swarm town to investigate, and the dangerous magician who lost the wings returns. As mystical secrets are suddenly revealed, Stacey must react to protect her family and decide if magic is more trouble than it's worth.