Sara Megibow

#7 = romantic suspense. Pitched as romance but it's not. Not strong enough love interest & too violent-wrong genre PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#6 = fantasy middle grade. Conflict feels too young for middle grade - a little too shallow or silly. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#5 = adult fantasy. Query is wordy and confusing - not strong grammar or description. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#4 = historical young adult. Lots of character description but not much plot or why it's set in historical time. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#3 = young adult fantasy. A little too preachy (teens will learn XYZ from reading this). PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#2 = adult science fiction. Some generic tropes but very strong writing. Strong writing wins! ACCEPT!! #10queriesIn10tweets

#1 = adult fantasy. Query only discusses backstory and world set-up, no inciting incident or plot. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

Happy writing to everyone and thanks for joining me for this week's edition of #10queriesIn10tweets

#10 = contemporary romance. Feels too melodramatic without a big enough hook. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

In 9 years of reading queries, this is the best query I've ever received: writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/g… #10queriesIn10tweets @stefaniegaither

Geez - sorry we haven't had an ACCEPT yet. Maybe it will be lucky #10. #10queriesIn10tweets

Sorry - that one was harsh of me, but true. Might also sound like, "I just didn't connect with your heroine." #10queriesIn10tweets

#9 = fantasy YA. Heroine's inciting incident and therefore her story feel contrived/un-engaging. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#8 = historical YA. Solid writing but plot and story are about teaching history and not about telling a story. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#7 = fantasy. Too many fantasy tropes (portal, prophecy, etc) although decent heroine. Darn. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#6 = YA science fiction. Sadly, it sounds too much like ENDERS GAME so will PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#5 = historical romance. Characters don't feel compelling - there's not chemistry to them. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

Ineffective world-building (usually in the form of data-dump) is the #1 reason I pass on SF submissions. #true #10queriesIn10tweets

Inauthentic narrative voice is #1 reason I pass on MG submissions. #true #10queriesIn10tweets

#4 = contemporary middle grade. Narrative voice doesn't feel authentically MG (sounds like adult talking to kids) PASS #10queriesIn10tweets