Summaries...Out Loud

Well, she's back, folks! And with many good "I shall blog on a regular basis" intentions, too! :)

While I got the majority of my query writing done (Elana Johnson - and Elana's e-book - I don't know what I would do without you. Die, maybe.) while traveling, it's not quite polished. It's crazy how many ways there are to phrase a single thought or plot point. (More on all that later this week.)

But there is one advantage to query writing. (Okay, more than one.) And it is that it makes it easier to tell people what your book is about. Because on Friday evening, I sat surrounded by grandparents, great-uncles, great-aunts, aunts, and soon-to-be uncles and was asked what my book was about. And it called for a longer answer than, "A princess."

It's true - I still don't have my answer down verbally. (I have an epic sentence summary and paragraph summary, but both are rather high-flown when said out loud. See the #amwriting page.) My version relies a lot on hand motions (this country, and that country) and, I feel, comes out very confused and haphazard. But I get it out there, and everyone nods appreciatively, and I can't tell for the world if they think I'm pathetic or passionate, but I sit and smile and accept that yes, it does sound interesting.

Any tips on verbally explaining your book? What do you say when asked what it's about? (I'll probably be doing a "Dreaded Question #3" pretty soon on this subject, and I may be highlighting your comments since I don't feel like I have much advice to offer in this area, what with all my hand-motioned summaries, hehe.)