Is it butter yet?

Last night, I worked on a query letter for my manuscript. I'm not ready to query agents yet, and in fact, it might still be months before I am, but I've done "practice" letters periodically while I've written this story. It's a good way to monitor how the book is going—the stronger it is, the clearer the main ideas become, and the easier it is to write a query.

It's interesting to see how the information I've included in my practice queries has evolved. The synopsis paragraphs and "big idea" sentences were much easier to write this time around, and that's encouraging.

It means I'm doing the right work in my revisions to identify what's most important in the story so I can ramp it up, capitalize on it, make it crystal clear.

It also means I'm doing a better job at separating the stuff that doesn't belong and removing it to safe keeping where it might be useful for another story in the future—or tossing it out when I realize it's complete garbage. (Such as when I'm reading dialogue and my own snoring wakes me up a few minutes later ...)

If you think about it, it's a clarification process not unlike clarifying liquids or fats for cooking. Look at these definitions for "clarify" from chefdepot.net:

CLARIFY
To remove sediment from a cloudy liquid, thereby making it clear. To clarify liquids, such as stock, egg whites and/or eggshells are commonly added and simmered for approximately 15 minutes. The egg whites attract and trap particles from the liquid. After cooling, strain the mixture through a cloth-lined sieve to remove residue.

To clarify rendered fat, add hot water and boil for about 15 minutes. The mixture should then be strained through several layers of cheesecloth and chilled. The resulting layer of fat should be completely clear of residue.

Clarified butter is butter that has been heated slowly so that its milk solids separate and sink, and can be discarded. The resulting clear liquid can be used at a higher cooking temperature and will not go rancid as quickly as unclarified butter.

None of these is an especially quick process. Each has different steps and leads to a specific refined product. Do you want liquid, fat, or butter? While there's always room for a quick, refreshing drink or a lazy, fat read in the market, I want to sell clarified butter.

Each process involves heating the original product, but if you want clarified butter, you can't just boil it quickly. You have to "heat slowly." You want to carefully increase the tension until the milk solids—the original "baby food" you produced—separate and fall away from the resulting clear product.

A story that can withstand higher criticism. It can take the heat. And it has a longer shelf life.

Wow, didn't really mean to go all philosophical on you. Sometimes even when I blog, the process I go through to post it on the page teaches me something.

I really only intended to tell you about my cool query letter. :-)