What’s better on a car trip than doing Mad Libs? (answer: Playing cards with your sister, who doesn’t realize her cards are reflecting in the window behind her. But other than that, nothing.) So I thought we could all use some Mad Lib action in our Friday. Grab a writing utinsel and scrap paper and come up with words for these ten categories:

(1) Emotion
(2) Number
(3) Number
(4) Noun (plural)
(5) Girl’s name
(6) Favorite Halloween costume
(7) Color
(8) Animal (plural)
(9) Fairy tale creature
(10) Number

Got all ten filled in? No cheating now.

OK, here’s the query letter. Fill in your blanks:

Dear Agent-

(1) is a (2)-word novel exploring what happens when a girl goes on a quest to save (3) (4).

(5)’s life is perfectly normal, thank you very much, until a one-eyed (6)’s prophecy sends her on an impossible quest. Now, (5) must survive (7) (8), save a young (9), and find the true meaning of (1).

I’ve worked on this novel for (10) months and am confident it’s the best premise ever. Thank you for your consideration,

Future best-selling author

🙂

I made my husband give it a try, so here’s his letter (disclaimer, he’d just woken up and was a little loopy):

Dear Agent-

Agitation is a 417-word novel exploring what happens when a girl goes on a quest to save 0.2 squirrels. [yeah, he was an engineer…frakkin decimals]

Sarah’s [original honey] life is perfectly normal, thank you very much, until a one-eyed Chewbacca’s prophecy sends her on an impossible quest. Now, Sarah must survive mauve platypi, save a young jackalope, and find the true meaning of agitation.

I’ve worked on this novel for 7 months and am confident it’s the best premise ever. Thank you for your consideration,

Future best-selling author

🙂

What did your letters come out like?