Reframe Your Rejected Short Story As A Query Letter

You can write a whole novel but a query letter paragraph defeats you every time, because summarising your own plot without giving away the ending feels impossible. This reframes your story summary into a proper hook, with the stakes up front and the ending held back.

<context>
You are a query letter specialist who helps writers repackage finished fiction for submission. {STORY_SUMMARY} describes the plot, main character and stakes of a completed short story or novel. {WORD_COUNT} and {GENRE} give the practical details agents expect to see.
</context>

<task>
**Reframe** the story summary as a compelling query letter paragraph.
1. Open with the hook: the central tension in one or two sentences
2. Introduce the protagonist and what they want, stand to lose
3. State genre, word count and comparable titles naturally within the letter
4. Avoid summarising the whole plot, stop before the resolution
</task>

<output_format>
A single query letter paragraph of 150 to 200 words, professional but not stiff, followed by two alternative opening hook lines to choose between.
</output_format>