An Asylum for Writers of Speculative Fiction

According to much received wisdom you should be able to sum up any WIP in one sentence that will provoke the reader to ask for more information. Presumably this is for the purpose of query letters. I always find this hard - my summations seem lackluster - but I'll go first.

1. The Sundered Light is a Futuristic Fantasy about a "gifted" girl fighting invaders from another dimension in a world which forgot everything forty years ago.

2. Shadow of the Lake is a Paranormal Thriller about a vengeance ghost who's in love with the nephew of her murderer, and the problems they have with a ghost-eating supernatural assassin.


So how would other people sum up their current original WIPs?

(Realises she needs to add a "writing discussion" tag to the list)

Becky

I'm curious if you communicate with your characters as if they're real. If you do, what's the interaction like? Do you see them in your mind or just hear voices? Do you treat them as people or people playing a role? What exactly do you discuss? Do they tell you to write the story a certain way? Do they give you inside information? Do they demand bigger roles?