SAGE: Where do you get them from?
I buy them from iTunes
Would you suggest putting that query for critique on SYW, even if you've not finished the book? It seems so often that the squirrels there reveal possible flaws in plotlines, etc. But I wouldn't want to be seen as wasting other members' valuable time.
I guess if that's your aim: to find out if it's flawed. Sure. Besides, you'll use it eventually, right?
Unless there's a rule against that. Maybe Sage knows.
There is no rule against it, but sometimes the squirrels grumble about it if you tell them
There are definitely people who like writing queries first. And I've seen books that could improve thanks to the advice given in QLH, and when you're ready to query, that's a pretty discouraging place to find out.
However, sometimes what the squirrels see as a problem with your plot is simply a problem with the query, and it helps to go through a few queries to be able to spot the difference. And, let's face it, sometimes critters are just...wrong, and it helps to have a novel to give you something solid-ish to look at and see if they're right.
And in my own personal experience, once I write some kind of synopsis, I start to feel locked into the plot, and the same goes with queries. Sometimes when I write a query-like summary on my NaNo profile, I get frustrated when the novel's focus shifts during writing. I could imagine this would be extra frustrating with a query because it means you'll probably have to write a new one and go back through QLH again.
Personally--and this is still just my own experience--I like writing queries while revising or waiting on betas. Still in a revision mood if there's a problem, but without anything that feels final to me, and so that I can probably shoot off queries as soon as I'm done with post-beta revisions. But I know lots of writers who love writing queries at the beginning.