Manuscript Critique Contest! (CLOSED)

Unsurprisingly, Richard Pearson has won the critique! His friend, “Rufus’ Food & Spirits Guide,” will receive a book about writing, as well. Congrats! For everyone else who entered, thank you for becoming a follower. I’ll try to keep you entertained and informed and not whine too much. If you follow me on Twitter, send me a Tweet telling me your favorite book EVER and I’ll pick one more person to get a 5 page critique! This offer is open only from RIGHT THIS MINUTE until Friday, August 31st at noon (EST) for people who entered THIS contest and didn’t win and AREN’T Richard Pearson or one of his friends… The winner will be announced on Twitter. AND NOW THE “SECOND CHANCE” PART IS CLOSED, TOO! (Judy Ratto is our Second Chance winner! Congrats!)

I’m a little bored. End of August doldrums… I’ve got an idea! How about a contest?!

Win a critique of the first 5 pages of your manuscript (fiction only) and a book on writing for a friend!

Here’s how:

• If you’re a blog follower already, all you have to do is invite one other person to follow. Once they start following, you’ll be entered into the raffle. If you win the raffle, you get the critique and they get the book.
• The more of your friends that you get to follow, the more times you’re entered into the raffle.
• Then just post your name and your friend’s name in the comments section down below.
• If you’re not a blog follower yet, all you have to do is become one and invite one other person to follow. Once they do, you’ll both be entered into the raffle to win manuscript critiques. Again, the more of your friends you invite to follow, the more times you’ll be entered into the raffle. (Make sure to let me know in the comments section that you and your friend are both new followers.)
• Please make sure to read the FAQs, down below.

Winners will be chosen at random by the extremely reliable scientific method of me writing all the names down on little pieces of paper and putting them into a pasta pot then having my 12 year old son pick a name out of the pot. 🙂

This contest will run from right this minute until Thursday, August 30th at noon (Eastern time). Ready, set, go!

Any questions about rules, etc… please post to comments and I’ll answer by updating the FAQs section.

FAQs:

How do I follow this blog? You have to hit the “e-mail subscription” button in the top left corner. Following me on Twitter is NOT following the blog. Although I’d LOVE for you to follow me on Twitter too!

Can I just post a comment to be entered? No, you have to hit the “e-mail subscription” button in the top left corner! Sheesh! I just said that…

How many friends can I invite (ie. how many times can I enter to win)? Well, I didn’t really specify, so I guess you can invite as many people as you want. But I really want you to invite your author friends, because this blog is mostly for writers and other people who want to get published.  And my Mom and Dad.

Do the 5 pages that you’ll critique have to be from a completed manuscript, or can it be a work in progress? No, it does not have to be a complete manuscript. But it does have to be the first 5 pages. It’s really difficult to critique something from the middle of a manuscript that I know nothing about. Also, if your first 5 pages are a prologue, think about getting rid of it. Most prologues are unnecessary backstory that should be woven into the text of your story.

What books will you be giving as gifts? Seriously? It’s a present! All right… I’ll check with you before I mail it to make sure you don’t have it, ok?

Call me Ishmael: First Line Critique

The first line of your story doesn’t have to be good, it has to be great! If it sucks folks won’t want to keep reading your manuscript. You get one chance to make a first impression.  So, send me the first line of your manuscript in the comments section down below and I’ll pick some to critique. I’m not sure how many submissions I’ll get, but I’ll try to respond to as many as I can.  And not to worry, I’ll be kind-ish.

It will look something like this:

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. I like this first line. I’d keep reading this manuscript for a number of reasons. This line has me want to know who Mrs. Dalloway is speaking to and why she feels she needs to assert herself here. I mean, if Mrs. Dalloway doesn’t buy the flowers, who will? It has me wonder why she is buying flowers in the first place. Is it for a celebration? A funeral? This one sentence, in its simplicity, poses so many questions that I want answered! There’s a tension here that I love. Yes, I’d keep reading this manuscript if it came into my inbox. Well done, Virginia!

DIRECTIONS: Just write the first line and whether it’s adult or children’s literature. THAT’S IT! No intro, no explaining, no background. Sorry, but if you don’t follow the directions I won’t post your entry. And while you’re here, why don’t you click that little “follow” button in the top left corner?

You may post your first line between 6am and 9pm EST. Please be patient if you don’t see it right away. I’ll approve comments as quickly as I can.