I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of a genre-whore ;)
*double checks that Mum doesn't read this blog* No? Okay. Good. O:)
Yup, definitely a genre-whore. I'll read pretty much anything and everything, and mostly enjoy it, too. And this extends to my writing.
Sure, I don't write in quite as many genres as I read, but my work does run the whole gamut from MG to adult, from fast-paced paranormal to nearly-epic fantasy. Some stories might even be classed as science fantasy.
Two things have made me think about this today: first of all, this article by Lauren Baratz-Logsted on the Query Tracker blog (although it was posted a while ago, I only read it yesterday), and second of all, this post on Authoress's blog.
The first article I find interesting because it's a direct contradiction of everything we've ever heard from agents - or is it?
On the whole, the message from agents (and other sources) seems to be: pick the genre you love most and concentrate on that. Don't waste effort trying to write across genres unless you're going to treat it like building two careers; remember that these days your branding as an author plays a major role in attracting sales; writing across genres can dilute your genre.
It's all sound advice, I suppose. It's logical. But the first article seems to suggest that not only is the opposite possible, it can also be successful. Lauren attributes the fact that she is able to write full time (after a comparatively short period of time since she decided to write seriously) to the fact that she has written across multiple genres. To date, she's published in adult comedy; historical suspense; chick lit; serious YA; humorous YA; tween; and MG. That's quite a range.
But there is also one other key factor, I think: by the end of 2009, Lauren will have published 15 books in 6 years. Fifteen. In SIX years. Now that's prolific. And I can't help but wonder if perhaps that's part of it; you can write everything you like if you do it quick enough that readers only following one of your strands will still get their yearly fix. Hmm. Read the article yourself and tell me what you think.
The second article is the other side of the writing-in-multiple-genres coin that we don't often think about, or hear spoken about: Authoress, coming to the end of her current novel, is thinking agents - and thinking genres. She refuses to give up on her MG fantasy that she's currently editing/shopping; she's determined to see the new novel, YA dystopic fantasy, sell too. But targetting only agents to which both projects will appeal... Well, that's going to limit her options quite a bit. And what if none of them bite?
It's an interesting consideration, and one that I can see I'm going to have to consider myself in years (months?) to come. I am going to write adult and YA; I know that. I know that's possible, too, since I know quite a few fantasy authors off-hand that do so. I also know it's possible to write across the whole gamut of fantasy/science fiction; Orson Scott Card is one that springs to mind. Is it, however, possible to do both? And, most importantly - with the same agent?
Questions, questions. It will be interesting to see the eventual results.
In the meantime - tell me. I'd like to get to know my readers more. Those of you I know, surprise me with your closet stories. Lurkers, consider this your official de-lurk invitation. Jump in the comments and tell me: what genre/s do you write?
Showing posts with label Authoress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Authoress. Show all posts
12 June 2009
23 May 2009
Author(p)ress and Book Faire
So, one of my classes ate me for lunch on Friday, and today my sister got engaged. It's been one crazy, insane, hectic week.
In celebration, some random announcements.
First up, check out Authoress's book trailer! Isn't is SO cool?! The book is pretty darn great too, especially if you haven't yet wet your toes in the ocean of querying.
See? Shiny!
Also, I have another blog! Whee! Well, it's not just mine, but I'm a regular contributor ;)
Book Faire is a brand new blog dedicated to reviewing books in all genres. Each of the listed genres should get a mention once a month, plus there are extras in the form of articles and author interviews. Much shininess. Stop by and say hi!
That's all from me for now. The next two weeks are utterly insane as I finish up my teaching prac, and complete the million-and-one assignments based on said prac. The happy news is that after that I have three weeks of practically nothingness, which I'm greatly looking forward to.
So, I'll try to be around as much as possible, and keep up my regular blogging.... but forgive me please if I fall a little behind.
Go! Say hi at Book Faire! :)
And don't forget to vote on this week's secret poll! The winner of this poll will be up against the winners of the last two to discover May's Grand Winner B-)
In celebration, some random announcements.
First up, check out Authoress's book trailer! Isn't is SO cool?! The book is pretty darn great too, especially if you haven't yet wet your toes in the ocean of querying.
See? Shiny!
Also, I have another blog! Whee! Well, it's not just mine, but I'm a regular contributor ;)
Book Faire is a brand new blog dedicated to reviewing books in all genres. Each of the listed genres should get a mention once a month, plus there are extras in the form of articles and author interviews. Much shininess. Stop by and say hi!
That's all from me for now. The next two weeks are utterly insane as I finish up my teaching prac, and complete the million-and-one assignments based on said prac. The happy news is that after that I have three weeks of practically nothingness, which I'm greatly looking forward to.
So, I'll try to be around as much as possible, and keep up my regular blogging.... but forgive me please if I fall a little behind.
Go! Say hi at Book Faire! :)
And don't forget to vote on this week's secret poll! The winner of this poll will be up against the winners of the last two to discover May's Grand Winner B-)
17 April 2009
Learning By Example
I don't know about you guys, but I happen to be a visual-kinesthetic learner. I really don't learn well by listening; I need to see what we're talking about in front of me.
On the other hand, I also learn pretty well by doing and discussing - if I'm talking it out, I'll remember it (oral rather than aural learning), and if I can touch it, grasp it, move it around and do it myself, I'll also remember it.
So when I started writing, and people told me things like: Your beginning needs to be hooky. You need to have voice. Your query must be professional. You have to tell the story without telling the whole story.
...I really had no idea what they meant.
Thankfully, in the last few months a really useful resource has popped up to combat this: it's the blog of Authoress, Miss Snark's First Victim - specifically, the Secret Agent contests. Have I entered them? Actually, no.
So how have I learned from them? By immersion. By doing. When you read through 100 or 50 or however (large) many first pages in a reasonably short space of time, you begin to realise what works and what doesn't. All that advice actually starts to make sense, and you can see things like voice, and hooks, and begin to get a feel for openings that are boring, or overworked, or trying to hard - or are just right. If you've never read through the entries in a Secret Agent contest, I really encourage you to do so. You don't have to comment on them if you don't want to or don't have time - just read them, and read them all, for your own benefit.
Interestingly, the quality of the submissions really seems to be increasing. In the first few rounds of Are You Hooked?, there were maybe 5% of entries that caught my attention and really hooked me. These days, I can find anywhere between 10 and 15%, and I'm getting pickier; I read faster, I totally skim, and an opening has to work hard to make me stop and read it properly.
So. Where is all this going?
Well, in a meandering sort of way, besides wholeheartedly recommending that you go read through the lastest round of Secret Agent entries, I'm getting to querying. It never occurred to me that the breakthrough I had in reading so many first pages might also be applicable to queries; but thanks to Nathan Bransford and his current 'Agent for a Day' contest, I've realised it is.
I've read every single one of the 50 queries entered, and I'm down to a short list of 14, although I could have made it 16 if I was feeling generous. Because this post is long enough (and my husband is waiting for me!), today I'm going to let you know what my top picks are. Over the weekend, before the contest closes on Saturday night, I'll narrow down my options (we're only allowed to 'request' 5 manuscripts) and on Monday I'll dissect my choices and see what I've learned about queries, and the querying process.
Ready?
Okay. These are my top 14, in no particular order:
#9 If It Ain't Broke: boy sets out to break every bone in his body, because we all know, they heal stronger...
#20 In The Driver's Seat: a memoir about truck driving throughout America. Great voice.
#22 Star Fragments: YA, 'media darling shattered by Hollywood's depravity'. Voice, again.
#26 Glyph: a spec thriller based on Aztec mythology
#27 Ghostland: Genetically modified outcast children. Mm.
#28 Long Shot Lost: Sci fi. Reads pretty standard, but a hint of an exciting voice.
#30 XLI: It's humorous, and the MC is a monk. Rah!
#33 Beneath the Heart of Beauty: mainstream about a man who has recurring dreams that he suspects are based on the events of a period of amnesia he suffered.
#36 Rosie's Child: mainstreamish, about a family geneaology mystery. Sounds pretty cool.
#37 Secluded Alleys: serial killer/cop mystery, with photography.
#38 Birthright: YA fantasy set in the wild future, where humans live in sanitised cities - the MC learns she's heiress to the wild...
#40 Becoming Emily Novak: YA coming of age. Solid, solid query.
#43 The Lion's Mane: YA fantasy. Time travel back to Roman Britain with a talking cat!
#1 Watcher's Web: Well, it's Australian for a start, hoorah! :D Fantasy about a girl who can talk to animals, and is being fought over by the great forces of the universe.
Even reading back through these now, a day after I initially picked them, I can see differences between them that help me make up my mind - to the point where I actually removed two off this list because I realised they weren't up to par with the others.
Finally, there's one query that I didn't even have to think about: auto-request. I'll dig it out and examine it on Monday. In the meantime, get yourselves over there and learn by example what a good query feels like! :)
On the other hand, I also learn pretty well by doing and discussing - if I'm talking it out, I'll remember it (oral rather than aural learning), and if I can touch it, grasp it, move it around and do it myself, I'll also remember it.
So when I started writing, and people told me things like: Your beginning needs to be hooky. You need to have voice. Your query must be professional. You have to tell the story without telling the whole story.
...I really had no idea what they meant.
Thankfully, in the last few months a really useful resource has popped up to combat this: it's the blog of Authoress, Miss Snark's First Victim - specifically, the Secret Agent contests. Have I entered them? Actually, no.
So how have I learned from them? By immersion. By doing. When you read through 100 or 50 or however (large) many first pages in a reasonably short space of time, you begin to realise what works and what doesn't. All that advice actually starts to make sense, and you can see things like voice, and hooks, and begin to get a feel for openings that are boring, or overworked, or trying to hard - or are just right. If you've never read through the entries in a Secret Agent contest, I really encourage you to do so. You don't have to comment on them if you don't want to or don't have time - just read them, and read them all, for your own benefit.
Interestingly, the quality of the submissions really seems to be increasing. In the first few rounds of Are You Hooked?, there were maybe 5% of entries that caught my attention and really hooked me. These days, I can find anywhere between 10 and 15%, and I'm getting pickier; I read faster, I totally skim, and an opening has to work hard to make me stop and read it properly.
So. Where is all this going?
Well, in a meandering sort of way, besides wholeheartedly recommending that you go read through the lastest round of Secret Agent entries, I'm getting to querying. It never occurred to me that the breakthrough I had in reading so many first pages might also be applicable to queries; but thanks to Nathan Bransford and his current 'Agent for a Day' contest, I've realised it is.
I've read every single one of the 50 queries entered, and I'm down to a short list of 14, although I could have made it 16 if I was feeling generous. Because this post is long enough (and my husband is waiting for me!), today I'm going to let you know what my top picks are. Over the weekend, before the contest closes on Saturday night, I'll narrow down my options (we're only allowed to 'request' 5 manuscripts) and on Monday I'll dissect my choices and see what I've learned about queries, and the querying process.
Ready?
Okay. These are my top 14, in no particular order:
#9 If It Ain't Broke: boy sets out to break every bone in his body, because we all know, they heal stronger...
#20 In The Driver's Seat: a memoir about truck driving throughout America. Great voice.
#22 Star Fragments: YA, 'media darling shattered by Hollywood's depravity'. Voice, again.
#26 Glyph: a spec thriller based on Aztec mythology
#27 Ghostland: Genetically modified outcast children. Mm.
#28 Long Shot Lost: Sci fi. Reads pretty standard, but a hint of an exciting voice.
#30 XLI: It's humorous, and the MC is a monk. Rah!
#33 Beneath the Heart of Beauty: mainstream about a man who has recurring dreams that he suspects are based on the events of a period of amnesia he suffered.
#36 Rosie's Child: mainstreamish, about a family geneaology mystery. Sounds pretty cool.
#37 Secluded Alleys: serial killer/cop mystery, with photography.
#38 Birthright: YA fantasy set in the wild future, where humans live in sanitised cities - the MC learns she's heiress to the wild...
#40 Becoming Emily Novak: YA coming of age. Solid, solid query.
#43 The Lion's Mane: YA fantasy. Time travel back to Roman Britain with a talking cat!
#1 Watcher's Web: Well, it's Australian for a start, hoorah! :D Fantasy about a girl who can talk to animals, and is being fought over by the great forces of the universe.
Even reading back through these now, a day after I initially picked them, I can see differences between them that help me make up my mind - to the point where I actually removed two off this list because I realised they weren't up to par with the others.
Finally, there's one query that I didn't even have to think about: auto-request. I'll dig it out and examine it on Monday. In the meantime, get yourselves over there and learn by example what a good query feels like! :)
03 October 2008
Welcome to my Sidebar: Miss Snark's First Victim
A blog for aspiring authors...
Who: Miss Snark's First Victim is Authoress, an aspiring author. She devotes a large chunk of time to running this spiffy blog, and does an absolutely fabulous job of it :)
What: This is a blog dedicated to writers and writing. It's full of great information, both in the posts and in the comments; some really great discussions have been hosted on this blog. And, something which has attracted a lot of new subscribers of late, the contests! The most popular ones are the Secret Agent contests, where Authoress engages a real live agent to judge the first pages of the entrants' work. The first one of these contests attracted over 100 entrants!
Where: Here, or here: http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/
Why: You mean the Secret Agent competitions haven't sent you scurrying over to check it out already? O:)
When: A few times a week, definitely on Fridays :)
Who: Miss Snark's First Victim is Authoress, an aspiring author. She devotes a large chunk of time to running this spiffy blog, and does an absolutely fabulous job of it :)
What: This is a blog dedicated to writers and writing. It's full of great information, both in the posts and in the comments; some really great discussions have been hosted on this blog. And, something which has attracted a lot of new subscribers of late, the contests! The most popular ones are the Secret Agent contests, where Authoress engages a real live agent to judge the first pages of the entrants' work. The first one of these contests attracted over 100 entrants!
Where: Here, or here: http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/
Why: You mean the Secret Agent competitions haven't sent you scurrying over to check it out already? O:)
When: A few times a week, definitely on Fridays :)
29 July 2008
Analysis of Openings
Meant to do this at the end of last week, but alas, it is week two of uni and already I have an essay due. But better late than never.
The format I'm using here is totally theived from Liana Brooks over at Write or Right? - with her permission, naturally ;)
This was my opening:
"Heather, you have something of mine."
I stared at my brother. I had no idea what he meant.
He stared back in silence. The years hadn't been kind to him, that much was certain. I pursed my lips at his dark, sunken eyes, unkempt hair, and too-skinny frame. Dirt clung to his shirt, and his shoes were scuffed and nearly worn through at the toes.
I frowned. "Really, Andrew. It's nice to see you and all, but" – I glanced up and down the perfectly manicured street – "did you have to show up like this?"
He shrugged and maintained his stare. "You have something of mine."
I suppressed a sigh. Better let him in before the neighbours see. I stepped aside and jerked my head.
His eyes widened briefly, but he stepped inside eagerly enough. I wondered how long it had been since he'd been somewhere warm – his hands were mottled with cold.
He hovered in the hallway, and I stepped past him and led the way to the kitchen. "Drink?"
He nodded. "Something warm would be great."
He slid onto one of the stools that edged the bench, and I turned away to rummage for the mugs and hot chocolate. "So," I said, trying to keep my voice casual. "What brings you here?" I hadn't seen him in what, ten? Eleven years, now? As I turned, mugs in hand, I caught his eye. I inhaled, hit by the intensity of his gaze.
"You have something of mine."
Comments: 26, if we discount my two :)
Hooked? 24 plus one maybe. Hoorah, there is hope! :)
Problems Cited By Critters:
* Brother is more interesting that Heather
* Lots of people wobbled at the 'hands mottled with cold' bit
* Lots of sentences start with 'he'
* Issues with Heather's actions - why does she invite him in instead of just asking what he thinks she has?
* Too many repetitions of "You have something of mine." - makes him sound robotic.
What I Can Fix:
* Both characters need a major overhaul. I know this.
* The cold hands can easily go, and sentences can be reworded to avoid 'he'
What Won't Change:
* I seriously doubt she'll just confront him on the doorstep. I still don't know her very well, but I know enough to know that that's a conversation she's NOT going to have in public ;) Besides, if she did, it would ruin the plot %-)
So, the biggest thing that needs working on here is the characterisation, which ought to iron out interest issues and also quirks in their mannerisms, such as Heather inviting him in, and him being so repetitious (or not, depending on how his character turns out).
For a long time I've been a character-focused writer, and have struggle a LOT with plot and structure. When I started writing this, it was an exercise in Making Things Happen - in plot. Consequently, the characterisation is very hazy - it seems that at the moment I can work on one or the other, but not both.
But that's okay. I can clear that up in revisions, and this novel is teaching me a whole new way of writing - and that I /can/ plot, and structure, and have coherency result :)
Overall, I'm pretty stoked with the high proportion of positive comments, and can't wait to finish this dang draft so I can get to revising.
Of course, the fact that I discovered some rather interesting details about Heather and Andrew's past two days ago has nothing to do with it O:)
The format I'm using here is totally theived from Liana Brooks over at Write or Right? - with her permission, naturally ;)
This was my opening:
"Heather, you have something of mine."
I stared at my brother. I had no idea what he meant.
He stared back in silence. The years hadn't been kind to him, that much was certain. I pursed my lips at his dark, sunken eyes, unkempt hair, and too-skinny frame. Dirt clung to his shirt, and his shoes were scuffed and nearly worn through at the toes.
I frowned. "Really, Andrew. It's nice to see you and all, but" – I glanced up and down the perfectly manicured street – "did you have to show up like this?"
He shrugged and maintained his stare. "You have something of mine."
I suppressed a sigh. Better let him in before the neighbours see. I stepped aside and jerked my head.
His eyes widened briefly, but he stepped inside eagerly enough. I wondered how long it had been since he'd been somewhere warm – his hands were mottled with cold.
He hovered in the hallway, and I stepped past him and led the way to the kitchen. "Drink?"
He nodded. "Something warm would be great."
He slid onto one of the stools that edged the bench, and I turned away to rummage for the mugs and hot chocolate. "So," I said, trying to keep my voice casual. "What brings you here?" I hadn't seen him in what, ten? Eleven years, now? As I turned, mugs in hand, I caught his eye. I inhaled, hit by the intensity of his gaze.
"You have something of mine."
Comments: 26, if we discount my two :)
Hooked? 24 plus one maybe. Hoorah, there is hope! :)
Problems Cited By Critters:
* Brother is more interesting that Heather
* Lots of people wobbled at the 'hands mottled with cold' bit
* Lots of sentences start with 'he'
* Issues with Heather's actions - why does she invite him in instead of just asking what he thinks she has?
* Too many repetitions of "You have something of mine." - makes him sound robotic.
What I Can Fix:
* Both characters need a major overhaul. I know this.
* The cold hands can easily go, and sentences can be reworded to avoid 'he'
What Won't Change:
* I seriously doubt she'll just confront him on the doorstep. I still don't know her very well, but I know enough to know that that's a conversation she's NOT going to have in public ;) Besides, if she did, it would ruin the plot %-)
So, the biggest thing that needs working on here is the characterisation, which ought to iron out interest issues and also quirks in their mannerisms, such as Heather inviting him in, and him being so repetitious (or not, depending on how his character turns out).
For a long time I've been a character-focused writer, and have struggle a LOT with plot and structure. When I started writing this, it was an exercise in Making Things Happen - in plot. Consequently, the characterisation is very hazy - it seems that at the moment I can work on one or the other, but not both.
But that's okay. I can clear that up in revisions, and this novel is teaching me a whole new way of writing - and that I /can/ plot, and structure, and have coherency result :)
Overall, I'm pretty stoked with the high proportion of positive comments, and can't wait to finish this dang draft so I can get to revising.
Of course, the fact that I discovered some rather interesting details about Heather and Andrew's past two days ago has nothing to do with it O:)
Competitions For You
Ah, life, why must you bite me so?
Anyway, today's announcement concerns two lovely, free competitions that you may or may not know about :)
1) Drop the Needle
This is being run by Authoress over at Miss Snark's First Victim. Simply email in a 250-word segement of your writing that shows off one of your secondary characters. Email address and further details available on the blog.
2) Writing Effective Description
Karen Duvall is hosting a 'Writing Effective Description' contest over the next five days. Each day she'll do a post about one of the five senses and conclude with an assignment. Simply post your answers to the assignments in the comments field for each day's post and you'll be in the running to win some writer-help books - plus you get to learn about writing description! :) The first post is already up.
Anyway, today's announcement concerns two lovely, free competitions that you may or may not know about :)
1) Drop the Needle
This is being run by Authoress over at Miss Snark's First Victim. Simply email in a 250-word segement of your writing that shows off one of your secondary characters. Email address and further details available on the blog.
2) Writing Effective Description
Karen Duvall is hosting a 'Writing Effective Description' contest over the next five days. Each day she'll do a post about one of the five senses and conclude with an assignment. Simply post your answers to the assignments in the comments field for each day's post and you'll be in the running to win some writer-help books - plus you get to learn about writing description! :) The first post is already up.
18 July 2008
And A Slight Hyperventilation Of My Own...
The Are You Hooked? contest over at Miss Snark's First Victim is well and truly up and running, with an astounding 113 entries! If you have a spare second to pop over and comment even on one or two, I'm sure everyone would be greatly appreciative. All you have to do is say whether the beginning hooked you or not, and, if you're feeling verbose, why :)
Meanwhile, I'm having a bit of a 'squee' moment of my own. This is what Secret Agent had to say about my opening:
"Yes. I might tighten a few spots (strike second line, cut to "The years hadn't been kind to my brother, that much..."; lose the second line about his clothes) but I'd want to see where this is headed."
*bounces up and down* Words cannot describe how floatily excited I am right now :D
Meanwhile, I'm having a bit of a 'squee' moment of my own. This is what Secret Agent had to say about my opening:
"Yes. I might tighten a few spots (strike second line, cut to "The years hadn't been kind to my brother, that much..."; lose the second line about his clothes) but I'd want to see where this is headed."
*bounces up and down* Words cannot describe how floatily excited I am right now :D
16 July 2008
Progress
It seems I haven't done a progress report at all yet for July, which is good, because if I just had to report on the last week's work, there wouldn't be much to say O:)
The first third of the month was great - I wrote over 10k in 10 days. Lovely. However, to make up for it, I haven't written a thing in nearly a week. There are very good reasons for this (snow trips, birthdays), but still... Ack.
Those words have been:
* About 4 chapters added to TP. Way behind where I wanted to be, but a lot better than nothing. I've been stalling in chapter 15 because of some police procedural details - I really need to push past that. But I'm still excited about having a complete plot for this thing. :)
* Short story involving platykies, a new species of mine based somewhat on selkies. Currently titled With This Ring.
* My first ever flash fiction piece! Woo, am I excited about this! An entire story, in less than 600 words :D This one's called Certified, and was inspired by a line a friend dropped on the forums the other day about being certified to raise the dead (she's a doctor-in-training).
On top of the writing, I've polished both With This Ring and Certified and sent them out as my July submissions, and entered the first page of TP into the Are You Hooked? contest over at Miss Snark's First Victim :)
So, even though I feel like I've been slack writing-wise for the past week, I guess I can't really complain :o)
The first third of the month was great - I wrote over 10k in 10 days. Lovely. However, to make up for it, I haven't written a thing in nearly a week. There are very good reasons for this (snow trips, birthdays), but still... Ack.
Those words have been:
* About 4 chapters added to TP. Way behind where I wanted to be, but a lot better than nothing. I've been stalling in chapter 15 because of some police procedural details - I really need to push past that. But I'm still excited about having a complete plot for this thing. :)
* Short story involving platykies, a new species of mine based somewhat on selkies. Currently titled With This Ring.
* My first ever flash fiction piece! Woo, am I excited about this! An entire story, in less than 600 words :D This one's called Certified, and was inspired by a line a friend dropped on the forums the other day about being certified to raise the dead (she's a doctor-in-training).
On top of the writing, I've polished both With This Ring and Certified and sent them out as my July submissions, and entered the first page of TP into the Are You Hooked? contest over at Miss Snark's First Victim :)
So, even though I feel like I've been slack writing-wise for the past week, I guess I can't really complain :o)
03 July 2008
First Lines and Hookability
If you haven't heard of Miss Snark, then you are a deeply deprived person. Go right now and check out her Snarkives which, even though she is no longer actively blogging, contain an absolute treasure trove of information on the writing business.
And although she is no longer blogging, the dear Miss Snark has spawned a great many spin off blogs - one of which belongs to Authoress, owner of the Miss Snark's First Victim blog. Over the next few weeks, she's running a second Are You Hooked? competition - and the rules are easy. When submissions open (circa July 14), email in your first 250 words of any story. Once the entry period is over, each entry will be posted in a separate post, and readers of the blog will comment on each post. As an added bonus, Authoress has managed to snag a real-life, honest-to-goodness agent who will also read and critique each opening.
Entry is free, you don't have to have a complete manuscript to enter, and all that's asked is that you give feedback on everyone else's beginnings if you get feedback on yours. What have you got to lose?
If you're feeling like you need a bit of a warm up, this thread over on Critique Circle is for posting entries to for preliminary help with polishing and feedbacky-ness. And our very own Liana Brooks is hosting a first paragraph 'competition' on her blog as we speak as a warm up for your first 250 words :)
Free feedback, from an agent no less. You can't pass that up every day ;)
And although she is no longer blogging, the dear Miss Snark has spawned a great many spin off blogs - one of which belongs to Authoress, owner of the Miss Snark's First Victim blog. Over the next few weeks, she's running a second Are You Hooked? competition - and the rules are easy. When submissions open (circa July 14), email in your first 250 words of any story. Once the entry period is over, each entry will be posted in a separate post, and readers of the blog will comment on each post. As an added bonus, Authoress has managed to snag a real-life, honest-to-goodness agent who will also read and critique each opening.
Entry is free, you don't have to have a complete manuscript to enter, and all that's asked is that you give feedback on everyone else's beginnings if you get feedback on yours. What have you got to lose?
If you're feeling like you need a bit of a warm up, this thread over on Critique Circle is for posting entries to for preliminary help with polishing and feedbacky-ness. And our very own Liana Brooks is hosting a first paragraph 'competition' on her blog as we speak as a warm up for your first 250 words :)
Free feedback, from an agent no less. You can't pass that up every day ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
