Monday, June 24, 2013

A "First Sentence" Round

We haven't done this in ages, so let's kick off my return from hiding-from-the-publishing-industry with something lighthearted and fun!

Submissions will open tomorrow for a FIRST SENTENCE ROUND.  It is exactly what it sounds like: send the first sentence of your novel.  A first sentence has the power to draw us toward the second sentence.  And the third.  And the rest of the book.

Right?

It's not a magic bullet; it's not make-or-break.  But there is something to be said for a well crafted first sentence.

Here are the guidelines:

  • Submissions will open at noon EDT (NYC) tomorrow, and will close at 7 pm EDT.
  • Enter HERE.
  • Your entry must include your TITLE, GENRE, and the FIRST SENTENCE of your novel.
  • This will be a LOTTERY.  The bot will choose 50 entries and 2 alternates after the submission window closes.  Winners will be notified by email.  (Please make sure you have authoress.submissions(at)gmail.com in your address book.)
  • All genres except erotica and erotic romance are welcomed.
  • Your novel does not have to be finished in order to enter this critique round.
  • CRITIQUE will consist of a YES (with a brief reason) or a NO (with a brief reason) as to whether or not the sentence "hooked" you.  Easy-peasy.
  • If you choose to submit via email (really, the online form is easier), send your submission to authoress.submissions(at)gmail.com in the following format:
SCREEN NAME:  Typity-type
TITLE:  Typity-type
GENRE:  Typity-type

And your amazing sentence goes right here.

Oh, and if you think there's a sneaky reason for my choosing to do this right now, YOU ARE RIGHT. The sneaky reason might have something to do with a contest.  And it might have something to do with editors.  And first sentences.  And prizes.

I'll tell you about that another day.

Ask your questions below!  

32 comments:

  1. Sounds light and fun. I'll definitely try and submit!

    Glad to see you've returned from your publishing holiday. Hope you feel recovered.

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  2. Sounds exciting! I look forward to it!

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  3. Very nice of you. This should be interesting.

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  4. Welcome back!

    This is actually quite convenient. I recently changed my first sentence and I could use some input on how well it works.

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  5. Ooh! Exciting!
    I'm in! As long as I remember...

    Hope your time off treated you well!

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  6. Woohoo! Oddly enough, I was thinking this morning how fun it would be to have another first sentence critique.

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  7. I'll be back tomorrow with first sentence in hand..er...type. This sounds like a great idea.

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  8. Are agented and soon-to-be-published authors allowed to enter? Or is this for unagented people only?

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  9. Good question, Elizabeth! EVERYONE can play! Agented, unagented, published, unpublished, etc. It's only 1 sentence, so there aren't any restrictions. :)

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  10. Welcome back. :D

    I wish I could enter! But both my novels start with 1-2 word exclamations. >.< Oh well, I'll come critique instead!

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  11. Yay! We missed you Authoress! Hope you're all refreshed and regenreated. This sounds fun, thanks. :)

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  12. You had me "sneaky." Welcome back!

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  13. Sneaky or not, I know I'm excited (and on vacation, so I'll have to remember to "tune in" again at noon tomorrow!)

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  14. Ooh, this sounds like fun, I love first sentences. May have to enter with my WIP.

    One question - when do the entries go up? Thank you :)

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  15. The entries will go up Thursday morning.

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  16. Should be good fun. I'll try to get in for crits Thursday morning.

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  17. OOh, fun. I've been dark from contests for a while. Excited to have one I can play in. :) Also, hope you enjoyed your time off!

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  18. Welcome back!! What a great way to kick off your return. Hopefully I remember to enter tomorrow.

    Glad you're back! How was the hiatus? I hope it was everything you needed.

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  19. Taking that second week off was the best thing I could've done. It took me the whole first week to wind down. I actually feel like my brain is working again now! :)

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  20. Welcome back! It's nice to take a break and come back energized and feeling better.

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  21. I've been MIA, also. Glad you're back and ready to go. Looking forward to the fun.

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  22. Your revitalized karma must be flowing out to all of us. I was looking at first sentences yesterday, too! I'll definitely be setting my alarm to remind me to take my chance with the bot.

    Pleased to see you are 'sounding' much refreshed.

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  23. Welcome back!!! So glad to hear you're refreshed and invigorated!

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  24. yay! welcome back :)

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