Not only is it Friday, but it's the Last Friday Of January. As in, the worst possible winter month will be history in less than forty-eight hours.
How about a few huzzahs? Unless, of course, you're one of those odd Minnesota-types who thinks a 30 degree day is balmy. (I'm not making this up. I didn't even hear it from Garrison Keeler. It's, like, true.)
It's okay. I love my Minnesota readers, too. I'm just diametrically opposed to your climate.
Come, sweet Spring!
So. You're dying to know what I'm going to say next. Here it is: Next week I'll be posting early information for our February Secret Agent contest. And as usual, I'm mega excited!
Remember, if you're one of this month's winners, you mustn't enter in February. Also, unless you've done major revisions (I'm not talking commas and periods), I don't want to see your manuscript page from last month, either.
Which makes me think that, despite the wonderful critting opportunity it afforded many of you, we probably ought to refrain from doing revision crits after SA contests from now on. Because you're basically getting crits from the same audience, and it'll end up being redundant. Yanno? And I want everyone who does major revisions to have an opportunity to receive critique during a contest, if at all possible.
Remember, we're building the Premium Slush Pile here. (Maybe I should get that trademarked...) Several of our winners are getting Good Responses after sending off their winning material. And one of these days, I'm going to get an email from someone with a Good Response that says, "I have an agent! And it's all because of the Secret Agent Contest!!"
Oh, yes. I'll be breaking open a bottle of Amon-Ra Shiraz that day. (If I can afford it.)
Share your thoughts -- only here's today's challenge: Share them in the worst purple prose you can come up with. Get it out of your system so that it doesn't show up in your manuscript.
See you Monday!
Miss Snark's First Victim
I HATE cold weather, too, Authoress. I'm begging for spring to get here, but it probably won't come until May. It's all a big tease out here.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the new contest! I'll enter this time for sure.
I look forward to a new contest...although I won't be entering (having just entered one).
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion: Many times while reading, I wished that I knew more of a synopsis. Several of my crit comments were that the readers didn't think that the first page showed much magic in a MG fantasy (which is true--the magic doesn't hit until the end of the first chapter, a la, the way Harry Potter discovers magic at the end of the first chapter). I would much rather have the chance to read the "pitch paragraph" of the query and the first half of a page--then you get the sense of the story through the pitch and the sense of the style of writing in the first half.
The frigid weather and the icy streets ARE getting boring.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the new SA contest even though I can no longer participate. Sob. But I really did appreciate everyone's comments. Now I look forward to doing the same for everyone else's during the next round.
Oh, and agree with Beth's comments. I received a number of "where's the fantasy?" (which doesn't start on page one) and "there's no plot". When the critters read the entry again this week with my blurb attached, the new comments were much more specific and helpful. A few lightbulbs went of as well. For a lot of entries it isn't a big deal, though. Of course there should be a restriction on length allowed for the blurb. But what do I care...I'm can't participate, so it's no longer an issue for me.
Have a great weekend, Authoress.
I'm relatively new here, so I'm not aware of the types of contests you generally run. I'm hoping they're mostly MG and YA, since that's the genre I write in. (And I always like it when everything is about me.)
ReplyDeleteI partially agree with beth about the location of the "magic" in MG fantasy. I'm thinking that 250 words isn't really enough to get the ball rolling, so to speak, and allow any magic to bubble up. I also realize that if you get more than 250 words it becomes a burden for the critters to read that much copy. I'm rambling here simply because I don't have a good suggestion on a better way to do it. Perhaps Beth's idea is a good one. It would provide the basis for the story and give us all a little more practice with query letters and synopsis(es)? Synopsi?
Summarily, I sincerely appreciate the work you do and the opportunity you are providing for us to share our work and get feedback from readers. It's most valuable.
Michael
By the way, I forgot to mention...
ReplyDeleteI did some editing last night, and I've got about five pounds of adverbs I don't need any more. If anyone is interested, just pay for shipping and they're yours.
Yeah, that makes perfect sense that it's for the most part the same people reading them. So I respect that completely.
ReplyDeleteAnd I honestly hadn't thought of that before, Sarah. I do appreciate all the time and effort you put into the revision crits, and I know the participants feel the same way. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Authoress, for hosting the SA contests! They're awesome, and for that--you rock.
ReplyDeleteAuthoress,
ReplyDeleteHere the sky holds such a deceiving shade of bright blue that chills your lungs on the way in and out. I feel thy pain--literally.
I'm so STOKA (that's my verification word, tee hee) that I don't get to enter next month! Thanks for all you do! :)
*snickers and waves from Minnesota and 0F temps*
ReplyDeleteGranted, I'm one of the Minnesotans who hates the cold ;) but yes, right now 30 WOULD be balmy!
I'm so ready for Jan to be done. And winter in general. Bring on the 60 degree days, whoo!
Am excited about the next SA contest, too. Might actually participate more this time, since Jan just sucks in general. :P
Worse purple prose? Ugh, no, sorry... I'm already in a hateful mood towards my writing ;) so I'm not sure even as a therapeutic exercise like that is a good idea now. :P
Thanks Authoress for the fun blog! I am excited for the next contest :)
ReplyDeleteYeah! We actually had spring like conditions where I live in Canada (way north west of Minnesota).
ReplyDeleteThere's been a lot of talk about including queries with the 250 words, but now I don't think it's really a good idea. Just read the query shark to figure out why. Critters might spend more time critiquing the queries and not read as many entries that they might have done otherwise.
I think critters need to have faith that when an entry is marked fantasy, that it really is fantasy. Magic, Elves, and whatever don't have to exist on the first page.
Well that's my Canadian 2 cents (which is currently worth a whole lot less than American 2 cents!).
Will there be just a regular Are you hooked before the SA? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteTemps in the 50's here. Almost a heat wave!
Yeah, I don't think for the contest we should do queries. Just stick to them as they are. The feedback is priceless regardless.
ReplyDeleteI really need to get another novel ready. So I can enter again. :)
Heat wave here too. It's in the thirties here and in some states, in the fourties.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the next SA contest. With all the great critiques you've all given, I totally re wrote my first chapter. It dosen't even look like the same story, but it is. And the feedback so far has been possitive. Thanks every one that critiqued my first chapter and re write.
Thanks, Authoress, this is a very exciting place to be. And thanks, Sarah too. That was great what you did.
Any time. I enjoyed the company. :)
ReplyDeleteI was going to compose a lavishly poignant comment in my most overwhelmingly passionately driven purple style, but the golden orb of illumination will soon grace the slumbering planet with its tendrils of light, bringing the next day skittering into our lives, and with it, responsibilities that are borne with dedication and determination. Therefore, it is the anticipation of the death of night that prevents me from gracing you with my comment bordering on a shade somewhere between the passion of violet and the drama of indigo.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, it's late and I need sleep, so I don't have time to craft a purple sentence. *wink*
Mary! It takes a strong writer to create such excellent purple prose on purpose. Well done! :D
ReplyDeleteOooo, I think here in DC February may be the coldest month (and so far it has been).
ReplyDeleteyay!
ReplyDelete