Happy New Year!
I hope today hasn't slammed you in the face. Other than dropping a missed Christmas ball this morning (six million microscopic shards of glass), I think I'm off to a good start.
As such, I want to jumpstart the blog by letting you know what's coming up this week and this month. Because we really are jumping right back in!
THIS WEEK: The continuation of my agent journey, featuring special guest Josh Getzler, who wants you to hear things from his perspective as well as mine. (Who, me? Feeling vulnerable?) It'll be more than one installment, so stick with us!
THIS MONTH: We're back to our Secret Agent schedule! Look for the announcement and guidelines for this month's contest a week from today (Monday the 10th).
Also? We tried some fun-and-new things in 2010, and I want to know what you'd like to see reprised. To jog your memory: 25-words, 50-words, first kisses, loglines. And anything I might be forgetting. Tell me what you loved, what you hated, and what you didn't see but would like to. I can't promise you the moon, but I do intend to maintain a standard of blogness that makes the majority of you happy.
Okay, everyone. Let's claim the year!
Any of the services you offer are always great! Even when I don't enter things like the Secret Agent contest or log-lines-- I love reading them, it makes the day go by faster!
ReplyDeleteCheers to you!
I liked submitting an excerpt that fit a particular theme. I participated in the first kiss experiment back in May, and an agent saw my entry and invited me to query her when I finished the project. That query turned into a partial request, which turned into a full request, which turned into a revise-and-resubmit (that I'm almost finished with). So, yeah, I liked how that turned out:)
ReplyDeleteWhat I would love to see is a Secret Agent (or some other) contest that would involve a first page AND a query. I know you're kind of averse to critiquing queries, Authoress, because you think they turn into these mutations that in no way represent the writer's voice or manuscript, but seeing an agent's opinion on lots of queries at a time might be helpful. Also, it might represent the manuscript a little more accurately than just the first page alone.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year and I look forward to reading more about your success!
ReplyDeleteI would like to see another 50-word contest. I think 25 is too short to really judge a submission, although a 25 word crit session would help to show the problems with the opening line. Also, another logline contest would be great, with the accompanying 250 word opening excerpt. Plus, the query contest was really great -- oh, heck. All the contests are well-worth it, whether entering or reading as an observer!
Happy New Year and Congrats. Sorry, was on a blogging/writing break for a few weeks. I'm back and look what happened - you got an agent!! Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly new to your blog, so I'm happy to see any of the excerpt exercises you do.
ReplyDeleteHi Scott! I really did miss seeing you around during all my happy announcements. :)
ReplyDeleteJosin -- I have to tell you that when I first saw your comment I thought your name said "Josin L. McQuery." LOL
:-D
ReplyDeleteI always like the 50 word excerpts and also the loglines were a lot of fun. :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the next installments of your agent journey!
Gosh, I'm excited for your blog this year! I'm one of your newbies and I'll try everything! Also, I wish my name was McQuery.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was all fun to read and learn from. I particularly liked the loglines. It helped to see so many at once.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week,
Shannon
Well, you know I LOVED the first kisses...**smooch**
ReplyDeleteAgain, congrats on your landing an awesome agent! My 2 favorite things on this site this year was the first kiss critique and the crit for agented authors.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! I'd love to see something with queries. Can't wait to read the rest of your agent journey.
ReplyDeleteThe agent auction was great, and I always enjoy the Secret Agent contests. The logline critiques were useful as well. Some feedback on queries would also be welcome too :-)
ReplyDeleteI like all the things you offer, but I have to admit the agent auction was the best thing ever!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more of the 1,000 word postings because they give a better sense of a person's writing style and plot line.
But mostly, I'd like to see you get a big, fat book deal! Have a great and ultra-successful 2011!
This year I'm getting a book completely ready for agents. I've been close before, but not quite. I really wanted to enter the Agent Auction this year but wasn't really ready. I will be this year!
ReplyDeleteI'm jumping back into my writing this week. I got really sick over New Years and wasn't able to get started sooner, but should be able to soon.
All you offer is great. Even the 25 words really helped me last year. Because of the feedback from just those words, I stuck the beginning scene in the middle of chap 1 and started the book in a completely different way.
ReplyDeleteHere's to you announcing your book deal this year.
Oh, and I think guessing your name would be a fun contest. I read a comment in a blog, and my first thought was, Hey, that's Authoress. Don't know why I thought that;I just did.
Thanks for making 2010 a real smash! Looking forward to hearing the rest of the agent story and making 2011 shine also!
ReplyDeleteI love all the different forms of critiques - it's been invaluable to me. Whether reading other entries and comments or submitting my own work for feedback, it's all helpful. The Secret Agent contests rock, of course. The creative ones like "first kiss" are a lot of fun. I also love your personal comments about your writing experiences; you know, the feeling of camaraderie.
ReplyDeleteThanks!