Friday Fricassee

Happy How-can-it-be-the-last-Friday-of-June-already!

So this First Sentence round was a BIG HIT!  A total of 129 of you stepped up to the critiquing plate, leaving thoughtful, honest comments for our 50 entrants.

HOORAY, EVERYONE!

Meanwhile, a bunch of the Success Story authors, in our private Facebook group, offered up critique for each other's first sentences--because the bot didn't pick theirs (or they forgot to enter).  And, yes, I entered, too, and the bot didn't pick mine, either.  (Silly bot.  Doesn't it know that it's supposed to show favoritism?)  So thank you, Leah Petersen, for initiating the mini-critique for the rejects!

I hope that turning off the word verification made it easier for you.  Seriously, I was inundated with spam the minute I turned it off; Blogger caught a lot of it, but some still filtered through to the blog.  So ridiculous!  I've turned the word verification back on again, but I'm going to try to remember to turn it off whenever we've got critique going on the blog.  I really do want to make things easier, so that you won't feel frustrated when you try to leave comments.

We can't have community without comments!

So, to answer the question that's tingling inside your mouth:  YES.  We are going to do this again.  Soon.

BUT FIRST:

We are going to do a FUN CONTEST WITH EDITORS AND BABY PICTURES AND PRIZES.  With first sentences.

I will give you ALL THE DETAILS next week.

Of course, we've got a Secret Agent content coming up, too--submission info will post on Monday.

(How am I doing on the get-the-information-out thing?  Any better? I'm really trying!)

And, finally, since I like to let you know where I'm at personally--I'm in a great place, and am continuing forward.  It feels SO GOOD to actually be excited about my writing again.  I kind of worried myself for a while there.  I think I might've worried my agent a little, too.

One thing that Josh is really good at is pushing through tough places with enthusiasm and chutzpah.  Agents have their share of frustrations, too--rejections that they then have to pass along to the authors, editors who disappear into bottomless holes of silence, and everything in between.  But Josh has an uncanny ability to formulate a game plan and articulate it in such a way that All Things Seem Possible. I'm not the bleeding-heart needy type, but if I were, I'm absolutely certain that he wouldn't allow me to lie there in a quivering puddle of artistic jello.  As it is, he knows when I'm discouraged, and he won't let me stay there.

Email is not his forte (much to my introverted chagrin), but hand the guy a phone and he's magic.  And that's how he is in person, too.

Well.  Didn't mean for this to turn into a sing-the-praises-of-Josh.  But his enthusiasm has helped to stoke the fire that had already been reignited by my two-week (stay)cation.  So he deserves a little shout-out today.

On that note, I'm off!  I've cleared my afternoon for NOTHING BUT WRITING, so I'm awfully happy right now.  Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you on Monday!