Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Critique contest!

I'm writing this on Monday, from my West Coast home, while the East Coast hunkers down waiting for Hurricane Sandy. Hang in there and stay safe, guys. I'm sending lots of good thoughts your way.

A couple of weeks ago, I promised to do a critique contest when the comments on this post hit 25-- which I'm delighted to say they have. Thanks for spreading the word, and for leaving a comment, too!

So here's the deal on the contest:

What's the prize?  I will critique the first two pages of your manuscript (maximum of 750 words), here on the blog. All genres welcome, though you might have a look at my submission guidelines to see what I'd say are my areas of expertise. In other words, I'll happily critique your military thriller, but I'm not as well-versed in how it fits into its genre.

How do I enter? Leave a comment on this post. You've got till Friday, November 9 to enter. I'll use a random number generator to pick the winner. One entry per person, please!

What's the catch? If you enter and are chosen as the winner, you agree to let me post your pages here on the blog; this is a public critique. You needn't use your real name if you'd prefer to stay anonymous, but if you'd like me to I will include a link to your website as part of the post.

Who's eligible to enter? Everybody except my clients and the clients of my SJGA colleagues. Sorry, guys. I think this will be most useful to those writers who are as-yet unpublished, but I'm not going to make that decision for you.

What's the deadline again? Friday, November 9-- the contest is open till I close comments on this post. I'm giving you a bunch of time because I'm guessing many people are a little distracted by the hurricane/the election/the impending NaNoWriMo start date.

Spread the word, and don't forget to leave a comment to enter. Good luck!

23 comments:

Kaye Draper said...

Yay! Thanks for doing this!

PS: how happy are you that you've moved? Yikes.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic opportunity! Here's to hoping my number comes up :).

Thanks again,

Christi Corbett

Kara said...

I'll share this for you! Looking forward to reading and critiquing :)

Anonymous said...

I'm a glutton for punishment. Count me in. :-)

Mindy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melinda said...

Great opportunity! Thanks.

Amber Lemus said...

Awesome! Thanks so much! Count me in!
Amber Schamel
Larkspur, CO

Anonymous said...

yes, please!

Donna B. McNicol said...

What a wonderful idea! Thank you for the opportunity.

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

Thanks to Kara for giving me a head's up on this, and thanks for the opportunity!

G.M. said...

Thanks for the contest, and although only one of us can win we can all learn from the critique and apply it to our first page.

Chelsie said...

Oooh, I hope I win! Thanks for doing another contest, these are always fun.

slingsomeink said...

cool opportunity--thanks. finishing a massive rewrite and would value your opinion.

Cathi O'Tyson said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity. Keeping my fingers crossed that the random number generator will pick me!

Unknown said...

I'm game! Thank you for offering the critique opportunity.

Jo Ann Mathews said...

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Rachel Bates said...

What a great opportunity - thank you!

Judy Teel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judy Teel said...

Sigh...I obviously need more coffee. Let's try this again.


Sounds like fun! Thank you for doing this, Courtney!

Amy said...

Hi, I'd like a chance to have you look at my first three pages... I looked at them the other day when I was delving into NaNo, and I'm quite happy with them... :)

Pauline said...

Contests! The ultimate motivator. And now that my power and general quality of life has been restored, I can actually enter. Woot.

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

I'm simultaneously terrified and excited at the possibility. Thanks!

Tone said...

I'm in. Sign me up for the contest.