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Brawl ‘n Haul Contest: Mock Me Monday
Today is the day! The Brawl begins. If you haven’t heard, The FABULOUS Vicki at Rambles and Randomness and I are hosting the Brawl ‘n Haul contest this week. We brawl and you haul away the loot!
Vicki and I will duke it out Monday through Thursday in some wacky contests, and you guys decide who wins. That’s right, you!
Each day, one lucky commenter on the winning blog will win a prize, and at the end of the week, we have not one, but TWO Grand Prizes to award. And every comment this week (on both blogs) is worth one entry, so comment away!
Grand Prize # 1:
A ten-page critique from the fabulous Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown! (Note: Your ten pages must be for a YA or Adult work)
Grand Prize #2:
An exciting themed gift basket including a $40 gift certificate to Amazon!
Every good contest needs some rules, so here are ours:
Rules:
- You must be a follower of both blogs
- When you comment, let us know if you prefer Grand Prize #1 – 10-page critique by Sarah LaPolla (Note: your ten pages must be for a YA or Adult work) or Grand Prize #2 – A Prize-filled Gift Basket
- You can earn 5 bonus entries for the grand prize by spreading the word in any way shape or form (twitter, blogs, facebook, sidebar, etc.)
- This is open internationally! Woo hoo!
- Contest Closes Saturday 2 April at midnight EST. All winners will be announced Monday, 4 April
Okay, as Jillian Michaels would say, “Enough talking! Let’s do this thing!”
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So Vicki totally has the advantage on Mock Me Monday, since she’s been doing this weekly for a year now. To make sure my moment was mock-worthy enough, I tested a few on my husband, and this one finally got a belly laugh. I’m feeling confident!
(Note: No husbands were harmed in the testing of these mock-me moments.)
When I was 12ish, my family had just gotten back from Church and we were all foraging in the kitchen. I had grabbed a glass of milk (yeah, you see where this is going) to go with my toast.
Just as I took a long drink, my brother made some absurd comment. I knew I was in trouble.
The smart thing to do would have been to spit the milk back into my glass. But ewww! That would ruin the rest of the milk, and how wasteful is that?
And I didn’t want to just spit because I knew my mom would be M-A-D.
So what did I do?
Wait for it . . .
I looked up.
Yep. Krakatoa II.
Milk exploded upward and came pouring down. All. Over. Me.
On the bright side, I didn’t get in trouble because the whole family was too busy rolling on the ground, laughing. And yeah, that would be AT me, not with.
Now, be sure and go read Vicki’s Mock-me moment, vote there, then come back and vote here, because a winner will be chosen from the comments on only the winning blog!
Speak up:
34 comments| TAGS:
Brawl 'n Haul, Contest, Milk, Mock-me Monday, Rambles and RandomnessThis vs. That: Paris vs. Rome Results
Oh my goodness, the voting on this was close! Paris was ahead by a landslide and then Rome crawled it’s way back for a respectable finish. And amazingly enough, while many of you professed indecision, everyone was able to pick a side. Kudos to all of you for getting past the indecision! Here are the results:
Total votes: 18
Paris: 10 votes; 56%
Rome: 8 votes; 44%
Both: 0 votes; 0%
So, hard vote. I was leaning toward Paris because I know and LOVE Paris. Ah, my mouth waters just thinking about the crepes there . . . or the paninis. Yummmm . . . . But then I read Beth’s post yesterday on Of Muses and Meringues. She has the touch people. Her pictures alone got me, but then she started talking about the legends. Gah! I never can resist a good legend. My vote went to Rome.
Though I may be on the losing side in the vote, I’m totally on the winning side because I leave for Paris in less than two weeks. TWO WEEKS!!! It won’t be Rome. But that’s okay, because it’s PARIS!
So on to the next vote. And THIS is an important one:
***And don’t forget! The Brawl ‘n Haul Contest starts this Monday (March 28). Vicki and I will duke it out with daily blogging competitions and you vote for the winners. Be sure to stop back in because you don’t want to miss it. Daily prizes! Easy entry! Plus the chance to win a 10-page critique from Sarah LaPolla, Agent Fabulous.***
UPDATE: Vicki has the details and schedule up on her blog. Click here to check it out!
Speak up:
18 comments| TAGS:
Black Ink, Blue Ink, Brawl 'n Haul, Of Muses and Meringues, Paris, Rome, This vs. ThatWin a Ten-Page Critique with Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown!
Newsflash!
For all of you writers of YA and Adult fiction, Vicki and I will be giving away a 10-page critique by the fabulous Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown as part of our upcoming Brawl ‘n Haul Contest from March 28 to April 1. And there are plenty of other great prizes for those who aren’t into writing. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!
If you aren’t yet, be sure you’re following both my blog and Vicki’s. And though she’s on a blogging break until April 6, go check out Sarah’s blog where she publishes novel excerpts, short stories, flash fiction, memoirs, and personal essays.
(And if you want to enter but don’t have a way to follow, contact me via my handy-dandy “Contact Me” tab. Vicki and I are low stress.)
T-minus 5 days and counting until the fun begins!
Speak up:
13 comments| TAGS:
Contest, critiques, Sarah LaPollaShow Me the Voice Blogfest
The Show Me the Voice Blogfest is hosted by Brenda Drake over at Brenda Drake Writes . . . under the influence of coffee.
The idea is to polish up our first 250 words before entering them in her contest. The prizes include critiques from Natalie Fischer of the Bradford Literary Agency. Totally awesome! You don’t have to participate in the blogfest to enter, so go check out Brenda’s blog for the details! And be sure to check out the other entries. You can find the list here.
So here are the first 250 words of The Peanut Butter and Jelly Friendship, a middle grade contemporary novel. I’d love to hear your comments!
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After listening at the door for several seconds, she slipped out of the closet and replaced the phone. In seconds, she extracted the pre-packed bag from under her bed then ran down the stairs.
Speak up:
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Brenda Drake, Natalie Fischer, Show Me the Voice BlogfestPitch Contest at YAtopia!
I wanted to pass on the info! Here’s what they posted at YAtopia:
Super agent Ammi-Joan Paquette has so kindly offered to host a pitch contest on YAtopia. And seeing as she’s currently closed to submissions, this is an opportunity you simply CANNOT miss out on.
It’s really quite simple what you have to do. Ready?
1) Be a follower of the blog. Nice and easy.
2) Blog about this contest and include a link with your entry. If you don’t have a blog, you may tweet or make a facebook status.
3) Create a TWO SENTENCE pitch. And not a massively long run-on sentence either. Two concise sentences that will hook Joan to your book and have her desperate to read more.
4) Include the opening line of your manuscript.
5) Manuscripts that you submit should be completed. I leave it up to you whether you decide to submit a half finished manuscript. You’ll have to deal with it SHOULD Joan request you send her the full.
6) This contest will be capped at either 150 entries OR will end midnight on the 24th March.
7) Winners to be announced (along with prizes) on 31st March.
8) Only childrens and young adult categories will be accepted.
Again, if you’re at that point, click here to head on over to their site and check it out! Best of luck!
Speak up:
2 comments| TAGS:
Ammi-Joan Paquette, pitch contest, YAtopiaJillian Michaels’ Writing Boot Camp
Trying to reach those health resolutions I set back in January, I’ve been exercising a lot. My friend recommended Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred workout video, and let me tell you, it is killer.
Still, it seems to be working, so I’ve started imagining Ms. Michael’s as my personal trainer to help me reach my writing goals. Here’s what I’m hearing:
- “Come on people! If you want to write for only 20 minutes a day, then you’ve got to WORK! It can replace hours at the computer, but you can’t stop. You have to TYPE! You can’t stop typing!”
- “I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me. But when you’re done and you see the results . . . it’s worth it people!”
- “Okay, this is our last speed-writing circuit. When it’s through, I want to see your hand CRAMPING!”
- “When it hurts the most, that’s when you’re accomplishing the most! Keep writing! Come on, just give me five more words . . .”
- “You’re probably thinking I’m a crazy person, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been called that, but I get results! And when you see what you can write, and you see what you can accomplish, it will influence every other part of your life!”
I’m inspired, people! I hope you are too. 🙂
*Note: These are not real quotes but rather parodies stemming from a half-crazed mind in the throes of one of her killer workouts.
**And a heads up for a week of fun and silliness starting March. 28th. Vicki over at Rambles and Randomness and I are planning daily prizes, easy entries and lots of fun to celebrate our 1 year mark together. And we just added an AWESOME prize. Details coming soon!
Speak up:
16 comments| TAGS:
Contest, Jillian Michaels, Rambles and Randomness, writingWe interrupt this regularly scheduled day off . . .
I know I don’t usually post on Tuesdays (minus that week I thought is was 2012), but I wanted to let you know that I’m over at Chris Phillips’ blog today doing a guest post for his “Music To Make Write To” feature.
If you haven’t seen it, he invites different bloggers to share the music that inspires them in their writing. You should definitely check it out (and not just because I’m the featured blogger today). 😉
**And a heads up for a week of fun and silliness starting March. 28th. Vicki over at Rambles and Randomness and I are planning daily prizes, easy entries and lots of fun to celebrate our 1 year mark together. Hard to believe we’ve been at it this long!
Speak up:
9 comments| TAGS:
Chris Phillips, Contest, Music to Make Write To, Rambles and RandomnessWhat is Your Platform?
A little over a year ago I discovered the writing blogosphere. I was amazed at the wealth of information and at the giving nature of all these folks. For months I simply visited blogs, until I decided I was ready to jump in with two feet and start a blog of my own.
Deciding was the easy part. But when I sat down to plan it out, I realized I had no idea what to blog about. I was in awe with these bloggers who made it look so easy. Topic upon topic related to writing; funny vignettes from their lives; serious ponderings about their frustrations. Blogs where you could get your work critiqued. Blogs that offered marketing advice. Blogs that gave information about agents. Blogs that interviewed agents. Blogs that gave grammar instructions. Blogs that focused on Asian settings.
It seemed everyone in the blogosphere knew their place and their platform, and how could I enter that? What could I possibly add? It was definitely intimidating. But I had decided to try, so there we were.
I looked at my background to find my strengths, but I decided that few people had need of French translation services (though if you ever do, feel free to ask away!); and having done the English professor stint, I initially dabbled in the mockery of grammar, but I got tired of it.
I’m sure you’re waiting for a point right about now, but the thing is, I’ve been doing this writing blog for almost a year now, and I still am not sure I’ve found my platform. I still wonder what I should blog about more often than not (because you can only do so many posts on license plates).
So this is what I wanted to ask: Do you have a platform for your blog? Do you know what you are trying to convey to your readers? How did you get there? And what keeps you coming back to a blog?
Maybe one of these years I’ll figure it out!
**As I’m nearing my year mark, another blogger and I have a week of fun and silliness planned from Mar. 28 to April 1. Lots of prizes, easy entries, and a big grand prize you won’t want to miss!
Speak up:
23 comments| TAGS:
blogging, Contest, platform, writing blogosphereForming Critique Groups
Since I first joined a critique group over 6 years ago, my writing has improved immensely! For anyone who’s serious about writing, I highly recommend finding one. Not always so easy, though.
Last week I got into an e-mail discussion with Colene Murphy about how our critique groups work and how we met them (and if you don’t already know her, you should totally click the link and become acquainted . . . she’s a lot of fun!). With her permission, I’m going to share some of our discussion.
How We Met Our Groups
Colene met her group through blogging. She said, “We all connected right around the same time when we started up, we all got close quickly, then we figured out we all wrote YA fantasy. Just clicked!”
I met my current group through the SCBWI Yahoo group for my area. I sent out an e-mail saying I was new to the area and wondered if there were any groups who met near me. One contacted me, inviting me to meet with them and the rest is history.
How We Critique
Because they don’t live near each other, Colene meets with her group on Skype once a week, and they take turns submitting 50 pages at a time. She said, “We usually spend about 2 hours on the 50 pages. We go through a chapter at a time and bring up things we think really need to be discussed and ask questions where we need an answer on something. Grammar and little things we don’t mention just because it would take so long.”
In my group, everyone can submit up to 10 pages every Sunday. We have a week to return our comments via e-mail (we use the “Track Changes” feature of Word). Once a month we meet in person, where we can discuss not only that week’s submission, but any other larger concerns we may have. We comment on things from grammar to pacing to plot. Whatever strikes us as we read.
What I Learned
1. If you are ready to find critique partners, there are a lot of ways to do so.
- Look for other bloggers who write in a similar genre and contact them.
- Join a national or local writing organization such as SCBWI, RWA, HWKT (shout out to my friends in Kansas City!). They usually will have methods in place to hook you up with other writers in your area.
- Join some writer’s forums such as AbsoluteWrite, QueryTracker, or Verla Kay’s. QueryTracker, for example has a forum titled “Critique Group Central” where you can seek out others. On this same vein, I was recently contacted by someone who had seen my query that I posted. Their book was similar, so they e-mailed me and asked if I would be willing to exchange work. I was totally up for it.
Point is, there are a lot of ways to meet potential critique partners. It may not always work out, but you never know if you don’t try.
2. Make sure you find a critique method that works for you.
- Know how much critiquing you are willing to do. Exchanging 50 pages every week might be too much for you. Only ten pages might not be enough. I actually belong to a critique group via e-mail that only exchanges a chapter a month. For some that is enough. For others it’s not.
- Know what kind of critiquing you want. Are you interested in line-edits? Or would you prefer overall comments of what’s not working in the plot? Do you want to receive chapters before you meet? Or would it help you more to read your work out loud once you get there?
- Know how you prefer to receive comments. Do you do best in person? Or would you prefer the impersonal nature of e-mail exchanges?
In short, know what you want to gain from your critique partners, and know what you’re willing to give to them. And if you find that a particular group isn’t working for you, you always have the option of gracefully backing out and seeking a new one.
If you are in a group, I’d love to hear how you connected with them and how your group works. So many ways to do it!
If you are looking for a group, or even a single critique partner, please feel free to give a shout-out in the comments. Be sure to mention what genre you write and perhaps the best way to contact you for those who may be interested. Who knows? Perhaps you may find that perfect CP!
Or if you prefer more anonymity, contact me (via my handy-dandy “Contact Me” tab), and I’ll do what I can to connect those with common interests. 🙂
Speak up:
14 comments| TAGS:
Colene Murphy, Critique groupsPeople Watching (via license plates?)
I’ve got cars on my mind this month. Everywhere I go, I see clever personalized plates, and I have to share a few. It’s fascinating to see what people want to share about themselves to strangers.
MEEOW4 (Think this person has a thing for cats?)
HUGGGS (Lenny, I thought of you)
AWSUM1 (Loads of self-confidence here)
2SLFSH (Proud of their flaws? But hey, at least they’re self-aware!)
PAIRDOX (I could read this two ways . . . They own two doxen’s, OR they are a clever English major and it means ‘paradox.’ What do you think?)
MS ROBO (Is this kind of like the Stepford Wives?)
STYXCHK (A girl who likes the band Styx)
SHAMROQ (I’m betting this person is originally from Ireland)
RED BUG (I thought about doing the guess the car with this, but yeah)
However, here’s a license plate where I’d love to hear your guesses. It totally made me giggle. 😀 So give me the make, model and color, and the person with the most correct information wins their favorite candy bar:
(I’ll give you a hint. Google a picture of Z06 if you don’t know what one is.) And if you haven’t voted on the latest This vs. That poll, I’d love it if you did! 😉