oliver yeh

Speed Date 2: Deidre Knight & Pamela Harty Search for the Next TKA Superstar

Take a shot: The Knight Agency is holding a contest to look for their next client. (Last year they ended up signing two.)

THE QUICKIE SUMMARY: Visit the “OFFICIAL SPEED DATE 2 POST” on Monday, March 7th and leave your name in the comment section from 12pm ET to 1pm ET. We will assign everyone a number who left a comment during the specified entry period and draw 125 contestants using Random.org. The 125 intial entrants will be announced on the blog by the end of the business day and asked to email the first three pages of their manuscript to Contests@KnightAgency.net. Deidre and Pamela will then join forces to whittle the 125 contestants down to 3 finalists over the following days.

At the end of the contest, we will also award a first chapter critique to one of the initial 125 entrants via random drawing who was not selected as a finalist.

So you know:

• Round 1 (initial entry, March 7th): You will need to submit the first three pages the next day if drawn.
• Round 2 (March 10th, if chosen): first 10 pages
• Round 3 (March 14th, if chosen): first three chapters
• Round 4 (March 17th, if chosen): full manuscript

3-Day Novel Contest: Labor Day Weekend

No, not 30-day like NaNoWriMo.

3.

For more than 30 years, hundreds of writers step up to the challenge each Labour Day weekend, fuelled by nothing but adrenaline and the desire for spontaneous literary nirvana. It’s a thrill, a grind, a 72-hour kick in the pants and an awesome creative experience. How many crazed plotlines, coffee-stained pages, pangs of doubt and moments of genius will next year’s contest bring forth? And what will you think up under pressure?

Read the survival guide. I’m not entering but I can easily imagine the greasiness of a showerless three-day hair-pulling write-cram.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winners

Patricia McArdle in General Fiction for Farishta, Amy Ackley in Young Adult Fiction for Sign Language.

One-Sentence Summary Critiques & Tips

Read to learn.

WINNERS: The One-Sentence Summary Contest

Hmm.  I’m in no real position to critique since I didn’t enter the contest, but I’m not sure I’m blown away by the winners.  I would really like to know what Rachelle thought to herself while sifting through nearly 500 entries.

The ROCK PAPER TIGER Chase/Action Writing Contest Extravaganza!!

500-word suspense/action sequence.

The GRAND PRIZE TRPTC/AWCE WINNER will receive:

• Their choice of a query critique, partial critique, or 10 minute phone conversation/consultation/dish session
• The pride of knowing you suspensed the heck out of me and your fellow readers.

Runners up will receive a query critique or other agreed-up on prize.

Contest ends  4:00 PM Pacific Time on Thursday, June 3rd.

First Lines: A contest!

How good is the first line of your book?

Think it’s that good?  Well let’s put it to the test.

Dystel & Goderich Literary is holding a contest:

Post the first line of your manuscript in the comments below by the end of the day on Thursday, 4/22. I’ll narrow it down to a select group of finalists, and then we’ll have a poll for you to judge who had the best, most intriguing first line.

The winner gets to have their full manuscript considered by yours truly. You don’t even have to query!

Go on…