Wednesday 2 November 2011

Announcing the FIRST LINE BLOG CONTEST!!!


(source: writingcareercoach)


Hey WriMos, how are the words coming along?

I hope everyone’s in good spirits. I know I am! So as promised, it’s time for the infamous first blog contest here at WriMos FTW! And because I didn’t want to make any of you work more than you should at this time of literary distress, I designed the ultimate simple contest.

All I need you to do is to leave the first sentence of your NaNo novel here in a comment. Please leave your twitter handle as well. All entries will be judged by 13 esteemed writers/tweeps extraordinaire. Why 13? Because it’s the 13th year of NaNo and because I personally love the number! Below are the details. Happy contesting! :D


Name: most gripping first sentence
1. Start: Nov. 2 at 3.30 pm (EST); *look for today's post
2. Enter your sentence before Nov. 5, 3.30 pm (EST);
3. Judges pick top 10 entries until Nov. 9, 3.30 pm (EST); 
4. Poll goes up on Nov. 9 and closes on Nov. 11 (EST);
5. Announcing winners: Nov. 12, 3.30 pm (EST);

The 3 Prizes are as follows:

1. Rochelle Melander (@WriteNowCoach) is giving the first place winner a print copy of her book Write-A-Thon, which is a great tool for jump-starting your writing career and writing your book for less than 30 days. I'd say it's a perfect fit for NaNo!
2. Roxanne Piskel (@roxisbrilliant) will give a complete critique of the second place winner's NaNo manuscript. In addition Roxanne is giving 20% discount to all entrants. 
3. Alivia Anders (@AliviaAnders) will make a pretty book cover for the third place winner. Woohoo!

In addition, all three winners get this badge to display on their website:

(made by RonnieTaleon @ TDA)


Meet the Judges:

1. Angie Richmond is 30-something writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Animal Health Technology. When she's not writing, reading or working her day job, you can find her tweeting at @write_me_happy or blogging at Write Me Happy.

2. Jennifer Gracen (@jennifergracen): Former copy editor, current SAHM, and writer of contemporary romance/women’s fiction. Twitter addict. Self-proclaimed NaNoWriMo Head Cheerleader. Lives on Long Island, New York with husband & 2 young sons. This is her 3rd year in a row doing NaNo.

3. Cheryl Mackey  lives in Southern California with her hubby and 2 sons. Her favorite genres to write in are Fantasy and Paranormal.  When she is supposed to be working a miserable day job she instead haunts Twitter(@writezalotand plots on Post It Notes. 

4. Julie A Lindsey:  Wifey, Mama, author, blogger,…I am YA obsessed, addicted to social media, caffeine and Poptarts. You can find me anytime lurking around the Internet, amped up on coffee and wielding a book. I blog at Musings from the Slush Pile and Tweet at @JulieALindsey. Say “Hi!”

5. AlisonDeLuca is the author of The Night Watchman Express and Devil’s Kitchen, both steampunk fantasies for young adults.  She was born in Arizona and has also lived in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mexico, Ireland, and Spain.  As a teacher she taught every grade level in every kind of school district possible.

6. Maureen Hovermale: (Maureen dons judges robes, looks around and grabs gavel) What, this isn't that type of judging? Wow, am I embarrassed. Catch me on Twitter. I'm @zencherry. I'm also more appropriately dressed there.

7. My name is Blue Remy and I'm addicted to writing.  I am a GM of a Regal theatre and currently have three books in the works, one of which is the first in a 13 book series called "The 13th Hour". You can find me on twitter as @ValkyriesEdge.

8. Gene Lempp is a science fantasy and science fiction writer with interests in archaeology, history and astronomy. Gene blogs about the uses of history and archeology in discovering story through his Designing from Bones series, reads every craft book he can find and roams worlds where science becomes magic and power evolves from the human spirit. 

9. Nicole Humphrey Cook (@simplywriting) is a Young Adult Author, residing with her husband and their 5 children in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a food blogger in her free time and loves to be in the kitchen. She is addicted to sushi, coffee and chocolate. She is participating in her 8th year of NaNoWriMo.

10. Amber West is a writer who writes. (In true Amber style.)

11. Cara Michaels: A left-handed, right-brained Gemini with stories to tell. Author of Gaea’s Chosen: The Mayday Directive.

12. Lena Corazon writes steampunk and fantasy novels, drinks far too much tea, and has an unhealthy obsession with Byronic heroes.

13. Born in the middle of nowhere PA, Alivia Anders is frequently called different, insane, and a little creative. You can see her chit-chattering on twitter or plotting her evil plan at the NaNoWriMo site.


Meet the Sponsors:


1. Rochelle Melander (@WriteNowCoach) is a certified professional coach and the author of 10 books, including a new book to help fiction and nonfiction writers write fast: Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It). Melander teaches professionals how to get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of social media. Visit her online at Write Now Coach.

2. Roxanne Piskel (@roxisbrilliant) is a single mother to a 5-year-old superhero, living in the biggest little city and blogging all about her journey at Unintentionally Brilliant. Besides being a mother, an administrative assistant, and a blogger, Roxanne is also a freelance editor. Her background in editing includes working on the Sierra Nevada College literary review, editing term papers throughout college, and being nit-picky about her family's Facebook statuses. 

3. Born in the middle of nowhere PA, Alivia Anders is frequently called different, insane, and a little creative. You can see her chit-chattering on twitter or plotting her evil plan at the NaNoWriMo site.


111 comments:

  1. @realmsqe "He follows close behind her to the couch of the abode."

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  2. @joyeilene "The day I was illuminated was a cold, rainy day, and Ricky was sick in bed."

    THE REAL FRIEND (MG Fantasy)

    Good luck, everybody, and thanks to all who make contests like this possible!

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  3. @Pandrawr "Everyone is dead on Christmas morning and the only reason you’ve survived is because God hates you."

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  4. @jennyadams "If everything goes according to their plans, I will be dead in three hundred and seventy days."

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  5. @madwomanwabox "The living are always bitching about how life sucks, how life ain’t easy. "

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  6. @Angela_Goff* "So this was the cannibal train, March thought."

    *(formerly on Twitter as anonymouslegacy)

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  7. @HRHPrincessCat "Margaret stared out her kitchen window and shook her head in dismay."

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  8. Love your opening line. That's a book I'd like to read!

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  9. Fun idea. Looking forward to reading people's openings.

    @surlymuse

    Thin fog settled over the beaten path that travelers called the Ghost Road -- little more than a cart-track that wound through the thick trees of the Eruvanaed, the road seldom saw use by anyone other than refugees, criminals or those driven by desperation.

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  10. “I can't believe I'm going to miss your opening.” Maria's enthusiastic disappointment was a little unbelievable, but Sun smiled, continuing their game of pretend.

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  11. Ooh, this sounds great! I love first lines.

    "The sky was clear, arching above the veldt without end."

    @AuthorizedMusin

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  12. Sounds fun!

    @mommablogsalot

    Fires blazed across the water, creating a rippling gold wave that flickered and glittered, waning occasionally with the flames, then roaring back to life seconds later.

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  13. "I don't really know what she's trying to say – her words are at odds with her tears."

    - @bluemorbo

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  14. The founders of Evergreen could no longer believe their own lie, I was the people’s proof and I was born to the founders dear only child.- @fkmuse

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  15. How fun! Here's mine

    "I have lived a life of deliberate anonymity."

    @TalesYetUntold

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  16. There are some great first sentences so far!

    @9inchsnails

    "They had found Sere Moien's body face-down on the bank of a thin stream cutting north-and-south across the barley fields below Chælor."

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  17. Here goes nothing:

    "Steal a car."

    @bee_muses

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  18. This contest ROCKS! So much fun! (Bellying up to read more) Keep 'em coming! (Passes drinks all around) Tweeting this. ;)

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  19. Love this - these are some great first lines! Here's my contribution:

    "Becca stepped off the bus and began her five-block walk to the cemetery."

    @lcmcdonough

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  20. “Watch this, Tyler!” said this bright, young, energized voice coming from the top of the hill.

    dragonfly_away

    These are fun to read!

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  21. Feeling a bit inadequate, now... but... Here goes:

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  22. @laughtercrystal

    I watched the parade, and then I went home.

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  23. "The air was scented with lavender, chamomile and lavender, the soft scents carried on the thick steam as it billowed around the room." - ShiraWindschitl

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  24. These sentences are awesome! I feel severely lacking.

    "The striking appearance of crimson on ice was almost poetic in a dismal way; dismal because the further the crismson bled into the ice, the closer my beloved Catherine was to her impending death."

    @Alison_writes on twitter

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  25. "There once lived a woman, not young but young enough; not wise nor entirely without sense."

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  26. I am more than a bit embarrassed that mine has a typo in it... and posted all publicly. It should be "lavender, chamomile and vanilla" but apparently my brain just thinks it's lots and lots of lavender.

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  27. @90percentsong

    "Moonlight filtered through the stained glass windows of the throne room; the image of a young man being knighted was illuminated on the stone floor."

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  28. Some great ideas here!

    "The apes scattered across the grassy plain."

    @readroy

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  29. What a fun contest!

    @moonduster

    "Janie woke with a start."

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  30. The first paragraph for anyone curious is over on my novel excerpt at NaNoWriMo. (Ignore the synopsis; I haven't really spent time writing it well yet.)

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  31. Danielle (sweetpea__21)2 November 2011 at 17:41

    Olivia slammed on the brakes at the end of the road, just as three police cruisers raced past her car.

    @sweetpea__21

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  32. @anisajaycott

    Death, fate, and destiny. I’ve always questioned them, but only one seemed appropriate for what now stared at me in the eye. Could I sacrifice a life for another?

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  33. @vmskald

    The letter arrived eight months after the funeral.

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  34. Jasmine Foster waited in the dark, her trembling hands gripped the tablet with all the pirated government information that she had to get back to the rebels on earth before it was too late.

    @heidinorrod

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  35. "She held her breath while she watched the seconds tick by on her wristwatch."

    @Brittany_TYD

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  36. "A moment drawn out — a sword falling, falling, until it jabbed into the earth of City Jerome’s Slave Pit and toppled to the side."

    @SuzanneLeder

    Fun contest!

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  37. @Love_Kenzie_
    Bria stalked toward the stream, Zander plodding along behind her, refusing to let out the sob curled up in her throat and hating herself for everything.

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  38. @ChristinaMon15

    "A distinct scratching noise filled the ears of Marianna Stalls. "

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  39. Yay! These are good :)

    "We were better when we were children."

    @emholbert4

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  40. Marian Wynter rubbed her arms together as the threadbare coat she wore did little to protect her from the harshness of the storm’s raging winds. ~Scarlett9284

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  41. She knew they would be looking for her.

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  42. It was not the first time she was found with fresh, warm, and sticky blood on her face, nor would it be the last.

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  43. @JoanneRenee "As the man chased her, a variety of thoughts popped into her mind, one right after another."

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  44. Sounds fun!!

    "Each move Elizabeth made was being watched and the thought left an eerie emptiness in the lonesome apartment."

    <3 @Courtney825

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  45. @hab318princess
    “Becky, honestly, do you want to be with a guy who thinks his work is more important than you? He made that decision without talking to you and you are supposed to live together.”

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  46. @craftygreenpoet

    The sea was the turquoise of ancestral memory.

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  47. Sooo much fun! Muffins anyone? (Passes plate around) :D Tweeting this again. Just gotta.

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  48. Jannae' Sifontes3 November 2011 at 05:33

    They were much heavier than I ever would have thought.

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  49. @TheGeorgeLester "The streetlamp flickered uncertainly as Alice McCormack stepped around the corner and stopped dead."

    Loving everyone else's first sentences! Feeling a little insecure! :S
    Xx

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  50. Most suppose golf is about life, not death—it is, after all, supremely difficult to manage a golf shot while dead...

    @Kirstenwriter

    (Love this btw, some amazing 1st lines here!)

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  51. A bluish-silver flash of energy shot upward directly in front of her. Potluck started yapping and backing away behind Alexis, who involuntarily jumped backwards.

    @JanetBettag

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  52. @RaspberrySwirly

    "It started with a cough."

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  53. TY for the muffiin! It helps to soothe the sudden and complete feeling of inadequacy that washed over me when I read the other entries.

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  54. I'm sure glad I don't have to be a judge. There are so many great opening lines here!

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  55. @NamitaWaikar "She looked up from her book at the instrument making the beep sound."

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  56. You have to love anything that starts with "Watch this!"

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  57. I wasn’t paying full attention when the demon punched me in the face.

    @lissawrites

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  58. "A late October evening found Brian Haner, a college drop-out, on an ancient, yet still capable train."

    @IvoryJaied

    (Probably THE worst opening line, ever. x])

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  59. @marisabelart "Shea Lovell’s grandmother taught her all she knows about magic and the spirit world."

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  60. Ha! Some gems here already. Here's mine:
    ‘Take me gently, Mr Bently,’ Fiona said, reclining on an old desk while running her foot, still clad in a sensible black lace-up shoe, along the outside of Sean’s thigh.

    @NettieWriter

    Good luck to everyone!

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  61. I like your line. But I like trains so .....

    My first line: "People will do terrible things when their backs are up against the wall."

    @Farawayhammer

    Good luck everyone

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  62. Maia had strayed from the path; the fact that she specifically wasn’t to be on the path that afternoon was a secondary, and probably moot, issue.

    @Ravven

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  63. I swear I posted my 1st line last night, but it seems to have disappeared.

    "As the man chased her, a variety of thoughts popped into her mind, one right after another."

    @JoanneRenee

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  64. "The blackouts came like stabs of darkness and, like stabs, they killed." - THIS BE ARISSAH! :D On Twitter. And Discoteque on the nano site. ^^

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  65. "The street was just like he remembered it, quiet."

    @seanathin23

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  66. Thanks for the muffins, you know I LOOOVE them. <3

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  67. "The love of dogs is the beginning of wisdom."

    @alexwashoe

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  68. silverwerewolf863 November 2011 at 08:33

    “Imagine that. Everyone's gone.” Angela said quietly in her growl-laced voice.

    @AgentBJ09

    Good luck to everyone taking part in this contest.

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  69. silverwerewolf863 November 2011 at 08:50

    “Imagine that. Everyone's gone.” Angela said quietly in her growl-laced voice.

    @AgentBJ09

    Good luck to everyone taking part in this contest.

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  70. "Even twenty minutes later, her cheek still stung where he had slapped her."

    @jbeemills

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  71. At his core his body trembled; that minute shaking motion magnified as it traveled down the length of his arm until the gun in his hands was convulsing wildly, unable to be aimed.

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  72. What a great contest - good luck to all the Nano entries!! May the best opening line win!

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  73. Meri coughed as the summoner heaped yet another handful of ciquefoil onto the brazier.

    @giggilles

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  74. "The man woke from a dreamless sleep to find himself lying on an unfamiliar bed."
    @richmagahiz

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  75. I picked up my phone from my bedside and opened Twitter, just like I opened Twitter every morning.

    @chickymara

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  76. "Over the past twenty years the city of Haven had become anything but."

    Good luck everybody!!

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  77. It all started in kindergarten, when I won the school spelling bee.

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  78. Ruthie Zimmerman thought her sudden illness might be food poisoning, or maybe the menopause. @laurieboris

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  79. They came for us at night.

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  80. @pStuartElliot

    Amy Hunter pinned his shoulders back by placing her forearm across his chest; she didn't want him struggling against her.

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  81. @BakaBunny

    My sister killed me.

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  82. @sushixuni

    "The clock read 9:00 AM in a big red digital font and it was buzzing like crazy."

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  83. Sorry forgot Twitter handle. @justinxbeeman

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  84. How fun! Here's mine:

    "Talia squinted through the rain."

    @ruthmadison82

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  85. It is fun! Makes me wish I had a cooler opening line :)

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  86. "There is one interesting thing about Narragansett, Rhode Island (excluding yours truly, of course), and that’s the name: Narragansett."

    @jbuttwhatwhat

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  87. I’m carrying her in my arms when the first blow lands.

    @dangoodswen

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  88. “You do know…I’d only eat you if I had to.”

    @stustoryteller

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  89. Wing of yang and wing of yin / Loose the memories within; / Find the room shut deep inside; / Use the key to open wide.

    @vimogo

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  90. Why do we spend our entire lives worrying about our death and our funeral and life after we are gone?

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  91. "The old man sat hunched over the worktable scraping gunk off a gear."

    @robnmccormack

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  92. “FAGGOT!” The empty echo vaulted across the courtyard straight at the pair of us as another tiny rock skittered to rest at our feet.

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  93. “I don’t remember what to do.”

    PS: I don't even have a twitter account :)

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  94. "Cassidy Fern, the enigma of my life, entered into my world when I was nine years old."
    @austinmcconnell

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  95. A few wobbles of the crooked wheel on the cart and she was in the meat section, cruising past pork ribs, chicken breasts, frozen shrimp, when suddenly the answer was right in front of her, shrink wrapped and still bleeding - cows - those damned eerie, awkwardly situated cows.

    @mariefrizelle

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  96. @DTWilliams4

    Ambrea woke up early Monday morning to a shining sun that looked so beautiful in the light blue sky.

    I just realized my first sentence is such a classic. I/She/Name woke up ...

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  97. "My mother is a witch and people suspect."

    @truebookaddict

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  98. Another woman had run out of William’s apartment terrified of the ghosts that haunted him.

    @kimmullican

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  99. "The Captain looked over the deck slick with water and littered with his men and sighed." @crystalcip

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  100. I stand ready, my guard up. -Kimberly Gould @kimmydonn

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  101. @juliaindigo

    Matukkan awoke slowly, just before the brightest of the three suns surmounted the horizon, as the pitch of the puppehehas singing dropped.

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  102. I thought that beginning was boring, so I changed it, just for fun, lol! My new beginning:

    "Engrossed in the story she was reading, Olivia didn’t notice when her two year old brother David wandered off wearing her underwear on his head."

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  103. Blast and damnations. This is what I get for doing all of my NaNo in three days and take a break from writing. Oh well, looks as if it will be a great contest, best of luck to you all!

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  104. @bobmccoog "He woke up in his bed with a massive headache."

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  105. Agreed...We have a pretty difficult decision to make!

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  106. We do indeed!

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  107. I like the line too. I wrote three books about a train. :D

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  108. I really, really want to read ALL of these books.

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