The writing contest was so much fun, and enough people asked for more that I figured why the heck not! It's summer, let's frolic!
The contest opens at 9:00pm EDT tonight 6/25. It will close 24 hours later (ie 9:00pm Sunday 6/26). Comments are closed until the contest opens.
Contest rules: Write a story in 100 or fewer words. Post the story in the comments section of this blog post. Use the following words in the story:
lyrical
angst
conspiracy
reluctant
swoop
Yes the words are related. Be the first to tell me how and you win the bonus round. (Don't assume the answers posted are correct! I'm not moderating comments during the contest!)
Enter only once. If you need a mulligan, delete your first answer and post again. If you can't delete your comment, I'll take ONLY the last one.
I'm not sure what the prize will be but I've got some terrific books in the stack that need new homes!
Ready?
Set?
...oops, too late. Contest closed.
Sabtu, 25 Juni 2011
Contest winners!
As usual, it took forever to post the contest results because it was so hard to decide! Thanks to everyone who entered. It's really fun to see what you come up with.
Here are the results
What connected the prompt words:
Jacqui L. Landry 7:21pm (you missed that Claire Dewitt was compared to The Intuitionist)
Brandon 10:43pm got it totally right!
Terri Coop 9:53pm got it more than right (I loved the "pretty dope" list reference!)
Special recognition for outstanding achievement in word usage:
Matthew 4:32 am for "Poppa Rotsy"
Briandbuckley 8:19am for "And a silette is?" "A female silo"
Kregger 9:15am for "ornithomoron"
Amazing use of the word prompts
Becca 8:36pm
Cherylangst 10:11pm
These entries made the first round of finalists:
J.P. Kurzitz 8:07pm
http://mr-jordan(etc) 10:43pm
Rocket 9:43am
Steven 9:43am
David 2:52pm
Richardh 3:30pm
Joel Q Aaron 3:57pm
These entries made the second round of finalists:
Modwitch 9:39pm
Justwritecat 1:05am
Amychrispark 2:28am
Kelly S 6:03pm
These entries made the third round of finalists:
The Daring Novelist 8:15pm
Cherylangst 10:11pm
Thepopeofbeers 3:16am
Kregger 9:15am
The next three are the final choices:
ClothDragon 9:41pm
“What are you willing to do for it?” She balanced the bottle at the tip of her fingers as if it meant nothing. My mind went blank as it wobbled.
“Do? For it?” Christ, what was I? A parrot?
A dope, I reached to catch the water not noticing the Silette until both hands slid behind her back.
“Not an intuitionist then.” Her eyes could have cut glass.
Then it was gone; she was gone. The door sounded final. I scrambled, stopped by the chain on my ankle.
Anything. I’d do anything. But the words caught, dry, in my throat.
Shaunna 12:59pm
When (experimental) linguist Henry married (recovering) intuitionist Virginia, people wondered. And rightly so, for despite their intelligence, they never quite assumed the gravity of their parental charge.
Their first child swallowed language as all toddlers do--more a parrot than a proficient, but a willing pupil all the same. He entered the wider world, however, to discover the legacy he had inherited.
This Silette snapshot, taken his first day of kindergarten, captures the essence of his profoundly confused discovery that Henry and Virginia, out of caprice or simply too much dope, had only taught him to speak pig Latin.
Sarah 4:30pm
Walking in, the first thing I see is the camera on the pawnshop counter.
“Is that a vintage Agfa Silette?!” I cry.
“Vintage?” parrots the bargain hunter. I ignore him - a weekend dabbler who thinks intuition is the only tool needed to find that magic sale.
“Frankie,” I say to the clerk, “If you’re willing I can give you seventeen bucks today, another fifty tomorrow.”
“Forget it!” says Dabbler. “I’ll give you sixty now!”
Frankie sighs at me but takes Dabbler’s cash. The poor dope swans out the door.
“You are evil,” Frankie says. I grin and slip back behind the counter.
I had to read each of those final entries three times again to decide. It was HARD!
The winner of the contest, and an autographed copy of CLAIRE DEWITT AND THE CITY OF THE DEAD by Sara Gran is Sarah 4:30pm.
Sarah, if you'll email me your mailing address we'll get the book in the mail to you!
Congratulations!
Here are the results
What connected the prompt words:
Jacqui L. Landry 7:21pm (you missed that Claire Dewitt was compared to The Intuitionist)
Brandon 10:43pm got it totally right!
Terri Coop 9:53pm got it more than right (I loved the "pretty dope" list reference!)
Special recognition for outstanding achievement in word usage:
Matthew 4:32 am for "Poppa Rotsy"
Briandbuckley 8:19am for "And a silette is?" "A female silo"
Kregger 9:15am for "ornithomoron"
Amazing use of the word prompts
Becca 8:36pm
Cherylangst 10:11pm
These entries made the first round of finalists:
J.P. Kurzitz 8:07pm
http://mr-jordan(etc) 10:43pm
Rocket 9:43am
Steven 9:43am
David 2:52pm
Richardh 3:30pm
Joel Q Aaron 3:57pm
These entries made the second round of finalists:
Modwitch 9:39pm
Justwritecat 1:05am
Amychrispark 2:28am
Kelly S 6:03pm
These entries made the third round of finalists:
The Daring Novelist 8:15pm
Cherylangst 10:11pm
Thepopeofbeers 3:16am
Kregger 9:15am
The next three are the final choices:
ClothDragon 9:41pm
“What are you willing to do for it?” She balanced the bottle at the tip of her fingers as if it meant nothing. My mind went blank as it wobbled.
“Do? For it?” Christ, what was I? A parrot?
A dope, I reached to catch the water not noticing the Silette until both hands slid behind her back.
“Not an intuitionist then.” Her eyes could have cut glass.
Then it was gone; she was gone. The door sounded final. I scrambled, stopped by the chain on my ankle.
Anything. I’d do anything. But the words caught, dry, in my throat.
Shaunna 12:59pm
When (experimental) linguist Henry married (recovering) intuitionist Virginia, people wondered. And rightly so, for despite their intelligence, they never quite assumed the gravity of their parental charge.
Their first child swallowed language as all toddlers do--more a parrot than a proficient, but a willing pupil all the same. He entered the wider world, however, to discover the legacy he had inherited.
This Silette snapshot, taken his first day of kindergarten, captures the essence of his profoundly confused discovery that Henry and Virginia, out of caprice or simply too much dope, had only taught him to speak pig Latin.
Sarah 4:30pm
Walking in, the first thing I see is the camera on the pawnshop counter.
“Is that a vintage Agfa Silette?!” I cry.
“Vintage?” parrots the bargain hunter. I ignore him - a weekend dabbler who thinks intuition is the only tool needed to find that magic sale.
“Frankie,” I say to the clerk, “If you’re willing I can give you seventeen bucks today, another fifty tomorrow.”
“Forget it!” says Dabbler. “I’ll give you sixty now!”
Frankie sighs at me but takes Dabbler’s cash. The poor dope swans out the door.
“You are evil,” Frankie says. I grin and slip back behind the counter.
I had to read each of those final entries three times again to decide. It was HARD!
The winner of the contest, and an autographed copy of CLAIRE DEWITT AND THE CITY OF THE DEAD by Sara Gran is Sarah 4:30pm.
Sarah, if you'll email me your mailing address we'll get the book in the mail to you!
Congratulations!
Jumat, 24 Juni 2011
Friday Night at the Question Emporium!
I've read on your blog that you place value in a writer's voice, and other agents, such as Jessica Faust and Rachelle Gardner, agree that it's important.
I've also taken classes and read writing tips, such as Allen Guthrie's, that say one's voice should not creep into one's writing as this authorial intrusion detracts from the substance of a work. (Ref: Hunting down the neoplasm, item 11) or here
Should I assume people are using the word 'voice' to apply to different stylistic aspects? Or that there is good voice and bad voice? Or merely that different readers want different things, so while some consider a strong voice a plus, other consider it an annoyance?
Yes.
Hmmm- that's not very helpful is it?
I had to think about this for awhile. Voice is one of those ephemeral "musts" that drive querying authors mad because there is no objective answer. Unlike spelling, format and word count, there's no way to measure voice...but I know it when I see it.
I know it by its energy and confidence. I know it because it stays in my head. I know it because it makes me believe in things like talking cats, invisibility suits, and happily ever after.
None of that is at all helpful, I know.
I tried to think of places where voice failed. The best example I can think of is one that greatly pains me: Rita Mae Brown. I'm a devoted fan of the writer herself, and of her work. I love her SneakyPie books a LOT. But what drives me to distraction is when her own voice creeps in to the story. And by her own voice, I mean that she has her characters most often the animals (yes they talk...but only to each other) voice opinions about politics and the human condition that I know for a stone cold fact are the opinions of Ms. Brown. Ms. Brown is venting her spleen in feline dialogue and it stops the story cold.
I love those books, but I skip over the section where the cat discusses economics. I can suspend my disbelief that cats can talk; I lose it when the cats pontificate on the world beyond their ken.
I think you can tell when voice slips or is inconsistent by comments like "I didn't believe this." If I can believe in talking cats, I can believe pretty much anything; if I don't it means it doesn't fit with the world you've created for me.
Kamis, 23 Juni 2011
Is this real?
There's an interesting email exchange here on the Seattle Mystery Bookstore blog between an author who wanted to arrange a signing and the store owner.
The author is published by Amazon. The store owner said "no dice."
In reply the author said Amazon is actively promoting indie store events. Quoting now "The results have been spectacular. Hundreds have been showing up at these events. It is a tremendous show of support for the independents."
This is in the past tense. As in this has happened.
My question is this: has it?
I'm very VERY interested to hear from bookstore owners, authors, or event attenders who have been part of any reading at all (not just crime fiction) held at an indie store that was promoted by Amazon.
I'm skeptical simply because I don't think the crime imprint at Amazon, Thomas and Mercer, has actually printed a book yet. Their website refers to the books as "coming soon."
But I don't want to start jumping up and down screaming "fowl" (yes that's intended as a joke; an oblique reference to Mr. Little and the velocity of the sky) without doing some research.
So, is this real?
The author is published by Amazon. The store owner said "no dice."
In reply the author said Amazon is actively promoting indie store events. Quoting now "The results have been spectacular. Hundreds have been showing up at these events. It is a tremendous show of support for the independents."
This is in the past tense. As in this has happened.
My question is this: has it?
I'm very VERY interested to hear from bookstore owners, authors, or event attenders who have been part of any reading at all (not just crime fiction) held at an indie store that was promoted by Amazon.
I'm skeptical simply because I don't think the crime imprint at Amazon, Thomas and Mercer, has actually printed a book yet. Their website refers to the books as "coming soon."
But I don't want to start jumping up and down screaming "fowl" (yes that's intended as a joke; an oblique reference to Mr. Little and the velocity of the sky) without doing some research.
So, is this real?
Quote of the Day
Dear Query Shark,
I chose to query you because most of the characters in my book are surfers. You should find it very appetizing.
I chose to query you because most of the characters in my book are surfers. You should find it very appetizing.
Rabu, 22 Juni 2011
"Damn you, Keith Kahla"
And I'm not the only one who feels that way!
Once I started reading, it was impossible to stop. Howling clients, burning toast, nothing pried me from the couch!
If you're looking for a great summer read, this is it. If you need to email me a particularly damning response, my email is listed on my website: jetreidliterary.com
Once I started reading, it was impossible to stop. Howling clients, burning toast, nothing pried me from the couch!
If you're looking for a great summer read, this is it. If you need to email me a particularly damning response, my email is listed on my website: jetreidliterary.com
Senin, 20 Juni 2011
Suzy and her kitten
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