F is for Flogging the Quill

 

So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.


F is for Flogging the Quill

How important is the first page of your manuscript? How many times have you read the first page of someone else's story and made a gut decision about whether or not to buy the book and keep reading? That first page is ESSENTIAL. But how do you make it great?

Flogging the Quill is an excellent website where Ray Rhamey posts the first page of a writer's manuscript and critiques it, but that's not all, the visitors to the site also critique the writing by voting yes or no about whether or not they'd turn the page and by leaving comments on the post. A writer can learn essential story writing techniques by not only visiting this blog but also by participating in the critiquing of other people's writing.

Do you have the nerve to submit your first page for public flogging?

Help Someone & Help Yourself !!

Great charity auction to benefit the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for those influenced by SANDY on the east coast:

www.jenmalone.blogspot.com.au

Not only will your contributions benefit others, but you could win a critique of your query, ms pages, or more from authors, agents, and editors.

Critique Checklist

I've never paid anyone to read my writing. I've never paid for a critique or an edit. I'm not saying it's right or wrong.

And with that, here's a TOTALLY awesome checklist for critiquing your own writing and/or someone else's writing:

critiquemymanuscript.com/checklist-for-critiquing-a-novel/


Check it out.

Have you paid for a critique? Are you looking for a critique partner?

A Critique for YOU!

When I *finally* got an agent (an uber-awesome-one, btw), a writer said to me, "Make sure that you give back to the writer community."

Okay.

I'd like to do that by offering FREE critiques of the first 250 words (approximately the first page) of your manuscript. Ideally, I'd like to post the writing and critique on this blog, but if you're terribly opposed to that, I'd still be happy to offer the critique to you.

Disclaimer: I say what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I am not intentially harsh; I just don't waste time sugar coating my opinion.

So, if you'd like a critique, email me at margokelly@q.com and let me know if I can post it on this blog.

THANKS!!

First Page of MANIFESTED up for Critique

Oh boy! Today, the first page of my ms, MANIFESTED (currently under major revision), is up for critique on Dianne Salerni's blog! and on Marcy's blog!

So, hop on over there and check it out.

THEN, if you'd like to read the entire chapter, visit my author website at: www.margokelly.net 

Have a great MONDAY.
:-)

Blogfest: CRITIQUE MY BLOG

Today's the day! And, it's not too late to join in to have your blog critiqued and to critique other people's blogs, CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS & LIST OF PARTICIPANTS!

You can feel free to leave comments below regarding my blog's:

a. Appearance: Does it appeal to you? Is it too busy, or too plain?
b. Layout: Is it difficult to navigate? Is it cluttered, or sparse?
c. Frequency: Post too often? Not often enough?
d. Content: Are the posts interesting? Unique? Are they focused, or all over the place?
e. Quality: Are the individual posts too long, too short, too sloppy, or too generic?

And anything else you'd like to critique ... well ... except my weight. Any comments about my weight will be deleted right away.

Catch Me if You Can Blogfest

Kristina Fugate is hosting a great blogfest over at: http://kaykays-corner.blogspot.com So hurry over and get signed up and participate! The rules are simple, and she's giving away a $20 Amazon gift card to a lucky participant! She says: "We've all heard it a millon times: If your book doesn't catch the agent/publisher's eye quickly, they'll probably reject it. So, I'm sure at one time or another we've asked ourselves, "Does my WIP catch people's attention right away?""

Here are the first 550 words of MANIFESTED, currently undergoing a major revision. :) So, please, leave your critique in the comments, or feel free to email me (my email is listed in the sidebar to the right). THANKS!

MANIFESTED: Chapter 1

Luke Michaelson sat at the small desk in his bedroom and methodically spun a closed pocket knife with his index finger. A camping trip in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho sounded like a stupid idea to him, but Mom and Dad insisted this next week would be a great adventure. Dad expected him to help pack today, but first Luke needed a few minutes alone.

With his thumb and index finger, he tugged at the stubborn blade of the pocket knife. Unable to open it, Luke reached across his desk and dragged the lamp closer. He gripped the casing of the pocket knife tightly with his left hand and yanked with his right. When the blade flipped out suddenly, it surprised Luke, and he let go of the knife. As it slipped from his hand, the blade slashed the skin between his thumb and index finger.

Luke groaned, shook his hand, and then tried sucking the cut to alleviate the pain. Nausea swelled in his gut, but he refused to panic. When he withdrew his hand to examine the damage, no slice remained. He leaned forward and held his hand under the bright lamp. Light glinted off the opals he wore around his wrist, making him squint momentarily. But no cut remained. Nothing. He studied the alarm clock next to his bed, 10 a.m. Dad shouldn’t miss him for awhile yet. So, he hopped up, locked his door, turned up the volume on his music, and sat back down at his desk. He picked up his pocket knife and examined the blood glistening on the edge of the blade. Luke looked at his hand where the cut should have been. Nothing.

He held the knife near his forearm willing himself to make a small cut, but he couldn’t do it. He set the knife back down on his desk and walked over to his bed. Am I crazy? he thought and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked again at his healed hand. With determination, Luke moved back to his desk, grabbed the knife, and quickly pulled the blade along his forearm near his opals.

As the pain seared through him, Luke collapsed onto the chair and propped his arm against the edge of the desk. He took slow controlled breaths as he watched the wound neatly knit itself back together. A thin red line remained visible, but no blood. It wasn’t his imagination. He pulled the blade across his skin again. A drop of blood fell from the blade, but within a few seconds, only another narrow welt lingered on his skin. Of course, the slices hurt, but less each time, and the ones closest to his opal bracelet healed the fastest. He made one more cut, slower and deeper, and watched it mend. Crazy, Luke thought and shook his head in disbelief while his mind raced for a solution. He wondered if the metaphysical properties of the Boulder Matrix Fire Opals he wore could be responsible for the rapid healing.

“No,” Luke whispered to his empty bedroom and shook his head faster. Even though his younger brother Billy had constantly yammered about the special properties and powers of rocks and crystals, Luke had never believed him. “No way.”

He wiped the blade on his jeans...
 
 

Leave your critique and comments below! Thanks. Happy blog-hopping.
 
(Oh... and if you'd like to read the whole chapter, visit: http://www.margokelly.net)