It's baaaack . . . Write-A-Thon Contest!

On Friday, November 4, 2011, Precision Editing Group will be sponsoring our 3rd Write-a-Thon, and we're inviting writers to show us how many words you can write in 4 hours! This will also be a great kick off for those of you who are doing NaNoWriMo.

The contest will open at 4:00 Mountain Daylight Time and end at midnight (You choose the best 4 hours during that period of time, or break it up and track your time). The person who writes the most words will receive their choice of a $50 Amazon.com gift card OR a 30 page content edit by one of the Precision Editing Group Editors ($60 value). Other prizes will be awarded to various winners, which include an autographed copy of Variant by Robison Wells, and an autographed copy of Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack.






Here's how it will work:

1-The Write-a-Thon will officially begin at 4:00 Mountain Daylight Time on Friday, November 4, 2011.

2-The blog titled "Start Now: Write-a-Thon" will post at 4:00 MDT--you need to enter your starting time and starting word count in the comment section of the blog when you begin.

3-Write for four hours--set a timer if you need to! You can break up your four hours, but please do not exceed four hours of total writing time.

4-When finished, come back to the PEG blog and put your end time, end word count, and total words written in those 4 hours as another comment on the blog.

5-All "end time" posts must be posted by 12:15 a.m. that night (technically Nov 5), Mountain Daylight Time (we're giving you 15 minutes to tally your numbers). To calculate your times based on where you live, go HERE and educate yourself about time zones.

6-Please be honest about your word count and use your time to write REAL words. You are your own time/word keeper and we are trusting that none of our dearly beloved readers would sell their integrity for $50 or 30 pages :-) You must have posted a start comment AND an end comment to be eligible to win either of the prizes.

7-The winner will be posted on Saturday, November 5th here on the PEG blog.

We'll also be adding up everyone's words. We're hoping to hit 100,000 words in one night.

Feel free to spread the word to other writers (Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs), wherever they may live--send them here to read up on the specifics. This contest is open to anyone, anywhere. While the prizes are a perk, the true challenge is to see how much you can do in a four hour period of time dedicated to writing. Order pizza for the kids, put the cell phone on silent, TIVO Letterman, and let your fingers go.

*Please ask any questions here, we'll answer them as soon as possible.

Monday Mania--Query Letter

One of our readers has submitted a query letter for critique. Please offer only constructive comments.

Critique Archive #47

Dear (Agent),

How do you let go of the past when it haunts you every day? Nearly a year ago, 17-year-old Allie Collins almost drowned in a river by her family’s summer cabin. Failing to rescue her young cousin, Allie harbors her anguish and guilt, carrying them with her into a lonely existence. Forced to return to the cabin, Allie struggles with her grief as well as her complicated family dynamics. She is intrigued when she hears the rumor of how a family mysteriously died some years ago, not far from where her own tragedy occurred. Feeling strangely connected to the story, Allie sets out to discover the truth behind the secrecy. Meanwhile, Allie meets Damien, a local rebel with a shielded past. Drawn by Damien’s uncanny ability to help Allie share her darkest emotions, she embraces this relationship with little heed to the warnings from her friends and family. By the time Allie unearths the secrets of Damien’s youth, she discovers just how intricately they are connected, and is caught in a dangerous battle that threatens her life and those she loves.

Hidden Pines is a contemporary young adult novel that depicts a journey between heartbreak and healing, while testing friendship, loyalty, and love. My experience working with youth as a Recreational Therapist allows me to incorporate values and relevant themes that will entice young adult readers.

I look forward to sharing my 90,000 word manuscript with you. As instructed in your submission guidelines, I have included three sample chapters.

With appreciation,
(Author)

Congrats to Melanie Jacobson

One of our blog followers, Melanie Jacobson, just had a book released called Not My Type. Congrats Melanie!

Link to first chapter here.
Purchase link here.



We're always happy to post new releases by our blog followers.

League Of Utah Writers: Roundup 2011

In just a few weeks is Roundup 2011, presented by the League of Utah Writers.

All senior editors from PEG will be there conducting manuscript reviews (Lu Ann, Annette, Julie, Heather & Josi). You can see a list of presenters and visiting agents & editors here.

Kind of fun this year, international celebrity, "Rudy" will be there, sharing his inspirational story. Also, agent Evan Gregory (at Ethan Ellenberg Literary) and agent Eliza Rothstein (at Susan Golomb Literary) will be both be there, including editor Lisa Mangum from Shadow Mountain/Deseret Book.

To sign up for a pitch session with an agent or editor, or to sign up for a manuscript review with us, be sure to register soon to secure your spot here.

New book by Annette Lyon

We are happy to announce book releases here by our blog followers. Please let us know when you have a new release!

Congrats to Annette Lyon, senior editor for PEG. Her latest middle grade fantasy, The Golden Cup of Kardak, is now available for Kindle on Amazon.

Monday Mania--First Page

One of our readers has submitted a first page for critique. Please offer only constructive comments.

Critique Archive #46

“Well, it’s not much, is it?”

The landlord’s forehead wrinkled up like crumpled paper. “I give you the deal of a lifetime, you tell me ‘not much?’”

Soren scratched his shoulder where the strap of his satchel had begun to rub through his thin shirt. His eyes scanned the building before him again. It looked like the innards of a sandwich squashed between two chunks of bread, pressed so close to the neighboring buildings that he doubted he could squeeze between the peeling old walls without turning sideways. A layer of grime coated the front windows and the door sagged pitifully crooked on its hinges. He thought the building might have been all white at one time, but now it displayed bare, muddy-looking brick with streaks of peeling gray and only specks of remaining white. An uneven patch of rough boards had been nailed just below one front window and Soren forced his eyes to the roof before he could think about a possibly gaping hole in the wall. The shingles were either missing or curling up on themselves like dead spiders; he winced at the prospect of placing buckets around the place to catch leaks. The thing did have two floors, but they couldn’t possibly amount to more than four rooms total, and only if two of those were bathrooms the size of broom-closets.

“It is affordable,” he admitted. He pursed his lips. “But it’s still not much.”
The landlord harrumphed. “This my only business vacancy. You don’t like? Go pay a fortune at someplace ‘much.’”

Soren chewed on his lip for a few seconds. He thought this would be an appropriate time to weigh his options, but found there was nothing he could put on the opposite side of the scale—the building before him really was the only thing he’d found that he could pay for. What had happened to the time when people could pay the same price for ten times the quality?

Of course, the answer to that was simple—the invasion had happened.

He sighed and held a hand out. “I’ll take it.”

With another harrumph, the landlord slapped a rusty key into his palm.

New Guide for Adolescent Literature

Many of us have been following Lu Ann Staheli's book reviews for years. This week, her new Guide to Adolescent literature has been released, called: Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher's Guide to Adolescent Literature.

Congrats to our own PEG senior editor, Lu Ann!



If any of our blog followers have a book release, we are happy to announce it here.