1st 5 Pages Writing Workshop: March 1st 5 Pages Workshop Final Revisions Are Posted

Monday, March 18, 2013

March 1st 5 Pages Workshop Final Revisions Are Posted

So what do we think? Please read the entries posted below. Have they managed to eliminate the onramps to the story and get the reader into the action (as discussed today by author Paula Morris in our Inspired Openings post).

The writers have worked hard this month, and Tracy Deebs, our marvelous mentor, commented on the initial round despite having pneumonia and a recently published book to promote. (Haven't read DOOMED? Get on it!) We are beyond lucky in our mentors!

Speaking of which, did you all see the book cover for Lisa Gail Green's upcoming release, THE BINDING STONE? It is BEYOND gorgeous! And not only is Lisa a wonderful writer (and her upcoming book is wonderful!), but she is brilliant at getting to the heart of a craft problem, and she is a tireless supporter for writers.

Click to Add toYour Goodreads Shelf

What do you think? Isn't that a beautiful cover? I read an early draft of this, and it was great. The book is coming out next month, and I'm excited to read the final version.

You can also add Tracy's latest books to your shelves.

Add to Your Goodreads Shelf

Is it me, or are covers getting more beautiful? What makes you buy a book? Is it the first page, the blurb, or the cover? A combination?

Happy reading,

Martina

1 comment:

KessieMarch 18, 2013 at 1:11 PM
Good covers coax me into picking up the book--that or a snappy title, if it's spine-out. Then I'll read the blurb. If that's good (kind of like reading a restaurant menu and deciding I like the dish's ingredients), then I'll sample the first page and see if it hooks me. I love browsing the library purely for this. I've found some stinkers that didn't live up to the first page or the blurb--but then I've found some WONDERFUL books that surpassed both.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

The first five pages of a manuscript may be all that agents, editors, and readers read, so the First Five Pages Workshop for young adult and middle grade fiction is here to help young adult and middle grade writers off to an unputdownable start with the help of three published authors and a literary agent over the course of three weeks.

We have a fabulous list of permanent workshop mentors including award-winners and NYT bestselling authors, two of whom are assigned to every manuscript in the workshop. In addition, we have a guest author each month who mentors all the workshop participants. During the third week, our guest literary agent also critiques not only the pages but also the pitch for the book and picks an overall workshop winner. The agent also chooses the strongest manuscript (or manuscripts) and awards a partial critique to an overall winner with potential priority submission opportunities for other selected participants, so not only is this a great learning opportunity, it's a great chance to get your novel published.

To see the workshop in progress, click here.