Friday, February 13, 2015

Sun versus Snow Critique Workshop

Welcome to the after party! Sun versus Snow is over but new contests are coming!




I know many people didn't make the entry window for Sun versus Snow. And many more didn't get picked because we were limited to thirty. So Amy Trueblood and I want to offer an opportunity to get some feedback on your contest entry before the new ones begin.

All you need is a query/35 word pitch and first 250 words... and a blog. Your manuscript can be unfinished because there are no agents here. This is simply to polish up your work for future contests. Anyone can enter.

All you need to do is post your entry on your blog. Take the url link from your post and add it to the linky list below. (Click on the button in the post, not in the comments.) Use the list to critique the five people above and below your listing. If you are number 6 then you would feedback numbers 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11 on the list. Please leave constructive criticism, but also say what you like about the entry. Don't worry if it's not your genre, just do your best to give your thoughts.

If your entry falls at the beginning or ending of the linky list, wait for the list to close and then give feedback to the other end of the list. For example if you are number 1, you would critique 2 through 6 then the last five links at the very end of the list once the hop closes. 

You are welcome to update your entry with revisions. The linky list will remain open through February 21st. After that time, you may not join. 

If you fail to critique the five entries above and below your spot, well... that's sad and I'm sure karma will know.


Of course you may also get super enthused and critique more than ten. Feel free to jump around and help out as much as you can!

Need more critiques? Advertise your willingness to give to get feedback on twitter under the hashtag #sunvssnow


I will try to visit some entries and leave super honest feedback on whether I would or wouldn't pick it for a contest.

Now here's an example of formatting:

Title: GRUDGING

Genre: YA epic fantasy
Word Count: 90,000

Query or 35 word pitch:

(Include all of your query, even the bio and greetings/closings. Do try to keep it within 250-350 words. Put space between the paragraphs and single space.)

First 250 words:

(Put space between paragraphs and single space. Play it like a real contest and stick to the 250 word limit. Don't end in the middle of a sentence.)

Now let's see how many people we can get to play along! Let the fun begin!


19 comments:

  1. Can I enter two? I'll do twice the critiques!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do we leave our critiques as comments on the blog entries?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Michelle,

    I posted my query and blog address on the Linky, but my entry doesn't appear. Did I forget something?

    BTW, thanks for this great opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies
    1. Thanks Carolyn! Maybe it just needed a second. :-)

      Delete
  5. posted my link! #14 will do my critiques as soon as the kids go to bed tonight. thanks for setting this up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Michelle, Could you please delete my link (#16)? I just learned my yahoo website won't allow others to post comments (at least I can't figure out how to make this happen). Thank you for the opportunity and hopefully I'll be able to figure this out (or change sites) and participate in the future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will do. You can make a quick blogspot one. The link will be open a week.

      Delete
  7. Just wanted to say, thank you so much for this opportunity! I've already gotten some great feedback, and it's awesome seeing so many fabulous queries and beginnings!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for this opportunity! Every extra pair of eyes helps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. For #22 -2square writing - I can't figure out how to post a comment on your page or how to contact you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Michelle,

    I posted my entry (#35), but only 3 people have been able to leave comments, since not everyone has a Tumblr account. Would you mind if I resubmit my entry? I already did my 10 critiques, but I can do 10 more.

    Thanks for everything you do!

    Diana H.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This sounds like a great opportunity, but HELP, I'm confused. Do I post 35 word pitch + Query + Sample? Or is it EITHER 35 word pitch + Sample--or Query + Sample?

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I found the answer! Sorry. :-D

      Delete
  12. I can't comment on #49 -- she needs to enable comments on her post!

    ReplyDelete