It’s time for our monthly critique contest, and boy do I have exciting news for you! Former Resident Writing Coach Sara Letourneau, who has her own editing and coaching business, reached out to see if she could maybe do some critiques on our next contest, and I jumped at the chance. I mean, a professional editor providing you guys with feedback on your first pages? Absolutely, 1000 times, yes!
If you’re game, here’s the amazing person you’ll be working with:

Sara Letourneau is a poet, freelance editor, and writing coach based in Massachusetts. At her company Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services, she offers editing and creative coaching packages for authors, poets, and other storytellers. Her editing offerings in particular range from in-depth manuscript critiques and developmental editing to basic copy editing and proofreading. She specializes in fantasy, speculative fiction, YA, and literary fiction, though she’s happy to work on other projects that seem like a good fit. You might also recognize Sara from her previous posts as a Resident Writing Coach here at Writers Helping Writers, or at her bimonthly column on literary themes at DIY MFA.

Visit the Heart of the Story website to learn more about working with Sara, or her writer website to read some of her poetry and freelance writing.
Contest Guidelines
This month’s contest will work exactly the same as it usually does, only Sara will be the one contacting you if you win.
If you’re working on a first page (in any genre except erotica) and would like some objective feedback, please leave a comment. Any comment :). As long as the email address associated with your WordPress account/comment profile is up-to-date, Sara will be able to contact you if your first page is chosen. Just please know that if she’s unable to get in touch with you through that address, you’ll have to forfeit your win.
Please be sure your first page is ready to go so she can critique it before next month’s contest rolls around. If it needs some work and you won’t be able to get it to her right away, let me ask that you plan on entering the next contest, once any necessary tweaking has been taken care of.
Three commenters’ names will be randomly drawn and posted tomorrow. If you win, Sara will be in contact to get your first page and offer her feedback. Best of luck!
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Thanks so much for entering, everyone. The winners for this round are
Karla Diaz
Adam
Glynis Jolly
Winners, Sara will be in touch with you via email. I’ll see you all next month!
I hope I’m not too late. This is such a great opportunity. Thanks!
Really nice to meet you Sara! Thanks for volunteering your services 🙂
What an amazing opportunity! I’ve compleyely rewritten the beginning of my story and would love some professional feedback. Thanks!
Oh how great!! I love this opportunity.
Thank you for this opportunity. Good luck everyone!
Sign me up! Thanks
What a wonderful opportunity. Thank you so much!
What especially interests me is the poetic input. When I read poetry, I’m so impressed with the word choices, the imagery and emotions, all with economy of words. I’d really benefit from a poet’s opinion of my page.
This is great! I look forward to the opportunity.
Thanks Sara for such an amazing opportunity. I would love to hear your feedback on my YA contemporary.
What a wonderful opportunity for us. Thanks!
Wow, great opportunity. Thank you.
What a lovely thing to do. Thank you Sara.
What an amazing opportunity, thank you!
Thanks for doing this!!!
Hi, first pages critique will offer the image of reader thre rader’s finger on the page: would he turn it?
Fantastic, please include me.
Suzanne
Thanks for this fabulous opportunity!
So curious to see the critique even if it isn’t my page! Good luck, everyone! 🍀
Yes please!
It would be a much-appreciated opportunity to be chosen for a critique. Thanks for the chance!
Thank you Sara!
Please include me!
Thanks for this great opportunity. And good luck to all the entrants.
Yay, you are amazing. Thanks for the contest!
Yes, please and thank you!
I have a page that could certainly use some critique. Thanks for doing this for us!
Wow! Great opportunity! I’d love a chance to get a critique.
Thanks
Thanks for such a great opportunity.
Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity.
Great opportunity!! Thanks for the chance!!
Motivated by the opportunity thus feeling much more interested
What a lovely opportunity, thanks!
That is freakin’ fantastic. What a wonderful opportunity.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the chance!
Wonderful opportunity! Thank you!
Thanks for the opportunity, Sara!
Would love this ❤️
Terri Frank
Thank you for the opportunity. 🙂
Trying out a new genre. Definitely need a hand.
Thank you for considering me.
I’d love to have my first page critiqued!
Thanks for offering 🙂
Sounds like a great opportunity!
Living in small town Texas, it is difficult to receive helpful constructive reviews. I would appreciate this opportunity.
This is a wonderful opportunity! Thank you for the offer!
Lovely opportunity. Thanks so much!
Wonderful opportunity, thank you!
Thank you for this opportunity!
Great opportunity! Thank you.
Yes, please. I need help with the introduction of several characters in Chapter one.
My first page of this one definitely needs a look.
Very interested, thanks for the chance!
Amazing contest! Thank you for these.
I’m interested in the critique! Thanks for the opportunity!
Here’s my comment!
Ooh, such a great opportunity. Love that you offer critiques and then this bonus. Wow!