Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly first-page critique contest 🙂
This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one goes live, consider subscribing to the blog (in the sidebar).
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, I’ll be able to contact you if your first page is chosen. Just please know that if I’m unable to get in touch with you through that address, you’ll have to forfeit your win.
Two caveats:
▪ Please be sure your first page (double-spaced in 12-point font) is ready to go so I 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 me right away, let me ask that you plan on entering the next contest, once any necessary tweaking has been taken care of. Resources for common problems writers encounter in their opening pages can be found here.
▪ This contest only runs for 24 hours, start to finish, so get your comment in there!
Three commenters’ names will be randomly drawn and posted tomorrow morning. If you win, you can email me your first page and I’ll offer my feedback.
We run this contest on a monthly basis, so if you’d like to be notified when the next opportunity comes around, consider subscribing to our blog (see the right-hand sidebar).
Best of luck!
PS: If you want to amp up your first page, grab our helpful First Pages checklist from One Stop for Writers. And for more instruction on these important opening elements, see this Mother Lode of First Page Resources.
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.
I would like to be added to the list!
Thank you!
Hi, Deborah! I’m so sorry, but this month’s contest is already closed. It’s only open for about 24 hours, so the window closes pretty quickly. Stay tuned for next month’s opportunity!
You are so awesome. I love how you do this regularly. It gives so many a chance to have that objective eye on their opening words.
Thank you all so much for entering. The lucky winners are…
Steven Pelzer, Edwina Kiernan, and Lynne Clark!
Huge congrats. I’ll send you an e-mail soon. 🙂
Yes please, I would love to enter.
First page ready for your critics’ dart board.
Sounds like a smashing good time. Add me, please.
I’d like to enter, please.
I’d like a chance!
Would love to have your eyes on my page! Also love all the support you give to the writing community!
I’d love a chance at this.
Yes, please. I’d love to get feedback. Thanks!
Pick me!!!
I’d like to enter!
What a wonderful idea! I’m in 😊
Would love to have a first-page review. Grateful for this competition.
Throwing my slip in the lottery once again… 😋 I know my first chapter is one of my weakest
Me, too!
This is such a beautiful gift to the community. Thank you!
I’d love to win! Yeah, stories.
Yes please! I would love to enter your First Page contest.
Thanks so much for doing this – your work is so important to the writing community.
Cheers, Joni
Thank you.
It would be such a wonderful opportunity for you to read my opening page. Fingers crossed that you pick me!
Thank you!
Thanks so much for this opportunity.
This is a wonderful opportunity and I am grateful you are willing to help us out. To who ever wins this. Hip hop hooray! To those who don’t, keep typing and don’t give up! As Earnest Hemingway once said. There is nothing to Writing.all you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed! Haha
I would love a critique of my first page!
I would love to get your feedback on the opening page of my middle-grade novel
Throwing my hat in the ring.
Here’s hoping!
Would love to win! Thanks for the opportunity!
excited to try this contest again
Yes!! This would be a wonderful opportunity!
I’d love your thoughts. Thanks so much.
This would be so helpful for me! It would be the first pair of eyes on a new thing I’m in 3/4 of the way through so some guidance to let me know that I’m heading in the right direction would be wonderful. Thanks so much!
I try every month for this, fingers crossed this time!
I’d love this.