Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Year of Give Backery

2009 was pretty darned good to me. I sold No Pain, got a zombie penguin, and learned that the people at my gym are just begging to have comedy books written about them. I got a Dr. McNinja shirt for my husband, the real life version. I taught my kids to play zombie tag.

Good times, people. Good times.

Anyway, I didn't read and watch Pay It Forward for nothing. I'm dubbing this year the Year of Give Backery here on the Wonder That Is My Blog. And once a month, I'll do something... uh... give backerish. This month, I'm giving away a free critique. That's right. I'll read five pages of your whatever-you're-writing and give you some feedback. Free.

Whee! Free! Free is twee! I like free! It makes me squee!

Ahem. I promise not to give you feedback in crappy rhyming phrases.

So here's your chance to get critted by a semi-lunatic, to-be-pubbed-in-2011 YA author. I tend to do best with YA, fantasy, and other genre literature, but feel free to enter even if you write midget goatherder romance. Actually, I particularly want you to enter if you write midget goatherder romance. Please, do it for me.

The rules are pretty simple: leave a comment on this entry, and you have one entry. Become a follower and get another. Tweet or blog about the contest and that makes three, three entries, ha ha ha! (Sorry. Sesame Street moment there.) I'll pick a winner Monday morning. And if there's enough interest, I'll do one of these every month this year. If not, I'll give away signed pictures of me sulking or something.

The winner gets to email me the first five pages of their novel/short story/zombie haiku collection/whatever. Standard manuscript formatting, please, which means double spaced, 12 point font so I don't go permanently cross-eyed. I can read Word and RTF files. I'll return my comments to you within the month. Did I mention that they're free? Gee!

Run forth and comment, please! I need the positive karma.

45 comments:

Stephanie McGee said...

What got sprinkled in the Kool Aid? So many contests this week! Squee! I'll totally retweet this later when I get a chance. (And link it on facebook.)

Hope you had a good holiday season!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh., that's a great idea. I actually thought about making the same offer, but I am really only good at picture book critiques and not many of my reader write PBs. Hmmm... maybe we can make a collaborative offer some day?

Kiersten White said...

Can I enter for the picture of you sulking?

Larissa said...

Oh, squee! It's free! Yippee!

Sorry. I am a follower, and I am off to tweet.

Also, you are awesomesauce.

Barry Napier said...

Consider me entered. Maybe YOU could help me figure out just what genre I'm supposed to refer to this novel as in my query letters...

Valerie Kemp said...

Awesome contest! I think you should add in a 4th point for people who are from Michigan. Just sayin'.

Anyhoo, put me down for all three, I'm commenting, I'm a follower, and I'm tweeting about this as soon as I hit send! (I'm @valeriekwrites). Woohoo!

Tere Kirkland said...

Verily I will blog about this on the morrow. ;)

Unknown said...

Oh how fun! I'm a follower and commenter. Someday I'll learn how to tweet as well, but that's a goal for another year. May tons more good karma come your way :)

Mariah Irvin said...

I'll tweet it once I figure out how!

Cate Gardner said...

Nice contest, Carrie.

thelittlefluffycat said...

crits rock! count me in and I'm going to go RT Jamie's tweet of this! :)

@littlefluffycat

Carolyn V. said...

I love free. I need more of it. =)

justJoan said...

Good for you giving back and all that! I'd love to enter. I'm following you and I retweeted Jamie's tweet (that's how I found out about this in the first place . . . thanks Jamie!).

Selestial said...

Fabulous idea! I'll tweet about it too.

(Though I do second the extra entry for others from Michigan. Just saying.)



Hah! My word verification is hyper.

Elana Johnson said...

I love love love this pay it forward idea. You're my hero for the day.

Jennifer said...

Yeah for free! And for Sesame Street!
I'm already a follower, so there's one more entry!

Aaron Polson said...

You're made of awesome on the feedback front and always pay it forward. Rock on.

Jamie Eyberg said...

You are truly and awesome person!

PJ Hoover said...

I love this idea, Carrie! I love the whole Pay It Forward mentality!

Unknown said...

Holy all these contests! Even I am having one. It must be that kind of year.

And YAY one point for my comment!

Jade said...

If I win, can I have rhyming feedback? Please?

BT said...

After the QueryNinja helped me out last year, I'd be over the moon to get additional help. Count me in.

So:

Commented - check
Followed - check
Posting on blog - soon
Twittered - er...no

Still, three out of four aint bad - beats Meatloaf's effort of two out of three ;c)

storyqueen said...

maybe in addition to the critique, you could offer a haiku review....(those are my favorites!)

Good idea, the Har.

Shelley

lisa and laura said...

Great idea. Feedback is priceless.

Kelly H-Y said...

You are such a riot! Great contest!

David said...

Pick me please! I think I already follow you, you're in my blog reader I think. I've been meaning to start blogging again - would you really want to be the test case?

Unknown said...

Hi Carrie :)
What a wonderful idea.
Here's to a great 2010!
I like Kiersten's comment too!
:)
All the best,
RKCharron

Sarah Woodard said...

I would toally love to win this. I am a follower and tweeted it(@sarahbear9789)

Sherrie Petersen said...

How very cool! I'll have to add this to the blog post I just did about contests :)

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Wonderful contest (thanks to Sherrie for the link). I'm making myself a follower right now!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

This is fabulous, Carrie! :-)
I'm already a follower.

Laura Pauling said...

Cool contest. And its a bit easier one to enter. I'm a follower and I left a comment. (Obviously) I haven't entered twitterland yet though. Maybe. Someday.

And did I mention that my story has ancient Mayan zombies? :) Mwuhahahah Okay, but not in the first 5 pages. Had to save the good stuff for the end.

Lacey J Edwards said...

Me likes free.
I am a follower, a tweeter and a blogger!
Looking forward to your book in 2011!

http://ljboldyrev.blogspot.com/2010/01/another-nifty-contest-for-writers.html


http://twitter.com/ljboldyrev

Kelly Polark said...

I love this give backery shtuff!
I am a loyal follower! :)

Laurie T said...

Count me in!
New follower, will tweet and mention on my blog:)

TerryLynnJohnson said...

Woo! Great contest. I'm a new follower (also a fellow 2011 debut author - big grins all around)

If I may suggest, you could take a gander at my blog and enter to win books. my own givebackery.

And do I get an extra point if I mention how much I LOVE zombies.

K. M. Walton said...

I missed this yesterday but I am so in.

I'm already a follower and I'm about to blog about it...

CKHB said...

I'm in! Although if I win I may have to save my crit for a new, currently unwritten project...

Barb said...

What a lovely idea. I hope the circle continues going round and that you get more good fortune coming your way.

Also happy new year!

Mary Witzl said...

Free? I love free things! Please include me! (I'm already a follower: is that retroactive?)

Doreen McGettigan said...

I like free too and I would love feedback from someone who does not know the story..of my story..which is a true story..

Tabitha Bird said...

What a great contest. I love The Year of Give Backery! Wonderful word. Wonderful idea. So I'll join up to follow. Please enter me.

Meradeth Houston said...

Woot! Free rocks! I'm totally a follower, too :)

Anonymous said...

Well, it's Monday morning. Is it too late to enter?

I am now a follower.

Stephanie Perkins said...

You rock, Carrie. This is very, very cool of you to have a full year of give backery!