Writer Advice

2022 Scintillating Starts Opportunity

Openings matter. They determine whether a potential agent will represent your book or move on.

Writer Advice’s Scintillating Starts Opportunity is your chance to show how effectively you can grab and hold your readers and get feedback on what is and is not working in your opening. Fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction are all eligible. You do not have to have completed your book to enter.

Why not get an objective opinion?

Send us up to 1250 words of your first chapter by 12/02/22.  We are known for our feedback, as you can see in the comments at the bottom of the Manuscript Consultation Page or below and would love to tell you what’s working and what an agent might say.

How This Works:

1. Some agents decide whether they can sell your work after the first paragraph. We’re giving you the equivalent of 5 pages with the disclaimer that, like an agent, we can quit earlier if our attention wanders.

2. You can also submit a query letter that is 300 words or less. Can’t fit it into 300 words? Please edit. Agents don’t want to read more. If you send us a query letter, we encourage to send less of the manuscript so that the total is no more than 1250 words.

3. You are guaranteed feedback on whatever you send. We’ll tell you what we like, what stands out, and what trips us up.

4. After I read each piece, I’ll imagine I’m an agent (I used to teach acting) and tell you whether it’s marketable, and whether I’d be interested or not and why. Finalists will also receive feedback from the judges.

Fee: $16.50 for manuscript opening/query of 1250 words or less. The money helps defray the costs of awarding the top entries some money. A cash award of $300 will be split among those whose work is shared on our website–usually 2 or 3 writers.

If your work is shared on Writer Advice, you’ll be able to tell prospective agents, publishers, and book buyers that you were one of the winners of Writer Advice’s Scintillating Starts Contest. We may also list the titles and authors of Honorable Mentions, who can also list this as an honor when they send their queries.

The whole purpose of Scintillating Starts is to get feedback before you send your work to an agent. We are not a literary agency but know what agents are looking for. Why not get some suggestions before you send to agents?

This contest is open to anyone who has not signed a contract for the book submitted. That means your book does not have to be completed, though it should be before you submit it elsewhere.

The SUBMITTABLE LINK is at the bottom of the page.

Tips for Success:

1. Start your novel or memoir in a place where high stakes exist. If your first 1250 words are all about the setting, this may not be the right opportunity for you. Please send the start!

2. Let readers care.

3. Give us a flawed hero we’ll empathize with.

4. Give us a reason to keep reading.

5. Leave out details that don’t help you tell this story.

6. Know why your story is unique. (If you don’t know, ask your characters.)

7. We had an excellent piece in the last contest that did not win an award because it was too long. The length matters!Following directions matters.

8. We prefer double-spaced manuscripts with standard, one-inch margins.

9. We prefer an easy-to-read font.

10. Please use the Submittable box below. Manuscripts sent in other ways will not be read.

Questions? Please write back using the contact form on Writer Advice.

COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS CONTESTANTS:

“Thank you for your great advice. I appreciate it and will use it to improve my writing.”  –Shelley Malicote

“Your suggestions for improvement rock.”  –Shelley Stutchman

“WriterAdvice.com is one of my all-time most reliable and accessible sites for writers. I use it—and recommend it to my clients.” ~Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers (http://howtodoitfrugally.com), poetry and fiction

“I can’t tell you how many people I’ve told about the great feedback you give to folks no matter how many entries you get.”   –Bill Buschel

“It’s such a refreshing experience to have some exchange — as most submissions disappear into the either like rogue satellites.” –Charles Watts

“Your insights are excellent” –Dan Dubelman

“You are the first professional to offer feedback and your encouraging words have given me additional motivation!  It is reassuring to know that I was on the right track; you have a remarkable ability to give constructive feedback in a positive way (and you are absolutely correct). I look forward to submitting more stories and continuing to improve.” –Jamie Fouty

“I learned about this contest from the Submittable page. I then checked out your website and felt comfortable submitting my story as you seem like someone who genuinely wants to help and advise others.” –Roger Yetzer

“I’m always striving to improve my writing, and feedback from editors like you make it much easier to do so.”  –Margarite R. Stever

“Many thanks for your response, from it, I can tell you’re very good at what you do.” –Kisa, Visually Versed

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to read and analyze my work . . . It’s not every day a contest gives you comprehensive feedback instead of a simple yes/no!” –Lena Crown

“Thanks for the wonderful feedback, never, never, got that before in thirty years.” –Jenny Hickinbotham

SUBMISSIONS:

All entries should be submitted through Submittable,

WRITER ADVICE’S FLASH PROSE CONTEST

WriterAdvice seeks flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction running 750 words or less. Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us. Finalists receive responses from all judges.

This is an opportunity to send out new or unpublished work you’re proud of—maybe a piece you’ve reworked or a piece that has not yet found a home. Because it’s flash, we ask that you not go over 750 words. Not enough to make your story sing? Rather than trying to cut it, you may want to submit it elsewhere.

Successful flash often focuses on an important moment, incident, or discovery that impacted the author and may have a literal and a larger meaning. The ending may surprise the reader or may give her new perspective.

DEADLINE: Submit by September 2, 2022, using the Submittable link. Scroll down to find it.

JUDGES will be selected from previous prizewinners. You can read their pieces by clicking on Prior Winners (top right hand box on the home page).

PRIZES: Once again

• First Place earns $150
• Second Place earns $75
• Third Place earns $40
• Honorable Mentions will also be listed.

FEES: We’ll read and consider your submission for $5. The cost helps cover prizes and our time. If you’d like individualized feedback, we’d be happy to give it. We charge an additional $9, which means the total is $14 (US Currency).

FOR BEST RESULTS:

1. Include your name, contact information, and title in the cover letter, but include only your title in the submission so it remains anonymous. Pleaseleave the header and footer blank.
2. Since we judge these anonymously, you don’t need a cover letter that includes more than your contact information. If you are a finalist, we’ll ask for a bio.
3. Please double-space your submission. We recommend that you use a 14-point font that is easy to read. Cambria, Ariel, and Verdana are all good. If you forget, we’ll fix it for you.
4. You own the copyright. If we publish your work, the rights still belong to you, though we ask you not to resubmit until 90 days after it appears on Writer Advice and give us credit if it is published elsewhere.
5. Simultaneous submissions accepted.
6. If your work is accepted elsewhere, please notify us immediately.
7. We prefer unpublished work, though we do accept stand-alone excerpts from work seeking a publisher or agent.
8. Please hit the contact button and ask questions if anything is unclear or missing. Thank you!

SUBMISSIONS: All entries should be submitted through Submittable, using the link towards the bottom of the page. Please scroll down and use the link below.

You may enter UP TO THREE stories, but each is a separate submission fee. We charge $5 to read each submission without sending a response or  $14 apiece to send a detailed response for each submission. The contest opens on June 13th and closes on September 2, 2022. Please use the Submittable button below. It will work from June 13th to September 2.

Names of all winners will be announced on WriterAdvice, www.writeradvice.com in early October or—worst case later.

E-mail questions but not submissions to editor B. Lynn Goodwin through the contact button on the home page.

Tips for Success:

1. Let readers care.
2. Leave out details that don’t help you tell this story.
3. Know why your story is unique. (If you don’t know, ask your characters.)
4. We only need your contact information instead of a whole query letter, but if you want to send your query, we won’t stop you.
5. NOTE: We had an excellent piece in the last contest that did not win an award because it was too long. The length matters! Following directions matters.
6. We like double-spaced manuscripts with standard, one-inch margins.
7. We prefer an easy-to-read font.
8. Please use the Submittable box below. Manuscripts sent in other ways will not be read.

COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS CONTESTANTS:

“Thank you for your great advice. I appreciate it and will use it to improve my writing.”  –Shelley Malicote

“Your suggestions for improvement rock.”  –Shelley Stutchman

“WriterAdvice.com is one of my all-time most reliable and accessible sites for writers. I use it—and recommend it to my clients.” ~Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers (http://howtodoitfrugally.com), poetry and fiction

“I can’t tell you how many people I’ve told about the great feedback you give to folks no matter how many entries you get.”   –Bill Buschel

“It’s such a refreshing experience to have some exchange — as most submissions disappear into the either like rogue satellites.” –Charles Watts

“Your insights are excellent” –Dan Dubelman

“You are the first professional to offer feedback and your encouraging words have given me additional motivation!  It is reassuring to know that I was on the right track; you have a remarkable ability to give constructive feedback in a positive way (and you are absolutely correct). I look forward to submitting more stories and continuing to improve.” –Jamie Fouty

“I learned about this contest from the Submittable page. I then checked out your website and felt comfortable submitting my story as you seem like someone who genuinely wants to help and advise others.” –Roger Yetzer

“I’m always striving to improve my writing, and feedback from editors like you make it much easier to do so.”  –Margarite R. Stever

“Many thanks for your response, from it, I can tell you’re very good at what you do.” –Kisa, Visually Versed

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to read and analyze my work . . . It’s not every day a contest gives you comprehensive feedback instead of a simple yes/no!” –Lena Crown

“Thanks for the wonderful feedback, never, never, got that before in thirty years.” –Jenny Hickinbotham