Contest for Writers!

No, it's not a cage match to the death--that's next week. This is a jacket copy contest--the write-up on the back cover that makes a book browser into a book buyer.

Sort of like this, but with up to 248 more words.

And the winner will get a professional red-pen mauling partial critique from yours truly.

This is over at J.L. Spelbring's blog: http://jlspelbring.blogspot.com/2012/04/jacket-copy-contest.html
and it's open through April 14th.

Oh, and you'll want to follow that blog, so that, after her book comes out, you can sound all hipster-pretentious when you say, "I was reading her blog before she was famous."

Spring Writing Contest

Welcome to the long-awaited spring writing contest here at Disgruntled Bear! The winner will receive an in-depth critique of his/her query letter AND the first 10 pages of his/her fiction manuscript.

Cool, right?

To enter, post a comment below by midnight EDT on Friday, April 15th with the following info:

Title

Author

Genre

Awesome Line

What's an awesome line, you ask? Imagine your book becomes a movie--what will be written on the poster? What single sentence should be in big letters on the back cover of your book?

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water."

There's a lot of great advice out there about how to write a logline.

"I KNOW what you're thinking."

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Competent loglines give an overall sense of the story, like:

"A young man and woman from different social classes fall in love aboard an ill-fated voyage at sea."

"A journey of self-discovery by a brilliant mathematician once he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He eventually triumphs over tragedy and receives the Nobel Prize."

But awesome lines give a FLAVOR of the narrative voice with humor, dark foreshadowing, a hint of danger, etc.

"Love at Second Sight."

Sometimes it's simply a line of the dialogue that really gives this sense.

"Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?"

"You talkin' to me?"

"I’d be super-pissed in the afterlife if I died a virgin in this craphole."

So, what single sentence really sells the reader on your book? THAT'S your awesome line. Put it here. After the deadline, I'll set up a poll and we'll put it to a vote starting on Monday, April 18th.

And hey, if you need inspiration, you can always use the random logline generator. My personal favorite:

"A prostitute and a pack of polygamist ventriloquists teach everyone a valuable lesson on a subway train."

LOL Log Line

Their job was to repossess organs, until he needed one. Now,
everyone wants a piece of him …

REPO-MEN.

Yup. Real movie. ROTFL.

OK, contest time. I want your funniest log-line. Fake or real. Book or movie. You're in control. Have fun, and make me laugh. Amusing content, bad puns, hilarious premise - whatever blows your skirt up.

Submit your entry in the comments section. I'll pick the best one submitted by midnight (eastern time) Friday, March 12th. Enter as often as you like.

Prize!
Bragging rights, and your choice of one of the following:
A query critique
A critique of the first 15 pages of your manuscript (book, movie, etc.)
A dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies, personally baked by me
A signed copy of MINDER, when they're finally printed (I'll probably have ARCs in May)
A JPEG of my freakishly large cat, Mustafa, with dazzling Photoshop effects

Disclaimer: I'll ship the book or cookies only within the U.S. If you live elsewhere, you'll have to pick one of the other prizes.