Red Light/Green Light Contest Opens Today!

by Erin Cashman

Do you have a completed but unpublished MG, YA, or NA manuscript and are looking for an agent? Then do we have the contest for you!

Today, July 21 at 9AM Eastern we will open submissions. We will take the first 50 entries that follow the rules! We will reopen at 9PM Eastern for the final 50 (and take the remainder in order from the morning if we do not fill up).

July 22: We will post 100 first sentences on the main blog! YOU will vote using an imbedded survey and our judges (some combination of agents and published authors for each round) will vote using a private survey, private votes will be worth 65% of the score and public will be worth 35%. The top 50 will be asked to resubmit with a second sentence added on!

July 30: We announce the top 50 and ask for the second sentences.

August 5: We will publish the top 50 entries and vote again!

August 13: We announce the top 25.

August 19: We publish the top 25 entries and vote again!

August 27th: We announce the top 10 entries!

September 2: The first 100 words and a maximum 30 word elevator pitch of the top ten entries will be posted! All TEN entries will receive a critique from a published/soon to be published author or agent.

September 8: The three winning entries will be announced.

Rules:

1. We will take the first 50 properly formatted entries beginning at 9AM Eastern (this will be judged by the time stamp on the email we open) to AYAPcontest@gmail.com. Subject line should consist of RLGL and your manuscript title. Then we will reopen submissions, taking the first 50 properly formatted starting at 9PM Eastern for a total of 100 entries!

2. Each entry should include your name, email, manuscript title, manuscript length, Manuscript genre/subgenre, and first sentence.

Good form, horrible example,

IDA Luv Anoffer
Sillymadeupemail@ayap.com
BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN
78,000 words
YA Magical Realism

When I saw the hot vampire I knew immediately that I was in the best book ever written.

3. Any currently unagented person may enter only once with a completed but unpublished MG, YA, or NA manuscript.

Judges: Check out this link for all the bios!

Author Judges include: Martina Boone, Sheri Larsen, Dhalia Adler, Kimberly Little, Erin Cashman, Ron Smith, Holly Bodger, Liza Wiemer, Joy Hensley, Sarah Ockler, Kim Liggett, Sara Raasch, and Lisa Gail Green.

Agent Judges include: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Sarah Negovetich, Moe Ferrar, and Saba Sulaiman, Susan Hawk, Christa Heschke, Amaryah Orenstein and Dr. Uwe Stender of Triada US.

Prizes:

The top ten entries (excluding the top three) will each receive a one chapter (up to 12 pages) critique from a published or soon to be published author.

The 3 grand prize winners will each receive a one chapter (up to 12 pages) critique and/or partial request by at least one participating agent. The grand prize winner will also receive a partial request from the amazing Ammi-Joan Paquette, who is currently open only to submissions via referrals.

Don’t forget to follow along with the Twitter handle #GreenLightWIP

Erin Cashman

Erin Cashman writes young adult fantasy novels. She’s the award-winning author of The Exceptionals (which was named a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book) and Uncharted, now available from Page Street Publishing.

Erin lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three children, and their energetic rescue dog, Riley. When she’s not writing, Erin enjoys reading (of course!), walking her dog, hiking, and watching TV with her family (all diehard fans of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek). She also loves to bake. She’s known for making her family and friends ugly but yummy birthday cakes.

Post © Erin Cashman and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Jul 21, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: #contests | GreenLightWIP

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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