Red Light/Green Light Contest Schedule and Announcing Our Agent Judge!

by Transmedia Mutts

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Here are the details for our upcoming contest, which we announced last week!

First, the SCHEDULE:

On April 7th: We will open for submissions! There will be one submission window at Noon Eastern (9:00 am Pacific), which will close once we have the first 30 entries–25 entrants and 5 alternates–so be ready if you want a spot! Another submission window will open at 3:00 pm Eastern (Noon Pacific), and will accept the first 30 entries–again, 25 entrants and 5 alternates–at that time before closing. Please be sure to follow the rules and use the entry form correctly to ensure your spot in the contest.

Here’s the link to the submission form:

http://martinaboone.com/contests/index.asp

On April 14th: We will post 50 first sentences on the website, so everyone can see who made it! While our agent judge is reading and making his or her selection of the top 25, YOU can give your opinions on the best first sentences in the comments section!

On April 21st: The top 25 will be announced! These 25 entries will be posted on the website with their first and second sentences.

On April 28th: The top 10 will be announced! You’ll see the first pages of each of the top 10 entries, shared on the blog.

On May 5th: The top 5 will be announced! You’ll see the pitches of the top 5 entrants (the agent will see these too, along with their first chapters to determine the winner).

On May 12th: The winner will be announced!

Next, here are the RULES:

1. We will take the first 50 entries submitted via the form we’ll be posting on April 7th, as described in the schedule above. 25 will be from the first entry window, and 25 from the second entry window.

2. Any currently unagented person may enter this contest with an unpublished YA or MG manuscript! The manuscript does not have to be complete, but again, it does have to be unpublished.

3. For the purpose of this contest, here’s how we’ll define a sentence in your manuscript: when a period, exclamation point, or question mark appears, that signifies the end of a sentence. Period. (See what we did there?)

4. If you entered our last contest, you are still welcome to enter this one!* As you know, writing is a very subjective business, and one agent judge may view an entry differently than the last!

*Please note: if you were a finalist (top 10 or above) in our last contest, we ask that you enter with a different manuscript this time around!

Here’s a reminder of the PRIZES:

*Choice of a 30-minute phone call with one of the following authors: Martina Boone, author of the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy; Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the forthcoming Fear the Drowning Deep; or, a 30-minute phone call with our agent judge! During this call, you can discuss your work or book ideas, any questions you have about querying and submission, or anything about writing in general–it’s up to you!

*A gift certificate good for 6 months of subscription to One Stop for Writers, an amazing author resource site!

Now that all those fun things are out of the way…we’re thrilled to introduce you to our agent judge for this contest:

KIMBERLY BROWER OF REBECCA FRIEDMAN LITERARY!

Kimberly fell in love with reading when she picked up her first Babysitter’s Club book at the age of seven and hasn’t been able to get her nose out of a book since. She is a graduate of both California State University, Northridge and Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Although she loves all things romance, she is also searching for books that are different and will surprise her, with empathetic characters and compelling stories. Kimberly is interested in both commercial and literary fiction, with an emphasis in contemporary romance, women’s fiction, mysteries/thrillers and young adult. She is thrilled to be back on the east coast and is based in New York City. For a list of her clients, go to her website.

Thanks so much to Kimberly (a former First Five Pages Workshop mentor!) for agreeing to judge this contest.

And last but not least:

Good luck to all who choose to enter next Thursday, April 7th!

Transmedia Mutts

Helping you unleash your creative bark!

Posted: Mar 31, 2016

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags:

Welcome to Transmedia Mutts

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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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