Writing Challenge #4 (Results)

The winner from the last writing challenge, plus . . .  

As a way to say thank you for your participation, I would like to choose an entry myself and offer the winner a $10 Amazon Gift Card. My chosen entry is . . . 

Neha's Shadow by Ruth

*Ruth - please email me (rhonda.ritenour@gmail.com) and we can work out the details of your gift card! Thank you!!

Below is the response regarding the chosen entry from our guest judge, Marcy G. Dyer!! Click HERE and go to the comment section to read the entry for this writing challenge.

As always, please stay tuned to Ritty's Writing Challenges for the next photo challenge!

From Marcy:

I must say choosing a winner a was difficult because there were so many great entries! I would like to challenge the entrants to flesh out the stories and finish them. They all sound very intriguing, and since the story is easier to write than the blurb, you have a half the battle done.

While all of the blurbs were good, Mixed Blessings stood out. Christina gave us a glimpse of both Virginia and Noah and why, despite the mutual attraction, they cannot be together. It was succinct and drew me in making me want to read the story.

We were asked to give some tips for improving, so here are a couple. Double-check words if you aren’t sure if they should be capitalized. For example, cholera isn’t capitalized according to the Chicago Manual of Style. I would also suggest increasing the tension regarding the cholera outbreak.

To all of the entrants – keep writing. Whether or not you’re chosen as a winner of the challenge, you all have the potential to craft intriguing, compelling stories and I would hate for any of you to become discouraged with your writing. None of the entries were bad, and choosing a winner proved to be a daunting task. The more you write and participate in critique groups, the more your writing will improve.

Christina, if you’ll contact me via my website http://www.marcydyer.com or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marcydyer then I’ll send you a copy of Book One in the Desert Winds Series – Down & Out.

I can be found at the following sites:

http://www.marcydyer.com

http://www.facebook.com/marcydyer

https://plus.google.com/116097132605033617528/posts

https://twitter.com/marcydyer

Marcy G. Dyer is a Registered Nurse and suspense author. Like so many other writers, she began writing at a very young age, but never took herself seriously as a "real" writer until about ten years ago when she began taking courses and learning the craft of writing. She currently has two novels from the Desert Winds Series available: Down & Out and Out for Blood. In addition to writing, Marcy is a freelance editor. She does editing for individuals, Desert Breeze Publishing, and Prism Book Group.

Marcy is an alumnus of the Christian Writer's Guild and long-time member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She hosts a small critique group for ACFW and is involved in two other critique groups. For anyone seriously interested in becoming an author, she recommends a strong, diverse critique group to help authors hone crafts.

In addition to maintaining her website,http://www.marcydyer.com, Marcy hosts a blog to help those with autoimmune diseases. While many autoimmune diseases aren't visible, they still cause chronic pain and disability. If you would like more information, please visit http://ragimp.blogspot.com

As followers of Jesus Christ, Marcy and her family are active members of Crossroads Fellowship in Odessa, Texas. Sermons are carried live via the web at our online campus - http://crossroadsodessa.tv/ at the following times on Sundays - 9:30 & 11:00 and 5:00 & 7:00 central time.

Writing Challenge #4: Vintage Photo

Photo Challenge
BLURB

Entries must be presented in the form of a "blurb", which you would typically find on the inside or back jacket cover of a book. Imagine the photo above is the cover photo for the front of your book. Ask yourself: What story is begging to be told through this picture? How would you summarize it to best catch the readers attention?

Need help? Read past (Blurb) Writing Challenge entries:

CLICK HERE (see comment area)

Rules: 

• Think! Any entries/comments deemed inappropriate by the author of this blog will be deleted. Please use common sense and courtesy for other readers before posting.

• Remember! Grammar, spelling and punctuation count.  
• Suggestion: Ask a friend to edit your "blurb" before submitting it as your final entry. 

• Winners! The top two winners will be announced the day after the contest ends. This will be part of a special blog post, in which their winning entry will be highlighted.

• Surprise! There will be a panel of judges (consisting of published authors), evaluating and deciding upon the top two winning entries. The judges will also be preparing a surprise gift for those in the top two & sharing words of advice during the special blog post.   

• Share! Feel free to share a link to your blog, especially if you have expanded the "blurb" into a full story. 

• Deadline!! ALL ENTRIES must be submitted in the comment area OR by "linking up" at the bottom of this post by MIDNIGHT (EST) ~ Sunday, September 1st, 2013 in order to be considered by the judges.  
• *You're more than welcome to share an entry you come up with at a later time in the comment area, but any posted after the deadline will not be considered as a part of this contest.
  

Make sure to share this writing opportunity with all your writing friends! 

 

Now, let's have some fun! 

Writing Challenge #1: Two Boats

Photo credit: Rhonda (aka Ritty)

Photo (Inspiration) Challenge

Entries must be presented in the form of a "blurb", which you would find on the inside or back cover of a book. Imagine the photo above is the cover photo for the front of your book. Ask yourself: What story is begging to be told through this picture? What title would match this cover photo? 

"There are many reasons for choosing a book, but most involve a summary of the story that draws you in. It turns out that the inside jacket cover may be the most important piece of writing that an author produces. Once the book is in hands, it's often those few paragraphs that decide whether or not the reader will commit. It's the first impression; the not so subtle flirt that seduces us into the story. It must deliver enough character, setting and story to cause us to beg for more." 

(quote from Austin Partners in Education: The Jacket Cover Synopsis)

Rules: 

• Think! Any entries/comments deemed inappropriate by the author of this blog will be deleted. Please use common sense and courtesy for other readers before posting.

• Remember! Grammar, spelling and punctuation count.  
• Suggestion: Ask a friend to edit your "blurb" before submitting it as your final entry. 

• Winners! The top two winners will be announced the day after the contest ends. This will be part of a special blog post, in which their winning entry will be highlighted.

• Surprise! There will be a panel of judges (consisting of published authors), evaluating and deciding upon the top two winning entries. The judges will also be preparing a surprise gift for those in the top two & sharing words of advice during the special blog post.   

Say, "Hello!" to our judges by clicking on their names below!

Rosemary Hines

Tamara Leigh 

• Share! Feel free to share a link to your blog, especially if you have expanded the "blurb" into a full story. 

• Deadline!! ALL ENTRIES must be submitted in the comment area OR by "linking up" at the bottom of this post by Friday, June 28th, 2013 ~ MIDNIGHT ~ EST in order to be considered by the judges.  
• *You're more than welcome to share an entry you come up with at a later time in the comment area, but any posted after the deadline will not be considered as a part of this contest.
  

Make sure to share this writing opportunity with all your writing friends! 

 

Now, let's have some fun!