C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

and . . . The Winner Is, Huh? What? How many?

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Oh dear. The first set of judges narrowed the field to five. The final judge narrowed it to three! This just means we have some very good Opening Lines entries-some excellent writers on board.

So what to do?

I’ve decided to do a dual-first-prize. That means two people will win this round. And who are the winners?

Kathleen Elizabeth you are ONE:
“I’m not crazy. I promise. I don’t talk to walls, pet my invisible cat named Sugar, dance on tables in the cafeteria, or try to channel John Lennon’s wondering spirit through dollar store crystals”

And Bish Denham you are ONE as well!
“The funeral was yesterday. Afterwards they drove me 324 miles away to a small town in the Hill Country. They’ve put me in one of those temporary shelters until they can find a place for me. There are fourteen kids here. It’s noisy and crowded. I hate it. I haven’t said a word to anyone.”

Contact me at cleemckenziebooks AT comcast DOT net and send me your snailmail addresses.

Whew! I am so glad this is decided. I need a vacation. Contests are hard because these darned contestants are so GOOD!

Last Day

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OPENING LINES CONTEST CLOSES TONIGHT. The judges are ready and itching to choose this month’s winner. If you haven’t written the all time best opening yet, here’s one hint that might help.

It’s all about revision, and sometimes the best openings are written AFTER the book is finished-after you’ve deepened your understanding of your characters, developed an enticing plot, and established a consistent tone in your book.

Openings Contest #2

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April is gone! That means I have to come up with my second “Openings Contest” and soon. My first one turned up a great opening, so I’m hoping this one will too.

This time I’m only stipulating, “Write a damned good start to any novel.” Pull me into the story. I don’t care if it’s a WIP or something you’re only thinking about writing someday, sometime, maybe.

The prize is the same: a critique of one opening chapter-any opening chapter, just not War and Peace, okay?

Here’s what Mike Boyd, our first winner says:

“I encourage everyone to jump into this. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s fast (a lot quicker than a Best New Novel competition!), and as Samuel Johnson said of an impending execution, ‘It focuses the mind wonderfully.’

When a reader picks up your book or manuscript, the first sentence is the most important one in the entire work. It’s what motivates her to read the second (which then becomes the most important sentence-but only briefly). What this means is that an Openings contest is one of the most valuable writing exercises you can try. And best of all-you might win!”

So? What are you waiting for? Let’s see those entries. The judges are itching to get started.

Good Openings

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I’ve received several posts for the Openings Contest and they are pretty darned good. This ain’t going to be easy. I’m calling in my consultants as judges. They are serious and scholarly as you can see by their photo.

Once Upon a Time

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I remember when “Once Upon a Time” lured me into stories where I could be guaranteed a handsome prince, a few elves, and maybe a unicorn. These words promised an adventure and hours of enjoyment.

I still read the beginning of books that I consider buying and it’s those opening words that either capture my interest or don’t. I thought it might be interesting to see what kinds of openings grab people.

So, here’s a challenge. Once a month (this is not a contract, but a goal) I’ll post a story type: Young Adult Adventure or Romance or Fantasy. And then I’ll write an opening (no more than one sentence, but it doesn’t have to be a sentence).

I’d love to see what kinds of other opening lines you’ll contribute. Hey, maybe I’ll think of a prize for the BEST STORY OPENING-one I won’t be eligible to win.

So how about this month we play with that YA Adventure story? Here’s how my story would start.

I’ve kept the secret for almost three months, but I have to tell someone soon because I’ve only got another week before it’ll be too late.