Contest is over!
In honor of YA Highway's one-year anniversary, we're hosting a massive, gigantic, monumental, thesaurus-shattering giveaway of epic proportions! The contest will span three days of prizes: for those who read, for those who write, and just for fun.
YA Highway Anniversary Giveaway Day Two:for those who write!
the prizes:
And there's more!YA Highway bloggers Kristin Miller, Michelle Schusterman, and Kirsten Hubbard are hosting separate giveaways on their personal blogs.
Make sure to visit them for yet another chance to win!
the rules...
Fill out the form below to enter for today's prizes. You must be a YA Highway follower to win, and you must provide your name and email address so we can contact you.
Queries, synopses and pages eligible for critique must be YA or MG (any genre).
today's contest is open to everyone, from the americas to anarctica to azerbaijan!
Queries, synopses and pages eligible for critique must be YA or MG (any genre).
today's contest is open to everyone, from the americas to anarctica to azerbaijan!
The giveaway ends at midnight PST on Sunday, June 6th.
Winners will be announced Monday, June 7th.
They'll be selected in order via random number generator, and matched with the agent or writer(s) giving their critique. Instructions on sending materials will follow.
Winners will be announced Monday, June 7th.
They'll be selected in order via random number generator, and matched with the agent or writer(s) giving their critique. Instructions on sending materials will follow.
Cool prizes!! Definitely entering.
ReplyDelete'WOW' doesn't even begin to describe this. This is HURL-MY-SHIRT-OFF AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteFave writing tip?
If you want to read a good book, write one.
(Benjamin Disraeli said that)
My favorite writing tip is "Write because you enjoy writing, not for money". I heard something along those lines in a Jackson Pearce video.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite writing tip comes from the last days of NaNoWriMo madness, actually. "If you're having plot problems, now's the time to kill someone." ^_^
ReplyDeleteThe best writing advice I got is to lower my standards when it comes to writing my first draft. Also, something I learned over the years when I posted my stories online was that "write like your the greatest writer in the world and edit like you're the worst."
ReplyDeleteGreat giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy tip: Don't feel like you have to write your book in order from beginning to end. Write the bits you know & then find ways to connect them.
Wow, great contest. My favourite writing tip is "What you write becomes who you are…so make sure you love what you write!"
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip of all time? If you feel tired, feel like you can't do it anymore, feel like it will never happen, there's one solution: keep writing!
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip? Just write.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip: Drink wine. Ok, not really. Ok, sometimes really.
ReplyDeleteBut here's a better one: When you're stuck, switch gears and write about something else. It can be as simple as looking around the room and describing what you see. Usually that's enough to get the juices flowing again!
my writing tip? jot down any ideas you have in a book.doesnt matter how silly it would be. =)
ReplyDeleteYou guys are the best! My favorite writing tip is simply to follow YA highway and learn from y'all! Thanks for helping all the fledging writers out here!
ReplyDeleteSarah B. that's exactly how I do it!! It works great for me and it's kinda fun to connect the dots too!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is: If you think you won't make it, just keep going.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing type: Write the first draft for you only. (Thanks Stephen King).
ReplyDeleteGreat contest, folks!
ReplyDeleteMy tip: write about vampires! jk jk
My real tip would be to always push your story drama level to 11 ( cause it's louder than 10); stryfe, angst, and trouble are the fuel for great stories, use them early and often.
Besides, everyone knows smoke monsters are what's hot.
If you asked me my favorite writing tip six months ago, I would have said to just plunge into a first draft with a vague idea and see where it takes you.
ReplyDeleteAfter floundering for several years with novels that never really got on track after several drafts, my tip is to have some sort of roadmap for where your story's going, even if it's just an opening scene, a middle twist, and an ending.
Great contests so far!!!
Great contest!
ReplyDeleteAnd my tip: Just write.
This is ALL kinds of awesome! Writing tip: walk away for a couple of days b/w revisions. Come back with fresh eyes!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'm so there.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip? Set a goal and stick to it.
My favorite writing tip comes from Earnest Gaines: "The Six Golden Rules of Writing: read, read, read, and write, write, write."
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tip: write what you want to know, not necessarily what you already know
ReplyDeletefave writing tip:
ReplyDeleteconflict is might not be fun to live, but it's fun to read. so put your characters in trees then throw rocks at them.
These are some amazing prizes!! Favorite writing tip: Don't be attached to your first manuscript. You're just learning a new craft and it very well may never be published. However don't look at it as wasted time, either. You just put yourself in a college for one. You need to learn. But don't put all your hopes in that first manuscript.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm giving myself permission to suck when it comes to writing a first draft. Really takes the pressure off! ;)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is that you have to be willing to edit, edit, edit. And to not be afraid to cut sections that don't move your story forward.
ReplyDeleteMy writing tip: Always sit on it for at least a few weeks before revising a frist draft.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is just write the first draft. Worry about perfecting it later, just get it out there. I constantly have to remind myself this. :)
ReplyDeleteawesomely awesome prizes, ladies! I am crossing my fingers for this one.
ReplyDeleteMy fav writing tip, that has worked for me more than any other:
Keep your fingers ON THE KEYBOARD.
I had no idea how much time I spent staring into space with my hands on my lap until I focused on following this advice. Needless to say, one hardly writes any words with hands in lap.
Wowza! This falls into AWESOMO category.
ReplyDeleteMy tip?
Don't hold back. The best books are ones where the writer risks everything and writes from the heart, not the head.
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Favorite writing tip is trifold: read, write, repeat (don't stop).
ReplyDeleteI can't pick my favorite, so you get my top two favorite writing tips.
ReplyDeleteStephen King: "Murder your darlings."
and EM Forster (paraphrased because I left my copy of Aspects of a Novel at home): The king died and the queen died is "story." The king died and then the queen died because of grief is "plot."
My favorite writing tip. Even if it's bad, write it down. You can fix a bad page but not an empty one.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip? Switching it up: I always have to switch back and forth between writing, editing, and dreaming up ideas...just as long as I'm always doing something related to the book...and music and caffiene work wonders :)
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to write a story that you want to read. Write what you love!
ReplyDeleteI just love all these writing tips!
ReplyDeleteMy go-to writing tip is simple - "Writers write."
ReplyDeleteFantastic!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip: Butt In Chair!
Awesome prizes!!
ReplyDeleteMy best advice: vow to write 250 words per day, often you will write more, but you will get to your goal!! Go YA writers!
The prizes! The prizes!! <3
ReplyDeleteMy writing tip: Write the book you want to read :-)
Awesome prizes! I love it.
ReplyDeleteI got great writing advice from my writer friend who is a huge Stephen King fan, and told me his tip that when you become a writer you have to stop thinking about what polite society will think about your book, because as writers you're no longer a part of polite society. :)
Have I mentioned I LOVE prizes? Because I do.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is to embrace the shitty first draft. (Now only if I could follow that to the letter.)
You guys have to go down as the best contest peeps ev-ah! My fave writing tip: Turn off the TV and the wireless Internet and write! (That's the one I need the most)
ReplyDeleteawesome contest!
ReplyDeletemy tip:
When you're blocked, open a new copy of ms, change something in the plot and move on.
My writing tip is to write to music that can pull you through your scenes. It works so well if you get stuck.
ReplyDeleteWOW. So generous of everyone to offer these critiques!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is "Bird by bird" (Anne Lamott). Always keeps me going when I get overwhelmed.
My favourite writing tip? Just write. Forget grammar, spelling, word counts. Just write. You can fix the rest later.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip:
ReplyDeleteFinish the book.
My tip would be:
ReplyDeleteWrite with passion, write with conviction, write with an open heart, write because you cannot hold it in, because the need to express yourself, your ideas and your feelings are important, write because you must...
Visit My Kingdom Anytime
My tip would be to read! Works similar to yours, works of authors with writing styles you admire.
ReplyDeleteMy best advice is to only cut, cut, cut when you know exactly what to cut, cut, cut!
ReplyDeleteGreat prizes! Thanks!
My favorite writing tip is don't give up. If you keep working hard enough, you will finish, you will polish, and you will have a novel you are proud of.
ReplyDeleteYou rock. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteFave writing tip: Write what you love. :)
Wow fabulous prizes!
ReplyDeleteFavourite writing tip - Never tell a thing you can show.
How fun!
ReplyDeleteFave writing tip: BIC. (Butt In Chair, courtesy of The Jane Yolen)
Ooo!! Favorite writing tip: just write. Don't worry about how good it is. Turn off the internal editor. Editing is for second drafts. Just write.
ReplyDeleteGreat prizes, y'all!
Great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is to write around your main story. Pen a couple of shorts about characters, develop histories. Enjoy the adventure.
My favorite writing tip is,
ReplyDelete"One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now."
~ Annie Dillard
Such a cool contest!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip:
"In writing, you can get by with almost anything as long as you motivate it properly." ~ Catherine Spangler
This is on a post-it on my computer so there are no excuses!
Music. I always have music playing when I work. Some authors hae a book playlist. I'm one of them (even though it's not very good...)
ReplyDeleteThese prizes are great! Thanks so much for Giveaway. My favorite writing tip is: Writing is Rewriting.
ReplyDeleteI'm living it right now.
Thanks again.
When I'm totally blocked, can't seem to write anything but crap, and feel like I'm forcing my way through a scene, it *always* means my muse thinks I'm writing the wrong thing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, trust your muse. They're much happier when they feel like they're in control :-)
Formulate a strict outline once. And then abandon it halfway.
ReplyDeleteGreat contest!
My favorite writing tip would be: Write what you like to read.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is to just get the words down for the first draft and worry about making it shine during revisions. The first draft will suck.
ReplyDeleteFantastic!
ReplyDeleteThe best writing tip I ever got was: "Never stop."
ReplyDeleteIt just doesn't get any more real than that.
Oooh, fantastic! *is excited*
ReplyDeleteMy tip: just get your butt in the chair and write. Not everything will be amazing - that's what revisions are for. :)
Writing tip: If you're stuck on page 65 of your novel, stop. Pick raspberries. Let the ideas marinate. Then pick up the pen (or get BIC) and try again.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip comes from Jay Boyer, a screenwriting professor at ASU:
ReplyDeleteIf you find your character staring out the window thinking to himself, you're heading into trouble, usually concerning your plot. The best cure? Bring another character into the scene to interact with the first.
My favorite writing tip is to, in the words of Nike, 'Just Do It". I was trying to edit every little word as I went and it was sooo time consuming!
ReplyDeleteMy friend told me to just write and worry about the rest later. Best advice ever!
Great contest! My favorite writing tip comes via Lisa Yee and is actually a revision tip: Put your MS in a completely different font when revising to see it with fresher eyes.
ReplyDeleteGreat contest and glad you lured me into following your blog. Here's my tip:
ReplyDeleteWhen revising, try not only reading your manuscript outloud but also record yourself reading and play it back. You'll catch more mistakes this way.
My best tip - read out loud. Edit. read out loud again. Edit. Repeat until you stop falling over your words.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip:
ReplyDeleteYou don't write a story, you translate what the characters experience. It's their voice you borrow and their lives you have the privilege of sharing with the world. Your words are all the world will ever know of them, so don't let them down.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Prizes-- I'm entering now...
ReplyDeleteBut before that, here is my favorite writing tip "write the book inside you, not the one you think others want". I like this 'cause it keeps me true to myself.
The best writing tip I ever got is "focus on quantity, not quality." That may sound counter productive, but if I hadn't forced myself to write 50,000 words (yes, we're talking NaNoWriMo here) I never would have had a story to warp into what is now a (what I believe) great story.
ReplyDeleteI guess this tip should come with a warning label or something.
Great giveaway - thanks for having such a fab contest!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip:
Every big author had to start somewhere...be it a single Mom with her baby in a stroller, writing down notes in a coffee shop, on a napkin - to an unemployed mother, who dreamt about a vampire, his true love, and a magical field of flowers.
Anything is possible.
My favourite tip is simple - don't give up!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite writing tip: butt in chair. Just do it, as Nike says.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is to write while you're not writing. For example, when you're standing in line at the store or sitting in traffic, plot, plan and set your novel!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is to have a life outside of writing.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I finally got my favorite writing tip: Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
ReplyDeleteI also like: Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
and: Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
Awesome contest!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tip?
The wastebasket is the writer's best friend :D
my favorite tip for writers/writing:
ReplyDelete-write what you love
-read all the time
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com
My best writing advice is that you need to live life in order to write about it! :)
ReplyDeleteTip: Have a very clear idea of your character's background eg What
ReplyDeletes their favourite food? What street did the live on? You do not have to incorporate unnecessary details in the story, but knowing the backstory can go along way to building a well developed, believeable character.
I really like this writing tip- don't remember where I heard it.
ReplyDelete"A good story needs to be like a ladies skirt. Long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interresting."
I always liked this one:
ReplyDelete"It is impossible to discourage the real writers – they don’t give a damn what you say, they’re going to write." –Sinclair Lewis (a badass way of saying 'don’t give up')
And I like one I just read on the comments: Have a life outside of writing.
Amazing contest!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is - finish that first draft! Don't abandon it or get distracted... no one is going to publish an unfinished novel.
Aww, I actually live in Azerbaijan, but mine is not YA or MG (though one of my MC's is 16).
ReplyDeleteMy latest motto is to be FEARLESS in your writing. Don't be afraid to write the way the story needs to be told.
ReplyDelete"Be ruthless in revisions. Guard the truth in your words, even against self-destruction. Be fearless in the presence of those more skilled and powerful than you. Listen with your heart while always seeking with your mind. Be the model you would set for those who might follow in your footsteps. Do all of this with the ability to stand after a million falls and you will be a great writer."
ReplyDeleteMy e-mail is on my profile, if you need it. :)
My favorite writing tip. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteEmotions. Emotions. Emotions. Make sure your characters have them. And make sure they're visible in the first page if you want your reader to connect with your mc. Or so I've been told.
My favorite writing tip is to always write for yourself, not what you think others will like.
ReplyDeleteLove this blog. New follower - thanks Kirsten!
ReplyDeleteFav tip - write with passion.
My favorite writing tip is to never stop learning. Keep honing your skills and brushing up on technique and be open to trying something new.
ReplyDeleteMargay
Great contest! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy tip: Listen to your critics, but also develop a thick skin, and remember: in the end, it's your book and no one else can write it like you can.
Favorite tip:
ReplyDeleteBe sure each scene serves multiple purposes, develops more than one aspect of the story. Characterization, plot, setting... (From P.C. Wrede)
My favorite writing advice is "show don't tell" but it's the hardest thing for me to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing contest!
My favorite writing tip? Just keep writing ... eventually something decent will form on the paper.
ReplyDeleteOh ... and find a small group of people to work with for inspiration and motivation.
Wow! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip has to be... show, don't tell. Because I have trouble with telling more than showing so whenever I want to write about how a person acts, I force myself to show it through their acts. (Though a lot of the times I forget and/or fail).
Butt in chair, every day, no excuses!
ReplyDeleteWriting tip: Turn off the internet when you right. On laptops, there's usually a switch somewhere that turns of wireless or you can just unplug your modem.
ReplyDeleteMy fave writing tip is one of my own making: Rules were meant to be followed, unless you have a reason to break them.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip: Pile on the complications. When things are slowing down or you're getting tired of your story, add a twist.
ReplyDeleteMy best writing tip is to join a critique group or find a critique partner. They will see your manuscript with fresh eyes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great contest, YAH!
My favorite writing tip: let your dialogue do the work for you to demonstrate a character's emotion, not the dialogue tags!
ReplyDeleteFavorite has to be 'Just write it out!' Relax and it will all come.
ReplyDeleteGreat contest. Thanks.
Never go a day without reading or writing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip: "Just keep writing, just keep writing..." Taken from Finding Nemo.
ReplyDeleteIt all comes down to BUTT IN CHAIR!
ReplyDeleteFab contest! Writing tip: serve the story above anything else.
ReplyDeleteI'm in!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip comes from Ernest Hemingway:
Write drunk, edit sober.
Just kidding, of course! (Mostly ;-)
My tip? Always let your story sit for a while before returning to it. It makes every editing better and better.
ReplyDeleteahhh~ i want to win! excited does not describe me FANTASTICALAWESOMEICANTWAITIHOPEIWIN does!
ReplyDeleteawesome contest!! *fingers crossed*
ReplyDeletefavourite writing tip--- inspiration does not lead to action. action leads to inspiration.
i.e. write, write, write :)
Favorite writing tip: KEEP DOING IT! Don't give up just because you're having a bad day. Write, write, write! You're bound to get better if you persist.
ReplyDeleteWrite A LOT. Read A LOT. Listen to music A LOT. Then go back and redo all of those things :)
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying your blog-thanks
ReplyDeletemy tip: print out a copy and read aloud. You see so much more when you're not staring at the screen.
ReplyDeleteWriting tip of the month (this has been working for me well this month): Having trouble moving a character through a scene? Sit in a quiet spot, and "play" the movie in your mind. Get into the head of your protagonist, and walk through the scene as that person. TRY IT!
ReplyDeleteWriting tip: Read the scenes that are giving you trouble out loud, you'll probably pick up on what's wrong right away.
ReplyDeleteWriting tip: just let the words flow, just write. Editing & stressing are for later, just have fun with it the first time around! ;)
ReplyDeleteSuper contest!! My favorite writing tip: Understand every character in your WIP's motivation -- in every scene and throughout the entire work. Even the secondary characters. :-D
ReplyDeleteBest advice: just do it. Don't let a blank page discourage you.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip: Record yourself having a conversation between your characters if you're having trouble typing out the dialog
ReplyDeleteWriting tip: take a hot shower when you're stuck. Or a long drive.
ReplyDeleteFavorite writing tip?
ReplyDeleteI loved Maureen Johnson's Dare To Suck vlog. I felt so much better after she spent almost four minutes telling me that it's awesome that my stories totally suck and will never go anywhere unless I go back and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite and rewrite. Thanks Maureen!
My favourite writing tip is to write from your heart and worry about everything else later :D
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Emma :)
ACK. SO AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip...It was on inkpop.com, said by one of the editors. She said just write, write, write. Write what you feel, what you think, what you want. You can always come with a pair of monster later to rip it apart.
Write to the end of your first draft. Don't stop and keep editing. A first draft is to a writer what a sketch is to an artist.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is to make the time to write. It's something I definitely need to follow. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite writing advice: just do it. (Write that is, not whatever Nike is advertising you do).
ReplyDeleteY'all are too awesome! Thanks for spreading the joy.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip comes from Laurie Halse Anderson - Write for 15 minutes every day.
Favorite writing tip:
ReplyDeleteIf you don't enjoy writing it, we won't enjoy reading it. Write what you love!
The best writing tip I have is just get your butt in a chair and write. I personally write everything I can and edit later. It helps me keep from having to stop my groove to edit something that might get cut anyway.
ReplyDeletegreat contest!! Fav writing tip: "you can't edit a blank page" paraphrased Jodi Picoult
ReplyDeleteBest tip in the world:
ReplyDeleteApply my seat to the seat and type.
My fave writing tip would have to be: "Don't look at a crappy published book and ask why not me? Look at your favorite book, and say I want to be as good as that."
ReplyDeleteI think both your blog and this contest are great ideas!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip comes from author Sean Ferrell, whose debut novel "Numb" hits stores in August. It's a variation on Nike's "just do it" slogan. Sean says all great stories are finished the same way: one word at a time.
I remember his words whenever my confidence feels shaky. They remind me that even if I manage no more than a paragraph that day, I'm still writing. I'm proud to say my own YA story, "Send" is now at 40,000 words!
my favorite tip: BIC (butt in chair) and pour it out. Edit in later
ReplyDeleteWow! Awesome contest!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite writing tip is pretty simple, Writers write! I tell myself that every day.
So um, yeah. I just realized I wrote my email address wrong on my entry! If I am lucky enough to win one, my email address is actually valeriekwrites at gmail dot com!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Contest!!!
ReplyDeleteTip...NEVER double space after a period. BAD!!!