• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Blog
  • Writing Advice
  • Agents and Publishing
  • Self-publishing
  • About
  • Get Editing

LIFPC Update #2

October 23, 2007 by Nathan Bransford 32 Comments

To answer your questions: yes, I still prefer bourbon, and no, Captain Morgan are not corporate sponsors (more like corporate enablers). Hooray for the LIFPC!

And now’s the part of the Largely Indisipensible First Paragraph Challenge where I puff out my chest and act like I’m totally ready for the task of selecting a winner from the 260… er, 261… er, 262… entries and that I am totally content and serene and not at all scared. Mostly. Ok, not really.

Announcement time!! We have our first rule I mean guideline change: you now have until Thursday night to get your entries in. Why am I giving you an extra full day? I feel no pain!! (also I have plans on Wednesday). So remember: you have until Thursday night. Spread the word. Nominees will be announced on Friday and the winner will still be announced on Monday.

Please continue to enter if you haven’t already, I actually am having a great time with this. Let’s see who is the most largely indispensible of them all!

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: contests

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    October 23, 2007 at 4:10 pm

    OMG! Are you insane?

    Is there like springs and sparks emitting from your computer? Can your blog even support this many comments? I stayed up late last night gasping as the numbers went up. I shake my head in disbelief.

    Kimberly Lynn

    Reply
  2. Mrs. Revis says

    October 23, 2007 at 4:15 pm

    I blame the Captain…he makes you think you can do anything.

    Reply
  3. Church Lady says

    October 23, 2007 at 4:34 pm

    OMG! I stayed up all night reading Miss Snark’s crapometer.

    This is great! I can’t believe you’re doing this, but thanks!

    ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  4. Laurel Amberdine says

    October 23, 2007 at 4:40 pm

    Awesome. You’ll get that billion entries yet!

    (I have used what word-spreading capabilities I have.)

    Reply
  5. Heidi the Hick says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:00 pm

    Hang the rules!!!

    They’re really more like guidelines!

    Indisipensidible conteshts are awshome!

    (Why is the rum always gone?)

    Reply
  6. Erik says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:09 pm

    Oh, c’mon folks, we know the outcome of at least one contest.

    It will be ruled a suicide.

    Reply
  7. ORION says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:12 pm

    And this was a good idea BECAUSE????

    Reply
  8. ~Nancy says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:18 pm

    Until Thursday now?

    Wow, just wow.

    You’re definitely going to need some more food and drink. How about heading over to O’Reilly’s on Green Street? (I’ve used part of the mural inside as my profile picture.)

    Just stay away from the fried calamari there. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  9. bria says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:30 pm

    Nathan – You brave, brave man you.

    Thanks for this. I’m having a ball reading all of them.

    Reply
  10. Kimber An says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:39 pm

    I also like Reid’s and Christopher M. Park’s best so far, though each are missing something and I don’t know what it is. Does that ever happen to agents?

    This is fun reading snippets from Bloggers I’ve encountered in cyberspace!

    Reply
  11. Rhonda Stapleton says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:51 pm

    HAH–you’re drunk now while typing this, aren’t you?

    Teasing.

    Seriously, though, this should be a lot of fun! I’m amazed at the number of entries you’ve received.

    On a side note, you seem like a very personable agent. Kudos to you for being so accessible and fun!

    Reply
  12. Precie says

    October 23, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    I do believe the men in the white coats will be visiting you on Tuesday with a specially made jacket just for you. Tuesday. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  13. Other Lisa says

    October 23, 2007 at 6:18 pm

    I’m taking pity on you and your liver and am not adding an entry to the pile…

    Reply
  14. Ello says

    October 23, 2007 at 6:27 pm

    That’s crazy talk! I am just laughing at you.

    Reply
  15. Dave Wood says

    October 23, 2007 at 6:46 pm

    Yes. Definitely insane, and probably pickled, too.

    Reply
  16. Welshcake says

    October 23, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    Crikey.

    Nathan, youโ€™re going to need a few more bottles of rum.

    Great contest! Iโ€™m enjoying reading the openings.

    Reply
  17. Morgan St. John says

    October 23, 2007 at 7:48 pm

    You’ve been plugged into my blog…

    I really hope you get your billion entries. I’ll even post for T13. That might help. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Hmm, that just gave me a good idea.

    Reply
  18. Colorado Writer says

    October 23, 2007 at 8:08 pm

    Everytime I check it’s doubled in size! You are brave. Oh, so brave. Has Miss Snark chimed in?

    Reply
  19. Precie says

    October 23, 2007 at 8:36 pm

    The First Line Challenge got up into the 500s, didn’t it? Should we start laying bets on the total number of FP entries?

    Reply
  20. 150 says

    October 23, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    These are so much fun to read. Thanks!

    Reply
  21. FOUR DINNERS says

    October 23, 2007 at 9:42 pm

    I’m completely indispensable. My Kronenburg told me so.

    Reply
  22. Karen Duvall says

    October 23, 2007 at 10:13 pm

    I’ve been reading the entries, too, and find it really fascinating how diverse they are. Lots of different genres, voices, styles, techniques… Isn’t it refreshing to see so much enthusiasm for the written word? I think so. And I’m hoping many of these go on to become published works.

    I’ve been surprised at the number of first paragraphs that begin with description of setting.

    Reply
  23. mkcbunny says

    October 23, 2007 at 10:46 pm

    Mention of bourbon and a contest, all in one post. What’s not to love?

    Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    October 23, 2007 at 11:15 pm

    The squeaky wheels rolling along the cement floor alerted Carl it was mid-day and time for mail. He pictured Hal hunched over, pushing a metal cart, knowing he wouldnโ€™t stop. He never had. Staring at the yellowed ceiling inches above, Carl laced his fingers behind his head as he stretched out on the bunk. He looked at the dried remains of a fly. Only a trace of blood remained of the once bothersome insect. โ€œHey, Carl. You got mail.โ€

    Reply
  25. Heidi the Hick says

    October 24, 2007 at 1:21 am

    I am getting nothing done because of this contest!

    Fascinating! I can’t wait to see how it ends!

    Reply
  26. A Paperback Writer says

    October 24, 2007 at 1:52 am

    Geez, Nathan, I love my job, too, but I’d NEVER offer to let kids write extra essays for me to grade “for fun.” shudder.

    Reply
  27. Ello says

    October 24, 2007 at 3:22 am

    Wow, I am having a much harder time reading the first paragraphs than I did reading the first lines. I find myself skimming alot of them just because of the sheer scope of paragraphs so far, only stopping on an interestng word or sentence structure. Is that what it feels like to be an agent?

    Reply
  28. emilyofnewmoon says

    October 24, 2007 at 11:47 am

    What a great contest! So transparent…For once, no one can use the ‘postman lost my entry’ excuse *laughs*. It’s also a scary look inside the agent’s world…

    Reply
  29. V L Smith says

    October 24, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    Wednesday morning. Just think! If you hadn’t banged out those ill-fated words, “you now have until Thursday night,” you could have seen the light at the end of the tunnel today. But, alas, you will continue to wander in the dark, lost in the entries that will continue to mount. By nightfall, you will wonder, “Were those plans really worth it?”

    Reply
  30. Lupina says

    October 24, 2007 at 4:57 pm

    Maybe it’s not so bad for Nathan after all…it’s rather like a cyber-slush pile, except it’s all in one convenient list for easy skimming, with everyone sending in their best stuff. And with more entries, it increases the odds that the winning paragraph will yield a decent partial which could yield a decent book. Win-win for him and author. And we are all having fun in the meantime. Perhaps Nathan you ARE crazy…like a fox! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  31. Edix says

    October 25, 2007 at 2:19 pm

    I read through them all in one cup of steaming hot java. You can tell pretty quickly when you are hooked.

    thanks for the fun contest. I would love to use some of these for writing prompts in our writing club.

    Reply
  32. Chumplet says

    October 25, 2007 at 10:34 pm

    When going through such a massive amount of entries at one time, it’s easy to determine what will hook you and what won’t.

    I’m kinda glad Nathan is recruiting the services of a different reader to help him choose his finalists, although his first Good Girl was wise with her choices. Perhaps some entries extracted from the first line contest will attract the attention of Second Good Girl.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

Subscribe!

Subscribe to the newsletter and get a FREE writing, publishing, or marketing course.

Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums
Footer Logo
Nathan Bransford

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Editing Services
  • My Books
  • About Me
  • Blog Directory
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Logo Facebook Logo Instagram Logo
As an Amazon and Bookshop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and Bookshop links are usually affiliate links.