Before I announce (and congratulate) the winner, please let me first thank everyone who participated in the contest, whether through entering, commenting, voting, or some combination thereof. This has been a lot of fun, you guys are seriously great, and I sense there are more contests in this blog’s future (maybe I AM a seer after all).
Please also allow me to extend another HUGE MASSIVE thanks to Holly, my illustrious co-judge and author of Nothing But Bonfires (you have checked it out and added it to your blog roll, right?), who took many, many hours out of her busy week to help co-judge the contest. And in fact, she was even kind enough to pass along a message to everyone:
******
Hi everyone, Holly here! I just wanted to introduce myself quickly and thank you all so much for your submissions.
When Nathan originally asked me to be a co-judge in his contest, I leaped at the chance—I mean, really, I think I said yes before he’d even finished asking the question.
“Are you sure you’re up for it?” he said. “I mean, I’m not entirely confident you know what you’re getting yourself in for. There are going to be quite a few entries, you know.”
“Pshaw!” I replied. “Why do you think I wear such strong contact lenses? From reading too much, of course! I devour whole novels in a day! I eat anthologies of short stories for breakfast! I can read a few hundred first pages for your competition, Nathan, no sweat!”
Except it wasn’t a few hundred, was it? It was 675. So, uh, thanks for that.
But the truth is, I had a blast. Honestly, I did. And in case there’s any doubt in your mind, I absolutely, unequivocally, cross-my-heart-and-swear-on-a-stack-of-Hills-DVDs read every single entry. (No, seriously! As Spencer is my witness!)
And narrowing them down was hard. It was excruciatingly hard. I started by copying and pasting the ones I was immediately impressed with into a Word document I called FINALISTS. But then I had so many finalists that I had to start another document called FOR REAL FINALISTS. After that came FINALISTS! NO, SERIOUSLY THIS TIME, NO KIDDING, and in that document I had about 30 entries. I cut that down to 15. I cut that down to 10, and then I sent those 10 to Nathan, who sent me his 10 back in return. We found we had two in common, so we put those on the master list.
After that, it all got a little Sophie’s Choice up in here. Of the two I eventually chose as my picks—Julianne’s and Charlotte’s, in case you’re wondering—both were equally evocative, clever, and just plain well-written. (Both were also about funerals, in case you hadn’t noticed, which prompted Nathan to email me and ask if everything was alright.) But the ones I had to leave behind broke my heart: the dead baby in Elladog’s story, the twelve-year-old smart talker in Lincoln Highwayman’s piece, the tarot card reader in Southern Writer’s intro, the newly boob-jobbed protagonist on Len Joy’s page. I wanted to bring them all with me onto the shortlist, and I’m hugely sorry that I couldn’t.
So thank you to all of you for making my days (and my nights—my long, long nights) that little bit more interesting. Thank you for giving me some truly great stuff to read. Thank you for having the courage to enter the competition and the graciousness to congratulate your peers when it was over.
And now I think it’s about time Nathan bought me a shot.
******
Nathan again. And yes, I definitely owe Holly a shot.
I’d also like to extend my own personal congratulations to the authors on my list of final 10 that barely missed the final 6: Eric (“Tweed & Scissors” — almost completed the contest trifecta having made the finalists of two previous blog contests), Walter (the Generalissimo), LindaBudz (the Potato Baby Dare), Ally (the Brown Shoe Diaries), and Michael Reynolds (disappearing teacher). In case you’re further curious, heather!anne! (soup can man) and kari (Possible Happiness) were on both Holly’s and my lists of top 10, and after Holly chose Julianne and Charlotte I chose luc and terryd to round out the top six.
PENULTIMATE congratulations are in order to our wonderful finalists: Julianne, kari, Charlotte, terryd, and luc. (Please e-mail me to discuss your prizes.)
And the ULTIMATE GRAND PRIZE SUPER DELUXE WINNER IS… after 675 entries, many votes, a whole lot of comments, and one great week…. I’m pleased to announce that heather!anne! is the winner of the Surprisingly Essential First Page Challenge!
Thanks again everyone, I hope you will stick around and continue to participate in the blog, and I’ll be back later in the week with the usual blog programming.
Steph Leite says
Congrats y’all!!!
LindaBudz says
Yea!!! Congrats to Heather!Anne! and to all the finalists. Well deserved!
And Nathan, I am beyond thrilled to see I made your top 10. Thanks for posting that, you’ve made my day!
rllgthunder says
Congrats to Heather!Anne! as well as to the other finalists and everyone that entered.
Nice job, Holly and Nathan!
Colorado Writer says
You deserve a break! Thanks for the fun!
Holly says
Hmm, and I should maybe also mention the other two that rounded out my list of 10: they were Tom Chatfield and Nina (The Language of Flowers).
Luc says
Heather!Anne!, congratulations. (I wanted to put an exclamation point after “congratulations,” but found I’d run out.) It’s a humdinger of a story. Are you going to go for the washer/dryer, the new car, or what’s behind door number 1?
R.C. says
That Holly is a hoot, and I’m glad to have a new blog to read.
Congratulations Heather!Anne! and the rest of the finalists! This was a lot of fun! I have a new fondness for exclamation points!!
Helen says
Congratulations to heather!ann!
Holly and Nathan! Thanks for the contest! It was a lot of fun.
Cave Dweller says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne! and to all the finalists, great first pages!
thegirlintthecarthatgotaway says
Congratulations To All!!! Very Well Done!!!
(psst!! and for anyone who needs it, here quick, get in. I’m driving! We can still getaway!)
Anonymous says
I’d never done a contest like this before. It was a lot of fun. Thanks Nathan and Holly!
Julianne Douglas says
Congratulations to Heather Anne and all the finalists, and a huge “thank you” to Holly, Nathan, and everyone who took the time to read and vote. Each of us who learned something here these past few days is a winner! Thanks for the opportunity to share the experience with you, and good luck to everyone in their writing careers.
AstonWest says
Perhaps a random run-down on some of the remainder of the 675 entries, on why they didn’t catch your attention as much as the top entries?
Christopher M. Park says
Haha, if I’d paid more attention to Nathan’s post title, I would have already known who the winner was. Nicely done.
Congratulations to all the finalists, and especially to heather!anne!
Chris
Anonymous says
Congratulations to the winner, Heather!Anne!, to the other 5 finalists, to the 4 runners-up, to Nathan and Holly for holding and judging the contest…and, especially, to all the writers who submitted their entries! Keep writing.
ORION says
Congratulations to everyone who was brave enough to enter! Way to go.
And thanks Holly and Nathan- this was a great learning experience for everybody involved!
Taylor says
Congrats to Heather!Anne! I hope to see you in the next 300 movie.
This! Is! Heather! Anne! 🙂
Tim says
Congratulations Heather!Anne!
It’s official: The exclamation point is the new black!
Ernest says
… I thought the exclamation point was the new 30!
Kudos to all, and thanks to Nathan and Holly for sharing your other finalists and methodology, that’s illuminating.
Will Heather!Anne!’s critique be public? If it’s the 10-min. phone call, can we download the mp3 on iTunes?
Diana says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne!
Thanks, Nathan and Holly, for making this contest possible!
Sumit says
Congratulations Heather!Anne!
Paprikapink says
Hey, I chose Heather!Anne! too. Maybe I’ll be a literary agent when I grow up (next time).
Well, I chose that after Holly and Nathan stopped me from also choosing all the other ones I really loved. As an avid reader, it was fun just to have so many good pages to read. And fun to think that my page was getting a few reads of its own too. Thanks, all!
Nadine says
Congrats to Heather!Anne!! Well done!!!
Adaora A. says
This blog is all sorts of win.
“Back to regular programming later on in the week.”
!
Love it.
Congrats Heather!Anne!
Is Holly sure that Spencer is a good witness? I mean, he does go around decorating flats without his fiancee’s permission. Who does that?
All this I learned about him from reading this blog. I do have two friends who are crazy for this show.
Proud anon b/c I fear that all you bunnies will hunt me down and cause me great harm says
I think John G. Goetrich should win an award for best post:
“Nathan is a total tool. I thought with him being ostensibly a male, and not in NY, that he may be one to have broken out of the current chick-fluff domination of the publishing industry.
Put away your scarf and penny loafers, put down that latte, and regrow some stones, do something involving sweat, and (re)read some Hemingway or something.”
February 4, 2008 9:31 PM
Now that’s good writing! Provocative, incisive, funny, and right on target.
All the “finalists” were cozy, cute fluff stuff which apparently suits the taste of the “judges.” And all the posters with their happy happy attitudes who shudder at criticism (and Nathan for deleting it) demonstrates that this board is strictly for fluff fans.
sunny says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne!
And thanks again Nathan and Holly for spending your time and energy on us!
Sue Eves says
Congratulations, heather!anne! and to all the finalists.
Thanks everyone for the book of first pages – a fascinating read!
Nathan and Holly – I am truly thankful!
Sue
elarasophia says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne!! And well done to all the finalists. Many thanks, Nathan and Holly, for an enjoyable and inspiring contest!
JAK says
Congrats, Heather!Anne! You were my choice – loved it, loved it!
Southern Writer says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne! I hope I’ll hear when your novel is published so I can read the whole thing. Do you think Nathan would let you at least post your hook so we can see what it’s about?
Thanks for the nod, Holly. I’ve been enjoying your blog, too. You are so funny!
Usman says
Congrats heather Anne. I think that was the best of the finalists.
Elladog says
Thanks for mentioning my page, Holly! That’s so encouraging!
And thanks to you both for all your effort! It was a lot of fun and I learned a ton! (And gained a new appreciation for excitable punctuation!)
OBF says
I! Want! To! Read! Heather! Anne’s! Full! Novel!
Please?
Can’t wait until it’s published.
sylvia says
*three cheers*
This was a fun competition and a good learning experience (even for those surly anons — maybe even ESPECIALLY for them).
There were quite a few entries which would have had me turning the page – above and beyond those listed in this post. There were a lot that lost me fast, and I can absolutely see the need for a hook now: Something to make the inundated agent read on.
Thanks again Nathan and Holly and congratulations Heather!Anne!
It’d be interesting to hear which prize she chooses 🙂
Cher Gorman says
Super Congratulations Heather! Anne! and to the other finalists.
Woo Hoo! Enjoy the ride!
Cher
Eric says
Well done and congrats, Heather!Anne!! If you take the phone call as your prize, I’d give that poor bastard a few days to sober up and dry out after what we put him through.
Congrats to the finalists as well, of course, but also to everybody who put it out there for the scrutiny of the masses.
A hearty thank you to Nathan and Holly. I hope your efforts herein are rewarded tenfold, lest we not get another chance to drive you to drink.
TG Franklin says
WTG heather!anne!
Thanks, Nathan & Holly, for the wonderful contest.
Precie says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne!
And congratulations again to all the finalists for such fine work!
And THANK YOU again to Nathan and Holly!
DeadlyAccurate says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne! Yours was one of the three I wanted to pick, though I chose luc’s (I’m more of a spec. fiction reader).
LizR says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne!
And thanks for the contest, Nathan and Holly!
Lori says
Big congrats to Heather Anne! Though I chose Luc, you were my second choice, so I’m glad that one of the two of you won.
Thanks again to Nathan and Holly for all their hard work.
Carol Burge says
Congratulations, Heather!Anne! And huge thanks to Nathan and Holly for putting their precious time into this. You guys rock!
Anonymous says
Congrats to the finalists and others mentioned. And thanks to Nathan and Holly for their hard work and dedication in running the contest.
I know this is an immature reaction, but I’m feeling pretty low about the contest. I do understand that only a tiny percentage of entries can be recognized. But I’m now left in the uncomfortable position of questioning my work without knowing what specifically is wrong with it. (And of course it’s gone through multiple critique groups,etc. I’m not trying to write in a vacuum.) My confidence is shaken. I do wish I hadn’t entered.
I think it might help if Nathan addressed some of the common issues he saw with entries that didn’t work for him. Perhaps that would help some of us who didn’t win identify ways to improve.
mlh says
Congrats to Heather!Anne!.
But I’m wondering, who came in second place? I know you mentioned there would be a second place winner with a set of prizes for him/her? But you didn’t mention the name?
Or did you just decide that the remaining four finalists were all second place winners and would receive similar prizes for getting this far?
burgy61 says
Congratulation’s to Heather!Anne! and the other finalist.
Nathan, thanks for having this contest, it has been a real learning experience. Are you sure you want to have more contests? But I happen to know God loves crazy people, I eagerly await your next contest.
Holly, what can one say but THANK YOU! It was a big undertaking to read every submission and making your decisions must of been hard. From the quality of the ones I’ve read so far I wouldn’t want to pick out a winner.
Congratulations to all who entered and the best of luck with your writing.
Diana says
I think it might help if Nathan addressed some of the common issues he saw with entries that didn’t work for him. Perhaps that would help some of us who didn’t win identify ways to improve.
Anon – it might just be that yours didn’t hit the four things Nathan was looking for. It doesn’t mean it was a bad first page. Unless, of course, there was a rotting corpse. He gave us his feelings on rotting corpses.
Richard says
I couldn’t help but notice that the majority of Nathan’s choices were written in the first person. Heather!Anne!, Luc and Terryd.
I guess this solidifies in my mind that a “no” from an agent doesn’t reflect on your work…generally. It just means they don’t feel your work.
Nathan Bransford says
Richard-
What I’ve learned from past contests is that my picks tend to reflect the entrants — the majority if the entries were first person, and that’s reflected in the finalists.
Holly says
Anonymous at 9:31am — please don’t let this shake your confidence. If you let me know which piece was yours (my email address is on my website), I’d be happy to give you some feedback on it, just from the viewpoint of a common reader.
Anonymous says
Holly,
That is so sweet of you, but that wouldn’t be fair to you after having already done so much work. (You’d probably be inundated by other upset losers!)
Again, I’d love to hear some of the major problems Nathan saw with entries, in addition to rotting corpses. I’m pleased to say that my writing has never featured a corpse, rotting or not.
Look, I woke up in a bad mood because of the inept way California handled non-partisan voters, and took it out in the comments section here. Fascinating contest.. I’ve enjoyed it a lot, and apologize for being such a sad sack earlier. I’m over it!