I have read all 1500+ entries! I think I pulled a paragraph muscle in the process, but I have decided on the finalists. All shall be revealed tomorrow.
In the meantime, a contest tradition, the Stupendously Ultimate Word Cloud courtesy of the good folks at
Phil says
Nathan: did you read through every paragraph, or did you develop the ability to decide 'no' after reading the first sentence if it was uninteresting enough and jump immediately to the next? Just curious!
Mike Koch - Protect The Risen says
Hey Phil, that is a great question. I for one, since the contest did not hinge on my opinion, did just that.
Sierra McConnell says
I honestly couldn't pick favorites out of so many without printing them out and going through a similar process to what you've done.
However, the ones I liked, I think, were the ones who weren't trying to be something they weren't. I liked the ones that were simple and to the point. The ones that stood out as they were, and that didn't have the brushings of "HEY LOOK AT ME". They were beautiful, they were there, and they made me want to read them.
The Lemonade Stand says
congrats on finishing all those entries! That is some massive dedication you have. I am still in the hundreds and I have NO idea how you can pick. Thanks for the contest and early congrats to the finalists.
aspiring_x says
I wonder why "eyes" seems to show up in every wordle…
Martin Rose says
I definitely couldn't read through each and every paragraph. You feel it when something grabs you and makes you want to keep reading. Though I haven't read them all, I've gone through several hundred and some that stood out for me written by:
Tchann, Ria, Ken Lindsey, JoshH, Michelle Mason, Summer Leigh.
I prefer the subtle, the quiet, prose that takes its time to set up a complex story.
I'm curious to know if as many people will take the time to read these entries as took the time to enter the contest — it would reveal much about the nature of our passions.
Red Boot Pearl says
I'm still reading but my fav's so far are by S. Kyle Davis and Raven Blackmane…
I got kind of sick of all the blood, guts, killing etc.
After reading so many 'shocking' things they tended to blend.
Hillsy says
I've got nothing but praise and admiration for anyone who can go through 1500+ paragraphs and even begin to catagorise them.
I Couldn't. My concentration span is about 1400 queries too short.
I'd be like an alcoholic who had to judge a "nicest beer bottle label contest" before being allowed a drink. After the first hour you'd be like "Nothing is going to beat that!" just to stop the torment.
Word Verification – amessup: honestly I'm not kidding
Caroline says
I only found time to read a few hundred, but I decided that, for me, a first paragraph is like a pickup line. I don't want someone to leap out of the bushes. I don't want someone to say something that sounds canned, insincerely florid, or unoriginal. It's fun when they have a good sense of humor. But, mostly, I like someone who can just sit down and converse in mellow, intelligent, welcoming fashion.
That's true for any genre — fantasy, sci fi, horror. I like a slightly human intro before trying to get to know the world better.
Stephanie McGee says
I sadly did not get to read through any of the entries. Life got too insane. But I'll be interested to see the finalists.
Mr. D says
Anyone who can read 1500 disconnected paragraphs, let alone make a discriminating judgment on each one, definitely qualifies to be…an agent!
Jordan McCollum says
I'm with Hillsy. I was really impressed with so many of the early entries I almost didn't bother entering. But then, hey, I only lost out on the three seconds it took to cut and past my paragraph.
I find it really interesting that "man" is so much bigger than "woman" (it took some searching even to find "woman"). Even "mother" was bigger than woman. (Enter Freud.)
Marlene Nash-McKay says
Nathan: congratulations on getting through all of them and still being able to think straight let alone write coherent sentences of your own. You are the better person.
kiki says
Thanks for reading all 1500+. It's so great that you would do something like that when you don't have to.
Durango Writer says
I read through at least two-thirds. Like Mike Koch, I relied on the first sentence to hook me (or not). The entries that appealed most to me were brief. They used few words to say so much. They grabbed me in my gut and twisted it.
Amy Saia
Wry Wryter
Bethany Brengan
My favorite was Samantha. "Starts with scissors." The act of removing all sharp and dangerous objects says so much more than if the writer described what was wrong with the boy.
As a side note: thanks to the writers who submitted true first paragraphs instead of gobs of text running together.
Leah Petersen says
I read scattered pages throughout, maybe 10 so far. After a while, I did start skipping if the first sentence didn't grab me.
And I skipped completely those that were clearly more than one para.
I didn't compile a list of those I liked best. Wish I had now…
Anonymous says
Ohhhh, Thank you for the Word Cloud. I was so hoping you wouldn't forget that. It is one of my favorite parts of your contests.
Kevin says
I'm going to preface my comment by saying that I am not a YA fan, which seems to validate the adage of "knowing your market and targeting the right agent." I'm sure there are a lot of entries that would pass muster, just not for me.
Otherwise, two entries jumped out at me. One I found again, the other I couldn't so I'll offer my apologies here for not giving due credit.
First: Carrie Keyes
A conflicted San Diego woman who is frying bacon in wine-stained pajamas and contemplating premature deaths of jaguars in American zoos can hardly be expected to react well when the phone rings for the first time in days with disturbing news.
Unusual and interesting. I am no expert, but Carrie, if you are reading this, snip a few adjectives and you will have a killer paragraph..and cut the "for the first time in days."
Again, just one person's opinion.
The other one I couldn't find this morning so I can't quote verbatim. But someone had commented on it earlier. Something about a mother who arranges a search party- herself and a bottle of whiskey.
MARVELOUS imagery and one that shows a command of the language. Well done.
Lastly, I want to thank you, Nathan, for this exercise. I got more out of this than a shelf full of how-to books.
I developed my own version of "I can name that tune" by reading through these entries.
I can only add, sir, that I have a new and healthy understanding of what it takes to snag an agent.
Two. Wow. Nothing against all who entered. This is a subjective business. I offer congratulations to all who dared, and encouragement for your future endeavors.
S. Kyle Davis says
Thanks, Red Boot Pearl! Glad you liked it.
Jordan, could it be that there were more female than male MCs? I didn't read them all, and can't remember from what I did read, but it seems possible. If so, then "woman" would be featured less than "man" anyway.
All in all, there were a quite a few very strong starts. I think the variety of intro approaches was as large as the variety of tastes in openings we're seeing in these comments. Some like quiet openings, some like gripping, voice-filled ones. Overall, the concensus so far, though, is that people don't like overly-obvious "attention getters." If I started the book with "BANANA!" in all caps, but the rest of the scene/book had absolutely nothing to do with bananas, this reads as a stunt.
Be attention-grabbing without looking like you're attention-grabbing.
Interesting…
Sean says
Wow, that's amazing, Nathan. You probably didn't even have time to watch any of that "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" marathon over the weekend on E!. Maybe you should do this more often… 😉
There were a lot of really great entries and I knew mine was doomed from the start, but thank you for the education!
Henri says
Thanks for offering these contests as often as you do. I will be interested to see what you come up with, especially after having read several dozen of the entries.
Chuck H. says
I can't honestly say I "read" all 1500+ entries, but I did skim them and, though I can't honestly say I found any favorites, there were many, many well written paragraphs. Some things I noticed were:
A. Lots of people were dead and still talking.
B. Lots of people were waking up in strange places (something I used to do when I was in service, single and still drinking).
C. An unusually large number of people who identified themselves with full (three part) names.
I could go on, but I'm late for my medication.
WV: gongslyo – a new Chuck Barris game show?
Liz Heinecke says
Like, I don't know. I'm, like, so surprised the most-used word was "like." It's, like, insane.
John Jack says
Like one just back time eyes, most prevalent words for this year's word cloud, and last year's.
Like was used a lot for similes, adjective usage, though also verb, noun, preposition, adverb, and conjunction usage. Eyes are expressive and easily the most noticeable and frequent nonverbal communication medium.
Just, frequent both adverb and adjective usage.
OneMost frequently adjective usage, also noun usage.
Back, no standout usage of noun, adverb, adjective, or verb usage.
Time, same same, no standout usage of noun, verb, or adjective usage.
Like one time back, just eyes replying.
Yat-Yee says
Caroline: "I don't want someone to leap out of a bush." Love it!
I couldn't get through all the entries, and I wasn't even trying to analyze anything. I was simply going with a like/don't like lens.
Nathan, it must feel good to know that your agent muscles are still in shape.
Caroline says
@Liz – Twas a simile-rich competition this year.
Matthew Rush says
I did not read any of them, I hate to have to admit. Only because I didn't have time. Hell, I barely had time to write and submit my own, which is probably why it stank so badly.
Anonymous says
I didn't have any favourites- they all just blended together for me. Anyone who can read so many has the amazing, brilliant, hard to find talent that is perfect for… being an agent! Good luck in your pefect job! (Seriously though- 1500 entries… that is quite a lot…)
Stephanie Garber says
I don't know how many entries I read… I'm sure it wasn't that many, but the one that stood out to me the most was near the beginning.
I loved Juliana Brandt's paragraph about the poisoned soup!
Anonymous says
There was a really good entry from someone whose name I have forgotton- but I remember their paragraph. It was about a boy and his invisible friend and I find it really suprising that I still remember it.
Becca says
I would brave the first paragraphs, but I have a headache, and I'm babysitting, so I'll have to pass for now. Those two combined made me re-write "paragraphs" about seven times.
I'm just lucky I got my entry in. The snowstorm knocked out the power before I got my entry in, and it was out for most of the day, I had almost missed the deadline.
Liz Heinecke says
Curiosity got the best of me. I used like, like one time. One once. And when I looked back, back, like once.
Anonymous says
I read through most of them, but did start skimming if the voice didn't catch me right away.
I favored the short, direct, conversational entries that had a dash of wit.
Three towards the end of the competition (January 27th @ 9:00a.m.);
Bart Kelly, "Mar-ga-ret!…"
Amanda, "I blame everything on being short."
Georgina, "On my seventeenth birthday, I got drunk…"
Thanks, Nathan! Kara R.
Rondi Olson says
In bed with kidney stones for most of last week, and slightly goofed out on pain medication, I was able to make it through all of the entries. There were so many good ones I decided I had to make it scientific. For me the SUFP had to have voice, hook, and show-not-tell. Most paragraphs told, that eliminated hundreds. Many had a strong,engaging voice. There were lots of great hooks. Only a handful had all three. One that stood out was Richard Mabry's. I loved it before I read who wrote it, saw it was him and wasn't surprised. Code Blue was great. FYI using my criteria I had to eliminate myself. My hook is evident in the first page but not the first paragraph. I guess there is a reason why some of us (like Richard) are published and some of us (like me) aren't. Back to the grindstone…
WinterOne says
I read about fifty – getting through 1500 is absolutely amazing. I can't remember any that specifically stand out, but I definitely enjoy the simplistic paragraphs the best. Also, I really don't like first person, haha.
Rebecca Stroud says
Ditto on the "poisoned soup" paragraph. There was also one about rednecks in Wisconsin (I think that was the state) which I liked a lot. Many were way too long to be considered a "first paragraph" so those I totally skipped over.
And, big surprise, I liked mine…:-)
Magdalena Munro says
Hey Everyone…..Let's show our gratitude to Nathan for being so awesome by committing to purchase Jacob Wonderbar! Do it! Today!
While there is no way in hell I'll win (or even be a 1000th runner up), it is still such great fun to participate in these contests. These little events connect us to one another in a way that FB can't touch.
Remilda Graystone says
I read as many of them as I could, but not in order. I can't name all the ones that stood out to me, but there were a lot that I thought were really good. Short and sweet did it for me.
You're superman, Nathan. I mean, reading that many paragraphs? Wow.
C Scott Morris says
1500+?!?
I am in awe.
I only made it through a few screens worth before giving up.
If I ever run into you in real life, I owe you a beer.
Sarah Ahiers (Falen) says
my eyes glossed over after about 50 entries. It didn't help that i was sleepy, but you get the idea.
I see "Like" is the number one word again this year. I'm proud to say i did not contribute to it (this time), or any of the other top 4-5 words.
Kaitlyne says
I read a few hundred, but I read them on separate pages so I can't find the ones that really stood out again, though I can say there were three or four I'd really liked and read aloud to my boyfriend. Last year I actually pulled my favorites into a separate file, but I don't think any of them ended up being finalists and I was lazy this year. 😉
I also admit to skimming, though. I don't think it was generally being bored so much as seeing repetitive imagery or mediocre writing. It amazes me how the good ones just pop when you read that way, though.
JohnO says
I forgot you were going to do a word cloud! I should have entered 600 paragraphs with the word "moist" in it just to skew the results. Ah well, something to shoot for next year, right?
shelldolb says
I like many did not get the time to read them all. I also skimmed through several of them. I knew from the first line if this was a story that I would be interested in.
There were serveral that caught my attention and made me want on read on. I think this was a great contest and thank you for the opportunity to enter my own.
Rebecca T. says
I too am amazed that you got through them all so fast. I read quite a few and wish I had noted the ones that I liked, because I'll never have time to go back through.
The ones that made me laugh were big for me. Also realized that I cringe when there are excessive adjectives. Something I've struggled with.
But a lot of really good stuff in there!
Also, love the wordle cloud. It's such an addictive site!
Kelli says
I read several, but not nearly enough. I can't imagine trying to sort them out, too many different genres, lengths, ideas. Kudos to you for being able to handle that!
Sarah says
I'd also like to chime in and say thank you! This is a massive undertaking and I really appreciate the time you put into it.
ddelano says
Back when there were a measly 500 or so entries I planned to make a list of my favorites – but between my day job and my kids I just couldn't make it through all the entries!
I did note down on my initial list that I liked Lauren, Rebecca Hamilton, ann, kate, lillian rivera and Alysia. It is a very skewed list, because I only read the earlier entries – the rest I skimmed when I could.
I too like the openers that didn't sound like they were trying too hard. Lots of great writing out there – thanks Nathan, this has been a lot of fun!
Jason Black says
You should have a follow-up contest to see who can write the best paragraph using ALL of the words in the word-cloud exactly once…
Tammy says
Kudo's to Nathan. Thanks for the contest. To the entrants, my hats off…
I managed to read all the paragraphs. Wow. Lots of different genres in the mix. 11 stood out for me. I did write the authors name but not the reason why I liked the paragraph, curious to see if I've picked any of the finalist…
Leah Petersen says
I hit a few more random pages and, wow, I really can't pick a favorite. Maybe I didn't hit on the magic one.
I don't think I could be "accurate," though. There were some that were probably beautiful or whatever. But all of my favorites were short, sharp, and either witty or somehow unexpected. I'm far too slanted toward my favorite genres.