First Pages

Wow!  Have you taken a peek at the list of editors and agents who will be attending our 2012 Write2Ignite! Conference? Wouldn’t you just die to have them peek over your shoulder and comment on, say, the first page of one of your manuscripts?

Well, we may be able to arrange that, dear Write2Igniters.

At our 2012 Write2Ignite! Conference we’ll hold a panel of our guest editors and agents who will give ALL of us (as a group) some honest, constructive feedback on however many “First Pages” they can handle during the allotted time. We did this last year and it was exciting to get their honest, professional opinions. As we listened to their suggestions on a handful of manuscripts it was amazing how much we learned about our own works.

Now, if you would like to have ONE of your “First Pages” considered for their reactions, follow these instructions carefully. One and only one per customer, please. (No cheating!)

Format your First Page like this:

• Remove all identifying information (name, address, etc)
• Remove all headers and footers
• Center the title of your manuscript on the first line.
• Double space twice after the title
• Begin the first paragraph
• Use Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman fonts (or their equivalent) in 12 point type
• Use black ink
• Use white paper
• Use double spacing
• Indent paragraphs using the first Tab setting in your word processor
• Deposit this ONE page in the box that will be at the Registration Table at our 2012 Write2Ignite! Conference.

Are you game? Are you brave enough to hear some honest input into the work of your heart? Are you brave enough to let all the rest of us eavesdrop on that input, and learn from it? We surely hope so. It will be informative, helpful and lots of fun, too.

Of course, we have to throw in a couple of those nasty disclaimers, like:

Reading and commenting on your “First Page” in no way obligates anyone affiliated with the Write2Ignite! Conference to further editing or input regarding that manuscript. Also, reading and commenting in no way constitutes any promise of publishability for your manuscript.

It’s just all in the spirit of learning from each other. That’s one of the things most of us writers do best, I think. We share knowledge with each other, and we hunger to learn from each other. We reach behind us and give a lift to those who are traveling this road with us.

So, polish up those “First Pages” and get them ready for March 16-17, 2012. See you soon!