You only get one chance to make a first impression, they say. And that’s why the first page of your manuscript is so all-fired important – to an agent looking at your query, to an editor looking at your submission, and to a potential reader taking a peek inside your book online or in a store.
The wonderful Marcy Hatch at Mainewords invited me to join her in a new monthly feature on our blogs called First Impressions. Writers who would like to have feedback on the first page of their manuscript can send it to either Marcy or me. The first week of every month, we will select three submissions to feature on our blogs with a small excerpt (for example, the first 350 words) and provide feedback. In this way, we hope to “pay it forward” to other writers and provide a little of what we all crave most: feedback, encouragement, and a little bit of gratuitous publicity!
Marcy and I are hoping to start this new feature the first week in March, so please contact us to submit the first page of your darling – whether it be a manuscript you’ve labored on through countless drafts or a shiny new story you’ve just started. For those writers whose pages are not picked to be the three featured in March, Marcy and I can provide some feedback by email or roll those pages over to the following month – depending on the preference of the writer and how many total pages we get.
If you’re interested in getting our first impressions of your work, send me an email with the subject line “First Impressions” and paste the first page into your email. No attachments, please. Contact me at dksalerni@gmail.com or Marcy through her blog.
what a great idea! I love how generous you are with the writing community and I can confirm your feedback is worth its weight in gold!
Neat idea, Dianne. And I so love when people give back. Good luck:)
What a great way to pay it forward! I look forward to reading all the first pages. 🙂
Oh, you and Marcy are just so great!! <3! So wonderful to pay it forward (that whole idea never fails to make me smile)
Great idea, Dianne. Just love Marcy. I can highlight this on my blog if you’d both like. Just send me the details. LOL
What a cool idea. Love the pay it forward ideas people are coming up with. 😀
That sounds fantastic. I love authors who give back:)
hi miss dianne! wow thats just so really nice of you and miss marcy. thats gonna be a big helper for sure. its a little scary for me but maybe im gonna do it for one of my stories.
…hugs from lenny
This is a great idea and very generous.
Sweet! I can’t wait to read them all.
It would be nice to have a fresh set of eyes take a look at what I’ve written. Hopefully I can submit that soon.
Oooh, I love this idea! There might be an email coming your way. 😉
I’ve oft enjoyed what you and Marcy shared for the First Impressions on your posts. Much to learn from as well as giving a writer a way to strengthen their work.
A Brilliant idea, looking forward to reading your choices.