Meet the #70pit16 Cohosts!

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“70pit16” is the tag for this year’s contest. You’ll still see #pg70pit (the name of the annual contest), but anything tagged with 70pit16 is specific to this year. 😘

The Band Manager

I’m just your friendly contest coordinator (and judge).

Lara Willard, editor
Host, Lara Willard
Lara Willard is a pixelsmith and wordherder, freelance editor and writer, and writing instructor at storycadet.com. She’s edited for literary agents, Marvel Comics editors, poets, authors, and comic creators. While scribbling in margins and gutters, she sometimes tweets editing tips @LaraEdits. Lara lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, sons, and dog-show dropout Havanese. Connect with her on Twitter, on Instagram (@larathelark) or here on her blog!

The Disc Jockeys

Introducing the 70pit16 cohosts! In addition to the 7 MG, YA, and Adult entries posted on Lara’s blog, each cohost will select up to seven entries to feature on their own blogs! These will also be available for agents to read. That’s a total of 42 winners!
Elizabeth Buege, editor

Co-host for Adult Entries, Elizabeth Buege
Elizabeth Buege is a writing teacher and book editor with a B.A. in English Writing. She offers copyediting services and manuscript critiques over at ElizabethBuege.com, where she also blogs writing tips and other helpful topics for writers. She’s in love with the magical way words can become living, breathing stories and extensions of an author’s voice, and that’s why she loves cohosting #pg70pit. She can’t wait to see the magic of your voices!
Kaleigh Walter, writer

Co-host for YA Entries, Kaleigh Walter

Reader, writer, editor, and Academy Award enthusiast, I enjoy staying indoors, the occasional sunshine-filled afternoon, and dreaming about Paris (the city…not the socialite). Some of my closest friends live in the pages of YA. But don’t worry, I have friends IRL, too. We eat food together and laugh over glasses of red wine.
JD Burns, writer

Co-host for MG Entries, JD Burns
Hi there! I’m JD Burns, a writer of middle grade fiction, the father of a 13-year-old reading maniac, and a man afflicted with a serious chocolate addiction. No really—I once ate an entire gallon of Rocky-Road while sitting in my recliner, watching Godzilla 1998. OK, I made that last part up—it was actually the 1956 American adaptation with Raymond Burr. BTW, anyone know where I can get my hands on an unedited 1954 version … and a stomach pump?

I’ve written two Middle Grade series, and I’m currently represented by the wonderful Rebecca Angus of Golden Wheat Literary agency. I love the writing community, and I’m a frequent contributor through forums like Absolute Write, #p2p16, and my blog (which you can read more about here: Ink2Burn). In 2015, I was a winner of the Pitch to Publication contest, and in 2016 I’m excited to be a cohost for the MG category of the #pg70pit contest run by the incredible Lara Willard.

The #pg70pit event is unique because it drops you right into the middle of a story. Evaluating a manuscript based on the 70th page is a completely different experience from judging a story’s opening. However, the one thing that will always catch my eye is Voice. That’s true of any age category, but most especially with MG. So pull out those manuscripts and polish up your 70th page! I can’t wait to see all your fantastic entries.

meet the 70pit16 hosts pg70pit

Revision Checklist for Writing Contests

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On Wednesday’s last 7th on 7th, I reviewed the previous pages I’d revised and winning pg70pit entries I’d deconstructed, showing you what to do, what not to do, and how to fix red flags in your entries. Today I have a checklist for you to improve or strengthen the style and voice for one page (and hopefully beyond).

Revision Checklist for Writing Contests (and hard-core writer nerds)

1. Read the page aloud.

I say this all the time because writers still don’t do it. Voice is how the text sounds, whether to your literal ears or to your brain’s internal ear. The words might not look awkward to you on the page, but they might sound awkward. Print out two copies of your page(s) and have a friend read the text aloud. On the other copy, you highlight parts that sound awkward or where the reader ran out of breath.

If the reader is running out of breath, that means your breath units are too long. The number of syllables between punctuation marks should be fewer than 25, with most falling between 8-15. Continue reading →

Lay vs. Lie

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LAY VS LIE—Should you worry about the proper use of “lay” or “lie” in your informal or creative writing? It depends on your character.

If one of your contemporary or casual characters is speaking or narrating in first person, don’t worry about being proper—be natural, but be consistent. If your narrator is in third person or one of your characters is historical or proper, that character (or narrator) probably should know the difference.

Difference between LAY and LIE
Lay needs an object, a noun that is being positioned. Look at the verb and ask, What is getting positioned? By whom?

Lie has no object, but often has some direction. Look at the verb and ask, In what manner? Or, How? Where? With what?

Lay: What is getting positioned?
Lie: In what manner is the subject resting?

The words get confused because the past tense of lie is lay.

These are the present tense, past tense, past participle, and present participle of each:

  • Lay, laid, laid, laying
  • Lie, lay, lain, lying

(A participle needs a “be” helping verb: be, is, am, are, has, have, was, were, had)

Here are a few phrases to help you remember:

  • People can lie all by themselves. (Q: Lie . . . how? In what manner? A: All by themselves.)
  • Lie down. (Q: Lie . . . where? In what manner? A: Down.)
  • She lay with a book in her hand. (Q: In what manner? A: With a book.)
  • Lay down your head. (Q: Lay . . . what? A: Your head.)
  • Lay it on me. Lay it again, Sam. (Q: Lay . . . what? A: It, whatever it is)
  • I got laid. (Q: Laid . . . by whom? A: The narrator hasn’t told us)

Nobody says “Lie it on me” or “I got lain.”

If you see a “lay” in your manuscript and aren’t sure if it’s correct or not, see whether it’s in the right tense (past tense or present tense) and ask the questions above.

Did you find this post helpful? Consider enrolling in my revision workshop, which includes a workbook full of practical applications of grammar and editing for storytellers. If you fill out this survey, you’ll be entered for a chance to win free tuition!

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