Every author knows that the hook is the most important part of the story. If the reader doesn’t get drawn in by the first sentence, they won’t read the first paragraph. If they don’t feel entranced by the first paragraph, they won’t read the first page. No first page, no book.
It’s quite simple really. You need to grab the reader's interest on that first page if you want them to read your masterpiece.
SDWEG presents its third annual First Page Slam.
Submit the first page of your work in progress or recently published book. Three professional writers will do a live reading of your page, then offer critiques.
Your first page must be submitted by April 15th to be considered. First pages will be critiqued in the order in which they were submitted. Last year we had more submissions that we could do at our meeting, so some people lost out. Get your submission in right away so you can be sure you get a place at the meeting. If you do not have your submission critiqued at the meeting, you will still receive a written critique.
This is a lot of fun, don’t miss out.
Our Critics
Johanna Olive
Johanna Olive has been creating and telling stories for decades longer than she's been writing them down. The mother of three from Gig Harbor Washington, Johanna writes stories about everything from puppies to people battling the worst life can throw at them. She's thrilled to participate in the First Page Slam.
Martin Roy Hill
Martin Roy Hill has led an eclectic life. Soldier, sailor, journalist . . . well, not a spy, but he has written about them.
Martin joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve when he was 19, the same year he sold his first published piece to Reader's Digest. He spent a total of 13 years as a Coastguardsman, in two tours, involved in small boat search and rescue, emergency medical response, port security, and maritime law enforcement.
In between those tours, he served in a counter-insurgency unit in the U.S. Navy Reserve. After a final stint of Coast Guard active duty following the 9/11 attacks, Martin was offered a commission as a medical service corps officer in a component of the California National Guard, where he trained combat medics for Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, Martin converted to the military police, retiring in 2016 as a major and executive officer of an MP unit.
Martin received a bachelor's degree in journalism from CSU Dominguez Hills and spent more than 20 years as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines. His investigative reporting earned him numerous journalism honors, including two William Allen White Awards.
Penn Wallace
Penn Wallace is a writer, editor, and the author of three Amazon #1 bestsellers, The Chinatown Murders, The Cartel Strikes Back, and Christmas Inc. Three of his other books have hit #2 on the list. He has had more than a quarter of a million books downloaded.
If Chevy Chase had played Indiana Jones, he would be Penn Wallace. Penn has a thirst for adventure, but nothing ever seems to go exactly as planned.
He has been writing and publishing for 11 years. He also edits, proof-reads, and helps other authors with marketing and as a book coach. Two of the books he’s edited have made the Amazon best seller list.
All of his writing is based on true-life stories. He is currently working on a mystery about a Green Beret who went MIA in Vietnam.
How to Submit
Register for this event at SDWEG.org and then email your first page to Penn Wallace.
All submissions must be made by April 15, 2022 to penn@pennwallace.com in Microsoft Word format. Use New Times Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins, double spaced, indent first line of paragraph.
Any submission that fails to meet any of these criteria will automatically be rejected.
DO NOT put any identifying information on the page. These need to be anonymous.
