Ever since the beginning of the First 10 Pages Challenge, a segment of commenters have expressed doubts as to its purpose. They argued that capturing a reader from the very first word, then using each successive sentence to keep them invested is not only difficult, but unrealistic for every type of story (particularly non-genre stories). […]

Today’s writer has come up with a rather clever pitch: “Bizarro World Jerry Maguire.” Genre: Sports/Drama Premise: Atticus Archer is college football’s version of a fixer. As he juggles chasing the nation’s top prospect, a mental breakdown from a star quarterback, and his own personal demons, an NCAA agent arrives on campus to threaten everything. […]

Genre: Romantic Comedy Premise: (from Hit List) On a Chinese holiday that celebrates those who are not in relationships by encouraging pampering, shopping and partying, lives intersect across Shanghai. From Americans on a journey of self-discovery, to old flames reconnect- ing, to an elderly woman reminiscing on the good old days, seemingly disconnected people will […]

You wanted an update. You got it! There are hundreds of entries, possibly over a thousand (a couple hundred came in last night at the last second). So I will be reading these over the next month. I will be announcing winners (if any) on Monday, March 11th. In the meantime, hang tight!

Spielberg swoops in and locks up a short story from the /NoSleep subreddit, a growing breeding ground for movie projects. Genre: Horror Premise: After his friend takes his life, a young man teams up with the girl being blamed for the suicide to look for a mythical spire popularized in a local ghost story they […]