When I finished my first novel, I told Facebook/Twitter because I didn’t know where else to go to tell the world I had finished something that had made me angry, delighted, sad, and anxious. The response I got from both worlds was overwhelming and I felt like the world was cheering me on. I dutifully basked in my light and then scrambled away back to Google Drive and started a new WIP.
I am now sitting here refreshing Twitter and looking at constant Tweets about #PitchWars. If you don’t know what #PitchWars is, run over to Brenda Drake’s website and check it out. (Seriously, she’s fabulous. This is a HUGE contest and I am in awe of her.) Essentially it is a contest in which published/agented authors pick someone to mentor from a gigantic slush pile of query letters and first chapters.
My friend Catherine Scully (go follow her RIGHT now if you like all the things creepy, cute, and foodie) told me about it and said I should go for it now that I had a completed MS. My reaction was regal and composed:
So, after dropping my Pumpkin Pasties and exiting the Great Hall, I steered right into my writing chair and started researching Pitch Wars. What I found was a community of writers, both published and non, who only wanted to help one another out. Their words are kind advice are solid.
Flash forward to yesterday– Blog Hop Day. Blog Hop Day is where the mentors all update their blogs with their personal wishlists and what they’ll accept for the contest. I scoured for my YA authors, but read every single blog post. I found that they are all nerds in some capacity, enjoy food as much as I do, and are just as witty as they are talented.
After finding the mentors accepting YA work, I dove back into my edits so that I could appease their wishes for strong voices, immersive worlds, and MCs that charge full steam ahead. Some of their requests are hilarious and exactly who I am.
(Click on each Tweet to visit them!)
Submission day is August 17th and I am locking myself away to finish my edits and stalk these writers some more.
Honestly, I just want them all to be my best friend. I’d bake goodies and throw a huge house party just so we could sit around, talk pop culture, edit manuscripts, and eat cookies. That doesn’t come without trying my hardest at this contest so it’s time to buckle down and finish editing.
Good luck to all in Pitch Wars, mentors and writers alike!
Boat Against the Current 