6 ways #Pitchwars changed my writing life (even though I didn’t get an agent)

Yay, Pitchwars submission just happened (in fact, it doesn't close until tonight at midnight). That means, if you submitted to a potential mentor, you will be compulsively checking twitter and email waiting for a response. I know, because I was in you shoes just a few months ago. Pitchwars is a terrific event that changed my writing in a lot of ways. Here are the top 6. Enjoy!


1. Pitchwars gave me a big ol’ confidence shot right in the arm. Getting selected by a mentor was some freaking awesome validation. I think I may have cried.

2. Then, Pitchwars swung its size 11 shoe straight into my crotch. So, almost immediately after getting into the contest you start hearing from your mentor. It’s not all good stuff. It’s hard to take criticism (even criticism you asked for) but keep an open mind. The advice you receive during this contest might be some of the best feedback you get.

3. Pitchwars introduced me new friends, colleagues, and CP’s. I met tons of new writers through the #Pitchwars. I even found and followed new agents that I hadn’t previously stalked…I mean followed. I also gained the CP support of the other writers on my team. We read for each other and provided feedback. It was fabulous.

4. Warning: Pitchwars feedback may apply to all your novels. Seriously. My mentor’s advice was not unique – she pointed out something you often hear but never think applies to you: I was starting my manuscript in the wrong place. Majorly wrong place. I had to scrap my first 6 chapters and write an entirely new beginning to my novel. What the what?! Yeah, I was skeptical at first but after talking it through with my mentor I really understood. Since then, I’ve re-evaluated the beginnings of my other finished WIPs and guess what – they started in the wrong place as well!

5. Pitchwars made me tired. I mean so tired. It’s a lot of work. Unlike some other contests, the expectation in Pitchwars is that you take the feedback and edit your MS, query, pitch etc with the goal of having a new and improved version for the Agents to read at the auction. I was scrambling to make changes in time for the final auction and I didn’t even come close. It’s a lot of work people. But it taught me to plan and schedule my writing time better.

6. Most importantly, Pitchwars was an ah-ha moment for me regarding subjectivity in publishing. Here is an accurate re-enactment of my thought process during and after Pitchwars: “Oh man I got in. This is awesome. This is really going to happen. OMG my MS sucks. I’m a terrible writer. All this rewriting. I’m never going to make it as an author. Wait, I’m starting to like these ideas. I really like them. Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Yay Auction day – someone wants my stuff. OMG someone wants my stuff. I knew it. I knew I would make it. This is it. This is the beginning of my success story……(months later)….I didn’t make it. No one is ever going to love my story. I’m worthless…it was all a lie.

Its’ a rollercoaster, yes, so wrap your arms around the safety bars and hold on tight. But the above melodrama doesn’t have to be your story too. Getting into Pitchwars is an awesome achievement. You’ve caught the eye of an industry pro. That’s huge. Celebrate that accomplishment. Or, maybe you don't. Maybe you don't get into this contest. Maybe you get a request on auction day – maybe you don’t. Maybe the agent who requests your stuff loves it – maybe they don’t. Don’t let that diminish the weight of your achievement (You wrote a freakin' book and had the guts to show it to someone - always celebrate that). This biz is hugely subjective. Just because you wow the mentors doesn’t guarantee your story will be the next break out success. There are no guarantees on the business side of things.

But here’s what you can do: You can learn from every second of Pitchwars. You can focus on craft and improve. You can meet new people and gain wonderful friendships and even new CP’s. You can query your new-and-improved MS after Pitchwars. You can make the most of this MS, this contest, regardless of its outcome, and you can become the writer you want to be. You made it this far. You can go farther, if you’re willing to do the work, I guarantee it.



Want more on Pitchwars? Read my recap here.

Being graceful in public, being thankful.

On Rejection (or why losing is not the same as not winning.

Contest fatigue? Read about it here.

11 Contests You Should Know About

Contests are an important part of the writing community. They're the way some authors find their agents. They're also a way in which the writing community gives back to the up and coming crowd. Contests are also a good way to thicken your skin, build your chops, and get recognition for your skills.


There are a ton of contests out there for writers without an agent. Here are some of my favorites:

Authoress Anon’s famous website Miss Snark's First Victim hosts contests and critiques aimed at helping writers find an agent:

1. Bakers Dozen and Secret Agent - The Bakers Dozen auction happens once a year where the Secret Agent contest happens every few months. Theses are great ways to interact with other writers and get exposure to agents. Check out details here.

Brenda Drake’s is well known for her amazing contests :

2. Pitch wars – where published/agented authors, editors, or interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions to shine it up for agents.

3. Pitch Madness held in March and September-where writers enter for a chance to win requests from the participating agents.

4. #pitchmad pitch party - is a pitch party on Twitter where writers tweet a 140 character pitch for their completed manuscripts.

Cupid’s Literary Connection: Where an undercover cupid specializes in making literary connections. This site runs a variety of contests.

5. Love Triangle (Jan. 2012)

6. Blind Speed Dating (Feb. 2012) 2013

7. Surprise Agent Invasion (Mar./Apr. 2012)

8. The Writer's Voice (May 2012)

9. Come And Get It (Sept. 2012)

Jessa Russo and Tamar Mataya created

10. Pitchmas and Pitchmas in July - Both events allow writers to pitch to agents.

Michelle, Michael, and SC Author’s contest

11. Nightmare on Query Street: Where you highlight your characters' greatest fear (in addition to your query and first 250 words) for bids from awesome agents.


These are just a few of the amazing contest opportunities available to writers seeking literary agents. What contests do you follow?


Want more on contests?


Check out this post on staying professional during contests

On learning from contests rejection

Or this post on contest fatigue

10 Up & Coming Writers You Should Know

If you need a laugh, boost, or just an interesting read, I suggest you follow one, any, or all of these 10 Up And Coming Writers:


1. Cherylanne, aka @CA_Corneille - She's a YA Writer, lover of Travel, a runner, an a Geek with a capital G. Originally from the wild west she's now living in sunny Florida where she tweets about her writerly exploits.

2. JA Ward, aka @JAWardWrites - She's a lover of good books, grilled cheese & anything cat-related. Music connoisseur. YA author seeking an agent soul mate. Contributor to @writerdiaries

3. Megan Peterson, aka @season141 - She's a writer, reader, wife, sister, daughter, and friend; addicted to coffee and pizza. In other words, she's just like you and me.

4. Ellie Moreton, aka @ByEllieMoreton - She writes YA Epic Fantasy, devours books and downs coffee. Follow her blog for more fun and insight into her writing journey.

5. Mark O Brien, aka @mobrienbooks - He's witty, funny, and all around awesome, Mark is a very active twitter user. He is a talented writer and a PitchWars Alum, like me.

6. Ashley De Young, aka @AshleyNDeYoung – She's a financial analyst, writer, MYSO cello coach, black belt x 3...chronic overachiever. She is a Pitchwars Alum, and teammate (go #teammostlyharmless)and all-around talented lady.

7. Paula Harvey, aka @PaulaLHarvey – She writes stories & daydreams, a lot. Probably too much (is there such a thing?).

8. Diana Souse, aka @DianaSousaBooks - She's a Writer that can be found near internet sources, and feeds on chocolate and books. Proficient in fantasy, sci fi, history, and being a nerd. She's a trip and a Pitchwars Alum and teammate. Go #Teammostlyharmless!

9. Kat, aka @ekatwrites - She's a writer . teacher . She ♥'s YA & hopes to publish her novel. A member of #scbwi. She has an exceptional voice and her work will definitely be in print some day soon.

10. Courtney Duff, aka @courtneysthird - She's a writer and head editor at @parable_press. She's fun if not a bit surly. Her fun tweets will keep a smile on your face.

Do you follow anyone who lights up your twitter feed, whether it be with humor, insight, or just general wittiness? Share your faves here:

I Can Haz Productivity: January 2014 Month In Review

This month has been crazy. First, there was coming down from the holiday buzz (all the eating, traveling, and family fun). Then, of course, there was #PitchWars.

Pitch Wars was an amazing experience. My mentor and teammates were amazingly supportive and insightful. I’m so glad I got to participate in the event and meet so many lovely new writers.

Part of the contest involves getting feedback from a pro author, your mentor, and making changes. It’s sorta like a revision boot camp.

I have some revisions – alright, a lot of revisions – to make and I’m still working through the details. But one thing is clear, my MS will be stronger because of the help and insight I received. I can’t thank my mentor and teammates enough. And none of it would have been possible without the tireless efforts of Brenda Drake and her team.


What else, what else…? Oh yeah, then snowpocalypse hit ATL and the entire town locked up. It was unreal. I’m lucky in that my Day Job boss let me work from home so I missed all the traffic gridlock. My hubby was in the thick of it though. His commute mutated from a 25 minute ride to a 3 hour ride. He was one of the lucky ones.

Friends were reporting on FB that they took 5 – 10 hrs to get home. And some didn’t make it home at all. Some of my friends crashed in hotels or in stores like CVS. Kids were stuck overnight at schools. It was a disaster.

Here are some shots from the roads around my house. This was taken of google maps on Tuesday. Nearly all the major roads around ATL were red. Sorry notsorry, for the glare.

After my hubby got home on Tuesday we hiked to the nearest gas station to buy some food. We had a lot of stuff but felt like we should get a few essentials. Here’s my hubby holding our bread triumphantly.

The traffic on the road was terrible. Cars were sliding into each other or spinning out, unable to get traction at all. We spotted this lone parks employee trying to help by dumping buckets of sand under the wheels.

You don’t realize how hilly ATL is until the hills are converted to death traps by an inch of ice. On a major hill by my house we spotted this evacuated accident. The eeriness of the abandoned scene reminded me of The Walking Dead. I wonder if they will throw in some winter weather next season.

Many cars were abandoned in the street or pulled into strangers yards and left empty. Several friends reported walking miles home after they gave up on traffic.

Right now a lot of effort is being focused on blaming someone for the disaster. I don’t really care much for that. It seems more important that we learn something from this than hang someone for it….but that’s just me.

With all this activity where does that leave my writing? This year I changed my daily writing goal to 800 words a month. I didn’t hit my goal – but there were words. A lot of words actually.

I had to plan my writing around contest activities and blog tour deadlines. So what did my month yield? The productivity is as follows:

25 + blog posts (crazy, I know. But I start a class in a few weeks that will surely suck up a lot of my free time. I needed to setup a lot of posts over the next few weeks).
0 novels read
2 Friends MS’s CP’d
And words, lots of words *does happy dance *

For a grand total of 14, 154 words. Next month will be better. It’s my birthday month, and the Olympics are starting (I LOVE the Olympics). I start a class and I should finish my revisions. A lot of exciting activity ahead of me.

This brings my total ‘tracked’ word count for the year to 14,154! That’s a great start to 2014…wait. 14k in 2014….that’s awesome. I need to play the lottery. *grabs purse and runs to the door*


How are your writing goals coming along? How do you determine you daily word goals?

Contests are Fun (see I can do it too): #PimpMyBio

If you’ve been one twitter in the last several days you’re feed has probably been swamped with #PitchWars posts. They are a everywhere.

If you’re not familiar with #PitchWars it’s a terrific contest hosted by the amazing Brenda Drake. Contestants apply to be mentored by established authors/editors.

If chosen, the mentor will read a completed MS and offer feedback over five weeks. After the feedback round the work will be eligible for bidding by agents. It’s a really cool contest. Check out more here. Or follow the hashtag on twitter.

The mentors created fun posts detailing why mentees would want to select them (check out the mentor's blogs via Brenda Drake). Some crazy mentee decided they would do the same and started the #PimpMyBio trend. I thought I’d jump in.

Here are five things you didn’t know about me:

1. I love Adventure Time.

I love EVERYTHING about it. Lumpy Space Princess is one of my favorite characters. If you choose me as a mentee I know we will be mathematical together.

2. I come from a big-ish family.

I am the second of 4 kids. There was a good deal of teasing when I was a kid so there is practically nothing you can do or say to offend me. Tough love? No problem. I have a thick skin.

3. I’m a huge nerd.

Band nerd? Yes. Comic books? Star Trek and TNG? Totally yes. Star Wars? You betcha (except for the prequels). Superhero movies. Yes. Anime? Yep. Cosplay? I’m getting there…*puts on Sailor Moon costume and runs around house*.

4. I can’t cook. My cats use my stove as a bed, see.

I once gave myself food poisoning. Which was a good, ultimately, because now I direct all my creativity to writing.

5. I can have entire conversations using nothing but movie quotes.

Which makes me an awesome friend and just generally fun to have around. It’s a ridiculous skill that I’ve honed over several years of marriage to my husband (who also loves quoting movies).

Want to learn more about other contestants? Check out these other brave writers via the Mentee Blog Hop.