Pitch Wars

So I’m doing a thing. Testing the water. I’m entering Pitch Wars this coming September 27th – October 1st.

What is Pitch Wars, you say?

Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for an agent showcase. The mentor also helps edit their mentee’s pitch for the contest and their query letter for submitting to agents.

Pitch Wars

To enter, you submit a one-page book summary, a query letter, and your first chapter, to up to four potential mentors. Then you wait. Mentees chosen are announced on November 3rd.

Even if you don’t become a mentee (there’s around a 3% chance or less), the experience is enlightening, fun, and relationship-building.

This is the first time I’ve written a query letter. The first summary of my novel (The Archivist) after its developmental edit. I’ve looked at my first chapter again and realised how much my writing has improved in six months, (and how much I still have to edit). I’ve enjoyed interacting with other PitchWars hopefuls, both on Twitter @PitchWars and the dedicated forum, because it helps me build my writing tribe. And I’ve found more people writing adult space operas who are at around the same editing stage as me–perfect for beta reading each others’ work.

The more I get involved with writing communities–whether on Twitter, Reddit, or online like the IWSG–the happier I feel about my work. About critiquing others and receiving feedback on my own writing. And about having a go.

“You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

So wish me luck please, readers. Here goes my first ever pitching attempt. In one, two…

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