Pitch Wars and Critique Partners

On this, the eve of Pitch Wars mentor announcements, I've been thinking a lot about what the real purpose of this contest has been. Sure, it's fun and immeasurably helpful to get help from an agented author. It's also helpful to get your query and novel polished to perfection (or as close to perfection as any novel can get). But what is the real benefit here? Learning about critiquing.

When I first started writing, this was my biggest stumbling block. I read sites that advised you share your work with your "writer friends." Hah! What writer friends? I didn't have any, and I was darn sure I wouldn't have any until I was a Successfully Published Writer. Where the heck could I meet all these potential writer friends, when I was a complete nobody who never wrote anything?




Turns out, lots of places.

I met writers online, through other contests, through their blogs (and eventually through this one right here), through Twitter, and even through Facebook. There are always writers who are in the same place in the process that you are. You just have to know where to look for them. Pitch Wars has been a great way to connect with many new writers who are in the query trenches, too. Make nice, and they might read for you if you read for them.

 

Initially, the thought of sharing my writing with others, and asking for their honest opinion and critique, was a little intimidating. Even more intimidating was asking to read their writing and offer my own opinions. What the heck did I know about critiquing? The idea of making with the judgy on someone else's writing gave me the cold sweats. Who was I to tell them they didn't need that comma there (BONUS COMMAS, as I call them now), or that they shouldn't use the same word three times in two sentences, or that their phrasing at a critical moment in their beloved story came across as clunky and jarring instead of inspiring and enlightening? I was terrified of saying the wrong thing, of coming across like an ass, and of not doing a good job.

To be honest, the first time I ever critiqued something, I got lucky. I wasn't the first person to edit the manuscript, and there wasn't all that much to do to make it shiny. It was a gentle introduction to the fine art of being a merciless nitpicker. Also, as I've since been informed, as long as it's done with love, merciless nitpicking is actually a valued trait in a CP.

Not only have I benefited from the opinions and ideas of a wonderful group of people who read my writing and offered advice, but my writing has improved through helping others, too. It's all good for you.

And on that note, I want to sincerely thank all the mentors in Pitch Wars, and all the writers who've jumped at the chance to earn such an experienced CP. Just remember, your fellow Pitch Warriors would also make fine CP's. Even if we don't end up with a shiny new mentor, we still have each other. Extend a hand to a fellow writer, and be patient and understand as you learn the ropes of this valuable skill together. We all have it in us to be great mentors to each other.

 

And now, back to the fantastic manuscript I'm helping to add a spit-shine to. Because this one deserves all the polish it can get.

**NOTE: There's a great new website, CPseek.com, set up by @Fizzygrrl's talented husband. It's a great place to connect to other writers seeking a CP (as the title should make quite clear!). Go check it out!

Pitch Live!

Title: Running Down the Dragon
Genre: Crime Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 103,000

For those who are confused by this post, this is my entry into the Pitch Live! contest. Go check out that link to learn more. Thank you so much for watching. I hope it caused you no lasting damage. :D

How to Get Noticed in a Very Crowded Room

This post is for all my fellow querying authors. You all know just how hard it is to write the elusive perfect query; to boil your word baby down into its most exquisite essence and frame it into the most alluring three paragraphs ever written. Uh huh. That's the idea, anyway. I find the reality of my queries often fall far short of that ideal.


Oh,hai! Lookie Heer!

Not to mention the fact that every agent you might consider sending that query to is looking for something different. It's worse than blind dating. It's blind dating where you're only allowed three minutes to say half a dozen things, and the person you're on the date with doesn't usually say more than, "No thanks, you're not what I'm looking for." It's a hard way to start off a relationship, and most of the time we walk away wishing we'd picked a different anecdote, or maybe worn the blue dress instead of the red, or even if we'd just had a snappier comment to make when we were first introduced.


Oops.

Agent A (for Awesome!) said on twitter that they love it when people include an introductory statement at the beginning of their query.

Agent B (for Badass!) said on twitter that they ABSOLUTELY DETEST when people include an introductory statement at the beginning of their query.

Agent C (for Charismatic!) said it didn't matter to them how you start your query, as long as every sentence you write makes them hunger for the next.

You see where this is going. Your perfectly distilled word baby still has to be tweaked and tinkered with every time you send it to someone new. There is no useful Query Blanket that will cover all agents.

BUT! Lo and behold! There is another fun thing you can try to catch the eye of Awesome, Badass, and Charismatic! I of course refer to the myriad contests that flourish in Blog Land. Many fantastic authors and agents conspire to bring us entertaining, creative, and plain-old-fun ways to reshape the query process from the tinkering of the same three paragraphs over and over into entirely new ways to present your writing to those who might be interested.

Yesterday's post listed a handful of upcoming contests that I plan to enter. I really do hope you'll take a look at a few of them. You never know, writing a log line and a hook sentence might catch the eye of an agent who couldn't get past the first line of your query because it just didn't appeal to them. Life is strange, and if query writing is not your strong suit, then some of these contests might be the big chance you've been looking for.

Here's links to a few of them:

http://www.writeforapples.com/2012/09/hook-line-sinker-win-free-pass-to-round.html

http://katelliswrites.blogspot.com/2012/10/hook-line-sinker-rules.html

Trick or Treat, with an agent!

Pitch Live! Video pitch event!

And the big doozy of all contests: The Baker's Dozen - Pitch to 15 agents!

Check a few of them out, follow a few of the hosts and participants. Heck, just check out the entries once they start going up online. Call it research and enjoy! :D

Writer Kryptonite

I'm definitely a Marvel girl, but I like the Superman imagery for this post's title. The events I'm about to relate nearly reduced me to a quivering puddle of goo. I swear, I'm not cheating on you my dear X-men and Avengers. No need to come after me with your combined crazy weapons. I swear you're the main focus of this post. *nervous laughter and twitching*

Okay, I don't really take that above paragraph seriously, but I had a strange episode yesterday. It was strange enough, and entertaining enough, for me to put it in writing. You'll see the Marvel connection momentito.

It all started off with a common enough experience: the phone rang. That's not strange all by itself, but I glanced at the caller ID before I answered. It only said "NEW YORK." And my knees turned to jelly.

*Sigh* More backstory: I'm querying right now. I have several manuscripts out to agents. Most of those agents are located in New York. I'm already a little twitchy when the phone rings or the email notice chimes, but seeing the caller is from New York, and it's not my mom or a friend or something, is just about enough to start my eyeballs doing somersaults.

So I shushed the kid, who was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework, and braced myself for anything. I answered the phone. The next 30 seconds went something like this:

ME: Hello?

PHONE: mrrflamlmmmm

ME: Um. Hello?

PHONE: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* clickity-clickity-click THUNK
     *This was an ear-bleed of a high pitched noise

ME: (after recovering from the ear-bleed) Hello? HELLO?!

Then I hung up. My first thought was, "Oh, great, I just lost any chance I will EVER have of publishing/finding an agent because I just yelled at someone on the phone. They probably think I'm the nutter and there was nothing wrong with the call on their end."

Then I realized I could check and see who actually called. Google to the rescue.

I entered the number from the caller ID, and it looked at little strange. I learned something else fun about the internet, too. The number who called me was registered to Trask Industries, and even Google Maps is in on the joke.

For those not familiar with the Marvel Universe, Trask Industries is explained HERE.

So maybe it wasn't a literary agent calling to beg me to be their client, but after the simultaneous heartbreak and confusion faded, at least I was left with the notion that somewhere out there, maybe Wolverine or Iron Man will have to come to my rescue some day. If Trask is a real thing, then maybe they are too. We can hope.

With that bit of nonsense, it's time to go back to my own imaginary version of New York City, setting of the novel I'm working on at the moment.

Unicorn Pillow I made when I was 10. I sit on it while I write now. FTW.

 I can't resist. Apologies.ERMAHGERD! ERNERCERN PERLO!

NEWSLY NOTES: And for a few fun updates on things I'm participating in within the Series of Tubes:

I am working up several new contest entries this month, some of which are already in the preliminary phases. There is the Hook, Line, and Sinker contest being run through THREE fabulous blogs. Already my preliminary pitch is up over at Kat Ellis's blog for critique.

Then there's Trick or Treat with an Agent! This one is particularly fun because of the two questions entrants are asked to answer. Even if you're not entering the contest, if you are a writer you should give those questions a gander! Fun stuff!

And I can't forget the Pitch Live! Video pitch contest. This one just about killed me. I spent five hours making a video pitch, and I still hate it. *grumbles* I'm about to throw in the towel and just do a costumed chorus line routine, and possibly sing my pitch. At least then the agents who view it will have something memorable and likely a good laugh (or possibly an aneurism. Maybe I should rethink that...) I'm working up the nerve to post the video on this blog.

Also upcoming: The Authoress Baker's Dozen, with FIFTEEN agents participating! My logline is also there for preliminary critique, at #15. Kinda auspicious, right? Fifteen agents, I'm number fifteen...okay, I'll take what I can get. This one is a HUGE, MUST-NOT-MISS EVENT for the unagented among us.

There are probably others, which I'll post as I remember them. In the mean time, here's my sad Progress-o-Meter update:

Words: 55,678
Pages: 173
Edit Page: 139

For Ever, Love Frankie

Hey guys and dolls, how's it going? 

Don't look so startled - I don't bite. 

My name's Frankie. And I'm just a regular guy. 

Well, except for the whole ghost thing, I guess. 

You’re probably wondering what I'm doing here. Well,
it’s pretty simple actually. Something is coming for my best friend Ever - something
I alone cannot protect her from. Regardless of how much I love her how hard I try. 

So I have to spread the word.

And I need your help to do it.

I've been a bystander for far too long, trapped in
this ghostly shell for the past two years. I've decided it’s time to make myself known and set
some things into motion. See, I've hijacked Amazon, Curiosity Quills Press, and blogs all over the internet to make my move. 

You're probably wondering why, right? 

Well allow me to be a bit more specific. Something isn't just coming for Ever; her actual soul is in danger. So I've decided to stay silent no longer. Word needs to spread. People need to know. 

Evil lurks in the shadows.  

To give Ever more time to figure things out and try to protect herself from the trouble that awaits her, I'm upping the publication date of our story. 

 I'm sure you can understand. I mean, souls are on the line here. 

So, with that said, EVER IS NOW AVAILABLE. Yes, you read that right. NOW. I couldn't wait any longer, so I did what I had to do to protect that stubborn girl I love my best friend, Ever. 

I had to do it. Some things are too important to wait for, and Ever is one of those things for me.

Now as you’re spreading the word about this new development,
take heed this one warning:

Evil lurks in the shadows. And not just any evil. 

It’s disguised as that slick talking, good-looking bastard, Toby James ... the new kid next door. 

Goodreads

Amazon

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GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Welcome to Gearing Up to Get an Agent (known as GUTGAA, and not to be confused with Gut Guy).

GUTGAA is being run by the lovely Deana Barnhardt and you can sign up at that link, or through the Linky at the end of this post, if you're geared up to get an agent. If you have a manuscript all ready to show the world, you will want to participate. This isn't just a blog hop, but also a fantastic Agent Pitch Contest! Wheeee!

For this first day of the blog hop portion of the programming, Deana posted the following questions for every participant to answer, so we could all get to know each other a little better. Let me say it now, these are fun questions!


 -Where do you write?

I have several places where I prefer do do my writing. The first, and most frequent location is my Comfy Chair. It is an ancient overstuffed chair that's so battered and worn that it's become MY chair. Nobody else sits there. Or dares to.


My other favorite writing spot is seasonal. I have a screened in porch behind my house, and when the weather is nice enough, I'll sit out there for hours and write. By nice enough, I mean anything between "I'd consider going in for a sweater if it got any cooler" to "I'm bundled from head to toe, but I think my toes might be going numb, so maybe I should go in." Any hotter or colder, and I'll be in the Comfy Chair.


-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

In this order: Cell phone, coffee mug, coaster which is not under the coffee mug :/, pen, glass penguin, photo of me with Alex Trebek, hair clip, earrings, pet rock, red crayon, two receipts from the post office, my spare pair of glasses with the broken nosepiece, and three Christmas ornaments that I forgot to put away last December and decided to leave on the credenza until Thanksgiving rather than climb up to the shelves in the garage where the holiday decor is stored.

***Edit for everyone asking about Alex Trebek: Yes, I was on Jeopardy! (so was my husband)


-Favorite time to write?

I usually write from lunch time until my daughter gets home from school at 3:30, and then again after dinner until my eyes cross or I pass out from exhaustion.


-Drink of choice while writing?


Usually caffeine. Coffee, tea, and the dreaded soda.


-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?


I used to need silence, but after a while I trained myself to ignore distractions. I don't listen to music on purpose, but if some is playing elsewhere in the house it doesn't bother me. In fact, my comfy chair is in the living room, and the television is on in the evenings while I write. I don't even see it or hear it anymore.


-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?


The latest MS I've been querying was born from the fact that the first two novels I ever wrote were dreadful, and I didn't think they had enough commercial appeal even if I rewrote the dreadfulness out of them. I was terrified that I would never be able to come up with a new world, characters, and story. I have no idea where the idea for Running Down the Dragon came from, but I sure am glad it came from somewhere! Hopefully the story and writing hold more appeal! I wrote a second novel with the new characters, and I'm half way through a third.


-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Don't spend all your time reading writing advice. You'll end up befuddled and disillusioned. All you need to do is start writing. I mean, clearly you need a grasp of the language, an idea of what's expected in a manuscript, and a solid group of critique partners and beta readers. Other than that, though, it's your story. You have to find your own way to tell it.


And so that's all for now. I was going to snap some pictures of my Comfy Chair and the items to my left, but then I realized I'd have to stand up to do that. Not to mention the things to my left are in a messy pile. I don't want you to think I live like that. O.O

***Edit, for Feaky Snucker:

Ooh la la! The CREDENZA.

The crap to my left. Note the banana stickers decorating my fancy furniture, and my caffeine delivery system.

Interested in GUTGAA yet? I hope so! Here's the SIGN-UP LIST Linky:

A little CONTEST! With Prizes! Travel-related amnesia.

Today is my last day at home until Sunday night. At least this time I'll be staying at a proper hotel, with a real bed, an en suite bathroom, and air conditioning. The air conditioning is a huge plus, since the hotel is in Savannah, Georgia. In July. I can feel the melting coming on already.

I originally thought to bring my typical wardrobe of Goth-Meets-Southern-Belle-Commando, but after seeing the extent of our walking tours (basically 9 am to 9 pm every day, all around town), I've reduced myself to Tourist Clothing, including the loud, inappropriate socks. It's just too hot to be parading around town in petticoats, even knee-length varieties. I did get a new pair of sneakers, so at least my feet will be happy. Happier than they would have been in my Disney World-tested Fluevog heels. I swear, I wore these for a week, and never felt pain. At DISNEY WORLD, PEOPLE! But I'm not sure how well-paved Savannah is, and the Vogs just don't perform in off-road environments. So, new Chucks, it is.

Fluevogs of Happiness, pretty much the most comfortable shoes ever. I have them in pink, too.

Old Chucks, done in by working at baseball games, and New Chucks, so bright and shiny they practically glow.

Screw it. I'm bringing the Vogs, too.

The other nice thing about this trip compared to our usual Girl Scout trips, we're taking chartered buses, which sounds horrible at first, but then I realized I wouldn't have to drive, or haul all our luggage in my truck like I do when we camp. I can bring a proper suitcase, and I don't have to pack a tent or a sleeping bag, or any other camp stuff! I have SPACE IN MY LUGGAGE FOR ALL THE THINGS!

Ooh, another nice thing. Savannah is a city. Cities have cell phone service! Our hotel has free WiFi! I won't be cut off from the beautiful internets! In fact, after 12 hours hiking around town in the sweltering heat with 85 other people, I'll be grateful to escape into the internets for a little while.

I'm taking my computer with me. Even after bringing it to camp and then never even opening it up (not even once!), I've deluded myself into thinking I might actually get some editing done while I'm there. I'm a night owl, and I don't sleep much. I have to have something to do between 11 pm (lights out, noises off), and 2 am when I normally start to get sleepy. We'll see how that goes. Probably better than camp did. At least with WiFi, I'll have the internet to keep me company if I can't get to the editing...

The only problem I'm having is that Friday is Lulu's real birthday. We celebrated her fake birthday today, so we wouldn't deprive the Helper Monkey of cake. Friday I need to find a bakery in Savannah where I can get a cake to feed about 30 people. It's only fair she gets to have cake on her actual birthday, too! If anyone knows a good bakery in Savannah, let me know. Otherwise, I'll probably ask for directions to the nearest grocery store and buy cupcakes. :)

Now I have to get packing. There's only 13 1/2 hours left before I have to wake up. I hate that. Remember, I'm a night owl. I am definitely not a morning person. I don't think I'll like 4:30 am as an alarm clock setting.

There we go. I think that's everything for this post. My head contains a whirling tornado of to-do lists and anxiety. I'm finally coming to terms with my basic problem with travel: I always forget one thing. It might be small and easy to replace (toothbrush), or strange (I once forgot to pack a single pair of underwear for the Helper Monkey. I blame him for not setting them out with his clothes). Nevertheless, I usually forget something. It used to cause panic, but I've started seeing the fun in discovering what vital thing I left at home.

Let's play a game! Everyone take a guess. What will be the one thing I absolutely need on this trip that I will leave at home? Put your answer down in the comment section (U.S. and Canada only), and I'll buy the lucky winner a souvenir from Savannah.

For Bonus Points, why don't you also vote on what the souvenir should be? Hint, it should be something small, easily shipped, and rather generic. Suggesting I buy a shot glass or a snow globe is on the right track. Suggesting I buy a life-sized stuffed tiger wearing a pink t-shirt from Fort Jackson is a little over the top, no?

Just to be fair, I won't read these comments until AFTER I leave for Savannah, and therefore won't be able to dash around stuffing numerous forgotten items into my suitcase, obviating the need for this contest in the first place! :) I'll hold the drawing Sunday night when I get home, so you have until then to enter.

GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!