"Win" or "Lose," Pitch Wars Might Change Your Life

When entering online writing contests like Pitch Wars, it's important to remember that, whether you make it to the next level or not, simply taking that step forward to bravely enter might be the catalyst that changes your life forever. 

 I've written about this subject many times before. Many times. Like here, here, here, and here. And here. I've talked about how I got my agent after NOT getting picked in a contest. And how my debut novel, TWELVE STEPS, was both inspired by a contest rejection AND how success in a contest ultimately led to publication.

You might think that I've already exhausted the subject, and I couldn't possibly have anything more to say. Unless, of course, you've ever met me. Because then you'll know that I'm constantly looking for new insights and lessons to learn from the trials I go through.

Three years ago at this time, I was a Pitch Wars hopeful, biting my nails to oblivion while I nervously waited for the mentor picks to be announced. In case you haven't read the blog posts I linked to above, I wasn't picked for the contest. And I was devastated. I wanted to give up on writing altogether.

But my amazing new writing friends ... all the people I met in the contest trenches ... wouldn't let me give up. So instead of packing away my story pencils, I wrote something new. (And that manuscript went on to become my debut novel.)

Last year, and the year before, I participated in Pitch Wars on the other side of the glass, as a mentor. And I got to meet a TON of amazing writers. My fellow mentors. My mentees. Writers who submitted their manuscripts to me, who I wanted to choose but couldn't. Writers who chatted with me on the Twitter #PitchWars hashtag. I've met my best writing friends in the contest trenches.

But you already knew all of that, didn't you? I've told these stories hundreds of times, so why bother writing yet another post to rehash the same old tales?

Because when I tell you that participating in  Pitch Wars might change your life, I'm not just talking about your writing career.

If you read my blog regularly or follow me on Twitter, you probably know that last April, I was thrilled to hear that the Air Force was sending us back to Maryland, back "home," back to the area where the climate is best suited to help with my health issues. And you probably know that in May, I was devastated to discover that my home had been destroyed by water and mold. And you probably even saw one or both of the auctions that friends in the publishing community put together to help raise funds for the repairs, when the insurance company refused to pay.

You've probably seen my repeated posts, thanking people for their help and support, and counting the many, many blessings that have come from this particular trial. I honestly don't know I could get through each day without the support I see from my friends.

And here's the thing, folks: The majority of those people helping me and supporting me and carrying me through the trials when I literally can't walk another step on my own? Guess where we met? Yep. Through Pitch Wars and other, similar, online contests. Even the friend of a friend I mentioned last Friday ... the one who helped me find a temporary place to live so my family and I won't be homeless while we're trying to repair our house. You guessed it. The mutual friend connecting us was one of the writers I met in this amazing community.

When I say that Pitch Wars changed my life, I mean it. Yes, the experience made me a better writer. Yes, I credit much of my publishing success to the lessons I learned from both successes and failures in the contest trenches. But publishing success is only a part of what makes Pitch Wars great. The real value in these online contests is the connection you make with other writers. 

The friendships you forge here may be the relationships that carry you through when the stress of real life pushes you down. That's the true value of Pitch Wars.


For other perspectives on how Pitch Wars changes lives, check out the stories and advice in this blog hop with messages from last year's Pitch Wars mentees.

Happy New Year 2014!

Last January, I declared that 2013 would be the year that:

1. I would conquer my fears and start sending queries for my manuscripts.

and

2. I would simplify my life and say "no" more often.

Check, and (almost) Check!

I joined Sub It Club to give myself a feeling of accountability. If I had a whole group of people asking me whether I was submitting my work, I'd be more likely to do it, right?

Absolutely!

And it worked!! In 2013, I accepted an offer of publication for my debut novel (TWELVE STEPS) to Swoon Romance and signed with my literary agent, the fabulous Jessica Sinsheimer, who fell in love with my middle grade novel, LETTERS FROM HEAVEN.

I did say "no" more often in 2013, but I still took on a lot of challenges.

In May, I accepted the challenge from SCBWI MD/DE/WV once again to write a middle grade novel in 72 hours. (I completed the challenge this year. And eventually, I might even get around to revising and editing that manuscript!)

Big News!! ... or How I Got My Agent!

This summer, I finished final revisions on the most difficult novel I've ever written.

LETTERS FROM HEAVEN is about twelve-year-old Missy Tuttle, whose mother dies from a brain tumor. Dad starts dating too soon, her best friends have gone AWOL, and Missy has no one to turn to. But then, a letter arrives, signed Love, Mom. When the letters keep coming, referencing events Mom couldn't possibly have predicted, Missy realizes she's receiving actual letters from heaven.

This story is so deeply personal that it took me a full three years to finish, as I had to give myself several months between each revision. In fact, last year, I gave up on it completely, certain I'd never find the emotional distance necessary to write the story effectively.

I wasn't sure if I was ready to share that much of myself with the world.

But my amazing critique partners wouldn't let me put it away forever. And so, when I started querying TWELVE STEPS, I pulled LETTERS FROM HEAVEN out of the virtual drawer. 

The goal was to have LETTERS ready to query by the time I reached the end of my query list for TWELVE STEPS. Yikes!

Then, just as I finished revisions for LETTERS FROM HEAVEN,I accepted an offer with Swoon Romance for TWELVE STEPS. And I gave myself permission to wait on querying "just until life gets back to normal."

In other words, I chickened out.

Luckily, Brenda Drake and Ashley Turcotte, wouldn't allow me to quit. 

Not ready to take the leap of faith required to query, I entered Pitch Madness. My top agent choices were participating, and the contest circuit worked with my first novel. It would work for me again.

But I didn't make it to the final round of Pitch Madness, so no agents saw my entry.

After a brief battle with self-doubt (where I forced myself to re-read my own blog post about how even phenomenal entries may not be selected for Pitch Madness), I decided to enter the Twitter pitch party #PitMad.

I knew at least one of the agents on my wish list (we'll call her Agent A) was watching the #PitMad feed. In fact, I chatted with her throughout the day, about various topics, but mostly Pitch Madness and #PitMad. Surely, she'd see my Twitter pitch tucked into my feed as we conversed. I waited all day for her to mention my pitch and request my pages.

Nope.

Of course, an agent not requesting through a Twitter pitch party is NOT the same as a rejection. The feed moves so fast, there's no way to even know if your agent crush saw your pitch.

But sometimes, it still feels like a rejection.

As much as I wanted a contest to make the introductions for me, the "easy route" wasn't so easy this time around.

And after all I'd been through with this manuscript, I couldn't put LETTERS FROM HEAVEN back into the drawer.

My first manuscript died because I was too afraid to query widely. I gave up on it before giving it half a chance. My second manuscript made its rounds on the contest circuit to find a home.

But this time around, I knew I had to take that leap, trusting wings to sprout in time to carry me to the ground. In other words, I had to query.

I was meticulous in my research. Because the story was so personal, I couldn’t bring myself to follow the common advice to "query widely." I knew I had to put myself out there, but not that much.

After weeks of research, I had a very select list of "rock star" agents, who were likely, I thought, to connect with my story. 

I started with just a couple of queries, to test the waters. I decided I'd write my next manuscript while I waited for responses, and by the time I got through my select list, I could be ready to start over again with the next manuscript.

But a week passed, and I had not heard from anyone. (Shocking, right? -- A whole WEEK with no response!)

And I was too nervous to write anything new. So I took a deep breath, sat myself at my dining room table with my laptop, and wrote out ten more queries to ten more rock star agents.

By the next morning, I had two requests. 

The only problem? You're generally supposed to include a synopsis with your full, and I didn't have one.

I spent the rest of the day frantically writing one (with the help of Ashley and Brenda, who dropped everything just to help me whip it into shape!), so I could send the requested pages.

Always have a synopsis ready, kids!

I sent off the pages.

A few hours later, Agent A tweeted: "I like books that make me a bad subway passenger--laughing, crying, throwing my Kindle across the train--well, maybe not the last one." 

But that couldn't possibly be MY manuscript. I'd just sent it to her!

Except... it was.  We'd spoken on Twitter, and she sent me a note to tell me that my book--my very personal, very emotional, very heartfelt book--had struck a chord. "Just so you know, I was crying on the subway. This is powerful. I feel for her. You've done a good job. So, again, whatever happens from here on out, I just wanted you to know that."

This didn't make me nervous at all. Not one bit. Nope. Not me. Cool as a cucumber.

The next afternoon, she asked if we could set up a phone call.

We talked for nearly two hours, about my manuscript and her ideas for it, about family and hobbies and everything else. And I wasn't even nervous! (This is huge, by the way! I have a severe phone phobia. I even have mild panic attacks when talking to my own mother, my husband, or my very best friends on the phone!)

When she offered representation, it took every ounce of my self-control not to jump up and down and scream YES!!!

But I had other agents with my work. And I'd queried each of them for very strong, specific reasons. I couldn't just write them off. So I emailed the other agents to let them know I had an offer. And within minutes, I had another full request.

Thus began the longest week of my life.

I always thought it would be awesome and amazing to be that writer with dozens of offers at once, but I quickly realized that the reality didn't fit the fantasy. How could I possibly turn down any of these rock star agents?

In the meantime, a few agents told me, "This manuscript is wonderful, with a lot to love, but it's not right for me," or otherwise passed. Yet, the rejection didn't sting.

Deep in my heart, I knew I'd already made my choice.

And now, I'm happy to announce that I've accepted an offer of representation from the fabulous Agent A -- Jessica Sinsheimer (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, LLC)!!!