Step 45: Get Stuff Done

ICYMI in my last post, I was picked to be a 2016 #PitchWars Mentee!

I was saving this .gif for when I got an agent but I think its use is warranted here!

Pretty sure I cashed in the last of my karma chips because the odds were fairly steep. Like, Han-Solo-successfully-navigating-an-asteroid-field steep.

Maybe I should go out and buy a lottery ticket or something.

As exciting as it is to be selected, I know this is but a single battle in a much longer war. Many awesome people have made posts varying from how literary contests are just one avenue toward authorship, to even hindering their publication timelines. Pitch Wars does not guarantee me an agent in November. I repeat: Pitch Wars does not guarantee me an agent in November. In fact, it doesn't guarantee me anything at all, but I suspect my awesome mentors Sonia Hartl and Jennifer Hawkins will utilize the next two months wisely and help me whip my manuscript into steroid-induced swoleness.

My word count just increased by OVER NINE THOUSAAAAND

To say I am nervous is an understatement. I haven't received my edit letter yet, but I've spoken to another mentee who told me her mentor asked her to basically rewrite her entire book from the ground up. I think I know where the weaknesses in my manuscript lie, so I fully expect my mentors to poke giant ego-deflating holes in those delicate spots, but I'm also aware their suggestions might make me see my MS in a whole new light. And that--for better or worse--is not something I can completely prepare for.

I bet you thought you'd seen the last of these rewrites.

But getting an agent at the end of Pitch Wars was never the goal. The goal was to take my book and make it into something great. If I have something stellar on my hands, the rest of the pieces will (hopefully) fall into place. And a secondary goal was to connect with others in the literary community and to locate my tribe, which I've found in spades. Sonia has taken on three mentees in total, and we've already become acquainted with one another. We even have a name--with our powers combined, we form to become #TeamBossBitches!

It might take 20 cases of Two-Buck Chuck to get me through to November, but I will persevere! #apologiestomyliver

Step 44: Find Your Tribe

I sent this tweet last night while the folk behind #PitchWars were making their preparations for today's mentee reveals:

In case you're wondering, I am absolutely going to milk my screenname for all its worth.

I wrote it in regards to Pitch Wars, but there's more to it than just a dick pun and hashtag. Because, in my journey to become a storyteller, I've discovered two things:

1. Writing is absolutely a solitary lifestyle, and
2. The loneliness will drive you batshit insane if you don't find a community of people to metaphorically wrap their arms around you.

Essentially, it's of the utmost importance to surround yourself with others who understand the struggle you are going through in order to retain your sanity. A tribe, if you will. And this is a bittersweet notion for me, because I once had a tribe--many tribes, in fact. I rode horses with a group of ten women from the ages of 11 to 21 who I considered my tribe; when we disbanded, I found another tribe among the costumers I met when I was active in the cosplay community throughout my twenties; I was embraced by yet another tribe of artists when my illustration career took root.

As my interest changed and my priorities shifted over the years, so has my sense of belonging. I am still friends with many of these people--equestrians, cosplayers, and artists alike--and many more have continued to support me throughout my endeavors, but the feeling of togetherness that originally brought us together has waned. I hold no ill will towards anyone who has felt the drift, and I hope they feel the same about me.

But I've discovered a new tribe of fellow pre-published authors through #PitchWars, those who have an intimate understanding of the sting of rejection and continue to preserver through overwhelming odds. I miss my old tribes, but I am looking forward to immersing myself in this new one. Each tribe holds a special place in my heart, and nothing short of a well-placed anvil falling on my head can take that away from me.

So as to not keep you in suspense any longer: I'm officially a 2016 Pitch Wars Mentee!

Step 43: Prepare For War

I know it's been forever and a day since I've posted on my blog, but it's for a very good reason I can sum up in two words: Pitch Wars.

It's something like that.

When I first heard about the #PitchWars hashtag a few months ago, I noted it in my calendar along with the rest of the Twitter literary pitch events. Little did I know that it would consume my entire month of July.

BRB SLEEPING FOREVER TT_____TT

In a nutshell, #PitchWars is a contest that pairs up aspiring authors with published "mentors" who spend two months helping you rip apart your manuscript and piece it back together stronger than it was before. An agent window then opens in November for mentees to parade around their newly polished and publication-ready books.

It's a ridiculously amazing opportunity to be brought under the wing of people who have been in your shoes and understand the hard work that goes into taking a good MS and making it great. The catch? Last year, 1600+ entries vied for approximately 150 spots, and this year is expected to garner even more entries.

I spent the entire month of July dusting off my old Twitter account, getting to know potential mentors, and swapping query and first chapter critiques with fellow #PitchWars hopefuls. After several weeks of reading and re-reading my MS until my eyes bled, I finally took the plunge and submitted my beloved brainchild to six carefully-selected mentors.

Now what?

With the excitement of the submission window closing on Saturday night wearing off, I am beginning to temper my expectations. There's a lot of things you can do to up your chances of being selected as a mentee--picking the right mentors who are asking for exactly what your book has to offer, perfecting your grammar and prose in your MS, etc.--but what it really boils down to is sheer luck. Imagine, if you will, perusing a bookstore; sometimes you're in the mood for a corny romance, and sometimes you're in the mood for something more fantastical. #PitchWars works in much the same way--your best shot at getting selected is having something that just happens to align with a potential mentor's hankering at just the right time.  You can have the next A Song of Ice and Fire saga on your hands, but if your chosen mentor is dying for a good vampire fic, them's the breaks.

That's not to say I haven't gained anything from this experience--on the contrary, I am infinitely happier for having participated. Sure, I'll be as disappointed as the next person if I don't get picked, but realistically speaking, I might as well be disappointed in not winning the lottery. What I have acquired from participating in #PitchWars has been invaluable: I've connected with people in the writing community that I would not have otherwise met, and I've made my MS even better than I ever thought it could be. Ultimately, though, I've learned an important lesson in perseverance, because not winning #PitchWars does not equal defeat. Whether I get into #PitchWars or not has no bearing on the potential success of my manuscript, and pushing forward in the face of staggering odds is what makes or breaks a writer.

To Brenda Drake and all of the amazing #PitchWars mentors: I salute you!