Why I’m Not Entering #Pitchwars – But Why You Should!

About a year ago, I cried during dinner because I didn’t get accepted into #Pitchwars. I didn’t understand. I revised my manuscript tirelessly for two full months! I was active on social media and was making all kinds of friends! How could I not get chosen?

Well. There are plenty of reasons, all of which we won’t waste time getting into. Once I had taken some time to lick my wounds, I pulled open my next manuscript, which had started off as my 2015 NaNoWriMo, and completed the first draft in September. With nearly a full year ahead of me to revise (properly), I was confident I’d be entering this new manuscript into #Pitchwars.

But here we are, less than a month before the #Pitchwars submission window opens and all I have is that first, rough draft.

So what happened?

A number of things.  First, thanks to #Pitchwars, I found a lot of fabulous critique partners. I didn’t use my newfound writer friends to go through my newly completed manuscript, though. Instead, I workshopped my #Pitchwars manuscript. I think a total of seven (possibly more) fantastic critique partners combed through my #Pitchwars manuscript and provided me with amazing feedback. So instead of revising my new manuscript, I focused my efforts on revising the old.

I entered the query trenches in Fall 2017 with my first manuscript and was ready to roll up my sleeves and revise the new one. But as the rejections trickled in, I kept nitpicking at the first manuscript, kept sending it off to new CPs. In short, I couldn’t give up.

At the start of 2018, I continued querying and started preparing myself to enter a revision cave for my next WIP. I still had about six months before #Pitchwars—plenty of time to get my manuscript in tip-top condition.

Again, I couldn’t stop going back to my first manuscript.

In April, I was fortunate enough to have my original #Pitchwars manuscript (now very revised and in the type of shape it should have been in for #Pitchwars 2017) chosen by a mentor in #AuthorMentorMatch. I think at this point, I knew my chances of getting Manuscript #2 ready for #Pitchwars was behind me.

From April until very recently, I revised and revised and revised. In all honesty, I worked my butt off—a lot harder than I’d ever worked before. And I think—and hope—the work shows.

But that manuscript I finished back in September for #Pitchwars 2018? It’s still there in first draft format. For about a day I thought maybe I could bust my butt and get it ready in time for #Pitchwars but it only took a few minutes before I decided that’s not going to work for me.

So there you have it. Why I’m not entering #Pitchwars this year.

BUT… I think YOU should!

I’ve had a few friends tell me they’re intimidated by #Pitchwars.  Or that they don’t think it’s for them. But I’m here to tell you that even though I didn’t get into #Pitchwars last year, my manuscript, currently out with agents and chosen to be mentored through #AuthorMentorMatch, wouldn’t be where it is today had I not thrown my hat into the ring for #Pitchwars.

There’s a number of reasons #Pitchwars is a great experience.

REASON #1: It’s a learning experience.

If you’ve never queried agents before, #Pitchwars is a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak. Like querying agents, you have to follow submission guidelines. You have to prepare a submission package (query letter, synopsis, first pages). You might get a full request from one of the mentors (woo!). You might not.

You might not get chosen to participate in #Pitchwars, aka, you might, like me, get rejected.

Rejection is hard, but it’s also a part of the business. Being afraid of rejection isn’t going to get your book on the shelf. You’ve got to face that fear head-on and #Pitchwars is a safe, friendly way to go about it.

In other words? #Pitchwars is a way to test your submission package without “burning a bridge” or hurting a chance with an agent. This is key. Trust me. When I first started querying agents, I was querying a first draft. That’s a nuh-uh move. If only I’d tested it out with #Pitchwars first!

REASON #2: #Pitchwars makes you set a deadline.

It’s a little too late in the game for this, but #Pitchwars is a great motivator. Last year, I started seriously revising my manuscript with the #Pitchwars submission date as my target goal to have completed revisions. Without this deadline? I might have never finished this particular round of revisions.

Even if you are running out of time, use the #Pitchwars submission date as a target to get somewhere new in your draft—whether it’s completed revisions so you can enter or whether it’s to get a draft written so you have a full year to revise for next year’s #Pitchwars, if you need a swift kick in the butt, #Pitchwars might just offer that.

REASON #3: The community.

This is the biggest reason, in my opinion. Going into #Pitchwars, I had a few friends, a few CPs. After #Pitchwars? I had an entire community of friends and CPs, not to mention tons of resources I didn’t have before. A lot of really great people in the community offer query critiques, too. This is INVALUABLE, you guys. INVALUABLE.

Plus, it’s important that you don’t feel alone in the cold world of writing. We writers are famous for liking solitude, but the loneliness can get to us, especially if we’re facing rejection or if we’re stuck in a rut. Fellow writers know what we’re going through—and they can help us through. Or at least help us feel less lonely.

As far as I can tell, Tweeting using the #Pitchwars hashtag and following along with #Pitchwars games is the best way to instantly become connected to hundreds (thousands?) of writers like yourself. Find your people—they’re likely out there under the #Pitchwars hashtag. ❤

REASON #4: You’ve got nothing to lose.

Seriously. Take it from me, someone who did not make it into #Pitchwars and who took it pretty hard. (After crying I played in a tennis match and tried to vent my frustrations that way—it’s never fun chasing a ball three courts down.) But guess what? I didn’t lose anything. In fact, I gained a lot. One of the mentors I had subbed to was kind enough to set me up in a critique group, which I’m still involved in today (love my GWB ladies! <3). One of my CPs knew more about my novel’s subject matter than I did (*gulp*) and she helped tremendously with my revisions and is now a #Pitchwars mentor herself. You grow as a writer by entering #Pitchwars—trust me on this.

 Also, so what if you don’t get chosen? There are still plenty of opportunities ahead, starting with #PitMad in September. The query trenches are always open, never closed.

And of course I have to boost #AuthorMentorMatch because Round 5 starts in the fall. Don’t get into #Pitchwars? Have no fear. Polish that manuscript off, revise according to all of the great feedback you get during the #Pitchwars submission period, and enter #AuthorMentorMatch. I’ll be writing a separate post on how amazing and beneficial #AuthorMentorMatch is, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, roll up your sleeves, set your deadlines, interact with some people and the #Pitchwars hashtag, and know that I’m cheering for you from the sidelines!