Get the Most Out of #PitchWars

Every year, thousands of hopeful writers enter #PitchWars for a chance to work with a mentor and hopefully score some requests in the agent round. This will be my second year entering, and the contest is AMAZING. If you have a polished manuscript, be sure to check out all the PitchWars details and get ready for some awesome fun.

So, let’s get started, shall we?

There are two things you’ll always hear around the #PitchWars hashtag:
1. The Community is the best part of PitchWars.
2. Don’t self reject.

I agree 100% with both of these statements, and they are two of many ways to get the most out of PitchWars. But I want to talk about something else: Personal Goals.

What do YOU want to get out of PitchWars?

Because no matter how your personal experience goes, most of us aren’t going to get selected by a mentor. That’s the reality. Out of the thousands of submissions, less than two hundred mentee slots are available.

The key I learned in 2016 is to set your personal goals before you ever hit the submit button, so when the fun and frenzy is over, you can see for yourself what you accomplished.

That’s right… accomplished.

Focus on the positive aspect, and how you can make the most of your experience. Here are some goals & milestones I recommend to everyone.

• Make friends with other writers and mentors.
• Enter the mentee-hopeful #PimpMyBio blog hop. (Not mandatory – just a fun way to connect with other writers)
• Have all my manuscript materials ready to pitch before the submission window opens.
  • I wrote an article about this during #RevPit, so the finished pieces may be slightly different. i.e. First 5 pages = first chapter
• Enter manuscript and hit the submit button, with or without fear.
• Have a book to read or project to focus on during the #PitchWars submission window. I’m telling you right now, the tension mounts and some of the mentor teasers are deliciously evil.
• Enjoy watching hashtag teasers, but don’t drive yourself crazy thinking every discouraging teaser is about your story. DO glean awesome helpful facts from teasers.
• Receive 1 request for pages.
  • NOTE: If you receive a request, please show courtesy to others by NOT posting about it on the #PitchWars hashtag. Jump for joy to your friends and CPs via DM or email so they can celebrate with you, but keep it private. N-thousand people won’t receive a request.
• Receive 2 or more requests.
• Have mentors love your story so much they have to play rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock for who gets to be your mentor.
• Top Goal: Score a spot with a mentor, and be ready to work your ass off.

These are suggested goals, and it’s doubtful any person will accomplish all of them, but feel free to take this list and add/delete content to make it your own. Because when the submission window closes and winners are announced, I want each person to look back at their list. What goals did you accomplish? What positive things happened for you and your writing career?

PitchWars is a fantastic community and you learn so much just by hanging around, even if you’re a wallflower. If you’d like to see a taste of what PitchWars hopefuls were doing last year after the contest, be sure to check out my Winterviews project. These amazing people are still writing. Still forging their writing careers and moving forward.

Cheers and good luck to everyone submitting this year! If you make your own list, drop it in the comments or shoot me a link if you share it on your blog. 🙂