When are wars good? When they’re #PitchWars

I’m in! I’m in! I’m in a war. A Pitch War.

Earlier this summer, I wrote about taking small steps in my writing journey in this post. I’d finished a manuscript, gotten some recognition in a contest based on a query and first page and gotten some initial interest from agents. All good stuff. Really good stuff.  I celebrated, ready to take my next step. Then I realized in a panic that my manuscript was NOT READY.

Fortunately, my lovely and trusted beta readers started sending feedback. They laughed. They cried. And nothing–nothing, I tell you–makes me happier than making people cry. In a good way. They also gave me suggestions on how to make my story stronger. I listened. I revised. But I knew it still was not ready. I continued seeking feedback. And then along came Pitch Wars, the awesome contest by the even more awesome Brenda Drake.

I decided to go for it. I did my research and read the interests and backgrounds on every single mentor, narrowing it down to the maximum four allowed who fit my story, a middle grade contemporary with a twist of magic/sci-fi. I submitted my entry and crossed my fingers. I was asked to send more pages, then the full manuscript. Eep! More waiting, until finally, at midnight of the appointed day, I refreshed the Pitch Wars page obsessively until…*cue angels singing and harps playing*…there it was: the list. And I was on it!

I so needed this right now. In the midst of other challenging things happening in my world, this is a bright spot. And, though it doesn’t guarantee I’ll land an agent or get a book published, I know that no matter what, I’ll grow as a writer. And that is a prize worth fighting for.