As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most polished […]
As you may be aware, I help host the PitchSlam contest run every year by the amazing L.L. McKinney. Writers submit a 35 word pitch for feedback, then their first page for feedback, then both together for consideration for the agent round. The hosts, with a slew of talented readers, work to pick the most […]
One of the most important things for writers is to find the right critique partner to swap work with and get feedback. I’m extremely lucky that I have some amazing CPs who are talented writers with great editorial eyes. Sometimes, when I’m talking to my CPs, I feel like I won the lottery. But it’s […]
I was floored to receive so many #Pitchwars entries from writers asking for my help. And while I unfortunately just don’t have the ability to send personalized feedback to everybody, I did see a lot of common issues in many of the entries. Now, first, let me stress: Deciding to pick someone else is not […]
Now that Query Kombat is over (and with New Agent coming up on Wednesday), I want to explain some of things that impacted some of my votes. Hopefully, it’ll be useful for future contests and people thinking about submitting to me in Pitch Wars. Yes, I frequently picked the entry with the voice that spoke […]
One of the hardest things about writing a query is trying to infuse some voice into it. But it’s also really important to make sure your query fits the genre you’re telling me your story fit into. Consider the following (made up) query: Ten-year-old Harry hates living with his aunt and uncle: They make him […]
I’ve been reading a lot of first pages over the past couple of months. A lot, a lot, a lot. (My best guess is around 300, so while I am prone to exaggeration sometimes, when I say “a lot,” I mean it.) And here are some (made-up) examples of problems I see over and over. […]
With QueryKombat right around the corner (and PitchWars coming up soon after that), here’s a glimpse into things I do (and do not) want to see on your first page. Do: Show us your character’s awesome voice. I want it to sound like they’re talking to me directly (without them actually breaking the fourth wall […]
Once upon a time, I was Defender of the Prologue! I was thinking about getting a cape and a badge and everything. I didn’t understand the war on prologues at all. I’d open a book, and go, “LOOK! THIS BOOK GETS A PROLOGUE! WHY CAN’T I HAVE ONE??* Yet, everywhere I looked, agents would say […]
As some of you may be aware (since I’ve mentioned it roughly 11,000 times), #PitchSlam and #NestPitch are fast approaching (details on Twitter). I’m reading slush for NestPitch and hosting PitchSlam, which means that I’m crazy. I mean… that I’ll be reading a LOT of pitches and first pages in April. A lot, a lot, […]
With a few pitch contests coming up in the next couple of months, I thought I’d share what it is I’m looking for when I read the slush. I can hear the collective groan now. “We know, we know: You like women’s fiction. Dogs like bones. Fish like water. We get it.” And okay, yes, […]