We gather here today to say farewell to the Pitch Wars writing mentorship program. It’s a little strange to be part of the last class of the program, especially when I still have to pinch myself to believe I was selected for it. But now it’s been a month since Pitch Wars 2021 ended and I resumed fighting my way through the query trenches.
So let’s dive into what the whole experience was like, and where a Pitch Wars manuscript sits one month later!
Applying to Pitch Wars 2021
For anyone not familiar with Pitch Wars:
Pitch Wars is a volunteer-run mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each to mentor. Mentors read the entire manuscript and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for the agent showcase.
Even though the program has ended, other similar programs are still going strong (for some ideas, check out this great thread from Sami Ellis (@themoosef).
The Pitch Wars application process was very similar to querying, in that you sent in a query letter, synopsis, and sample of your novel. This meant that I was about as optimistic as I have been for any query I’ve sent out (read: not very).
By the time I applied for Pitch Wars, I had been querying for about 9 months, had sent out about 30 queries, and received only a couple of bites for fulls that ultimately got rejected. In the grand scheme of things, 30 queries is not a ton, but it sure felt like it! So I was pretty gutted about the state of my witchy cottage core fantasy.
Then I got a Pitch Wars request for a partial. And then a full! And then the day after the selection period ended, I woke up to ALL CAPS TEXTS from Danielle and Katie telling me my name was on the list! Jake Nicholls, an amazing freelance editor, had chosen to mentor me!
The Revision Experience
From the moment I got my first lovely and encouraging email from Jake, my life became a whirlwind. Between writing homework and being in communication with the 100+ mentees in the program, I hit the ground running and essentially went underwater for about 3 months straight (in a good way!). And once I got my edit letter from Jake, I was really off to the races!
All of the mentees had varying experiences with their revisions. I was really fortunate to work with Jake who has been an amazing cheerleader since day 1. And when their edit letter came through, all of their suggestions really hit home.
They mainly wanted more of the pieces I already had in the manuscript. More tension, more obstacles, more villainy presence. My novel was atmospheric, but also too nice to the main character (Sorry, Deirdre). Jake gave me actionable feedback on how to make everything really hit home. And from the beginning, they made sure I knew that this was my novel and no one was going to force me into a change I didn’t agree with. I’m one of those writers who hates writing but loves revising. So digging in deep with this round of edits was manic and delightful, because I had my mentor, my writing coven, and all the other mentees to help me on the wild road to showcase.
The Pitch Wars Showcase
Every year, Pitch Wars ended in a showcase where all the mentees could display their story pitch, as well as a sample of their first page. For example, here’s mine:
On the mentee side of things, it’s a rollercoaster of a week. While the showcase is open, agents can look at your pitch and comment if they’d like to read a sample or the full manuscript. But the mentees can’t see their requests until the showcase ends. Mentors are able to keep you informed about who requests you (thanks Jake!), but outside of that, you have to wait and hope. It’s nerve-wracking to say the least, especially when you’re in a genre (yay Adult Fantasy) that typically has a low request rate. But I am so grateful to my writing coven and the other mentees for keeping spirits high even when we were all losing our minds with stress!
Curtains Close—One Month Later
So what happens after the showcase ends? Well, you look at your requests and see if any of them actually represent your genre (⅚ of my requests actually represented Adult Fantasy) and decide who you want to send materials to. Then you wait and hope and pray. Because Pitch Wars is not a silver bullet. Will it get you a revised manuscript and help you form more connections in the writing community? Yes! Will it get you an agent? ….Maybe? Hopefully?
A month after the showcase, a few people in my class have already signed with agents. I have not. While 6 manuscript requests is pretty great for an Adult Fantasy entry, I was not the showcase “darling”, and I’ve already had rejections from some of those agents. In all honesty, it was heartbreaking. My mental health definitely took a dive after the excitement of Pitch Wars wrapped up and it was back to the normal waiting game of querying. Every time I check my inbox, my emotions go a bit haywire. Plenty of the mentees are in the same boat, and I am rooting for each and every one of us.
So, what happens now?
I query until I either run out of agents or get an offer. That’s it. I query and I research for the next novel (did someone say sea monsters?) and I hope. In the end, I still gained so much from being a Pitch Wars mentee. My manuscript is leaps and bounds better than what it was before this experience, and I am so in love with it! And I will always be so so grateful to Jake for picking me and for being everything a mentor should be.
Advice for Other Mentorship Programs
Pitch Wars may be gone, but there are still plenty of opportunities to find a writing mentor (see above)! So if you pursue another mentorship program, here’s some advice to keep in mind:
- Yes, you want a mentor to choose you, but also make sure that you are choosing your mentor. It can be hard to know how a mentor will be before you start working with them, but see if you can find any of their previous mentees and ask how their experience was. Some of the mentees in my cohort had incredible mentors and I count myself among them! Others had mentors that were absent or downright toxic. So when you pick a mentor, try to find someone you think is a good match in terms of communication and vision.
- Reach out to your community. Do you already have critique partners? Does the mentorship have a Discord? Make sure to stay in touch with other writers who will encourage you and build you up. Revising and querying can be grueling and lonely, but you are not alone!
- Plan out your revisions. Do you work well with spreadsheets or outlines? Use them! Getting an edit letter, no matter how encouraging, can be daunting, especially if your mentorship has a quick turnaround. Planning out your revisions and spacing them out can help you not only stay organized but also make the editing process feel more feasible.
- Do the homework! Before I got my edit letter, Jake gave me character sheets and other resources to get me thinking about what changes I could make to improve the manuscript. And let me tell you, these really came in handy once I started revising!
- Don’t self reject! Ever. End of story.
- Have other hobbies. Writing and mentorship programs can feel all-consuming sometimes. It can be hard to compartmentalize and keep things in perspective. So don’t neglect your other hobbies, even if it’s rewatching Parks and Rec for the millionth time. Your brain needs breaks to make art and keep you happy, so let yourself have one.
Even though the query process is as rough as it was before Pitch Wars, I am so grateful for my experience. The ride isn’t over, and being a part of a writing mentorship program definitely has its ups and downs. But I gained so much out of working with Jake and I can only hope the experience has made me a better writer.
So if you see a mentorship program on the horizon, this writer would definitely recommend checking it out!
