From One Challenge to the Next

September 2, 2015 by Julie Holmes, author 6 Comments

It’s September 2, the big reveal day for Pitch Wars is today. Well, more accurately, it was last night. Rumors were flying that the fantabulous Brenda Drake had a few surprises up her sleeve. During a live you-tube/twitter (I’m not sure what’s it’s called, but it was like a live video-chat) broadcast/chat last night with a number of the mentors, Brenda revealed her surprises, one of which was, of course as many had guessed, early reveal of the lucky mentees.

And I’m mentor-less, though I did win a drawing for a free 25-page edit–yay! I’m hoping the mentors I submitted to will send me some feedback; wish I could remember all five. I’ll let the confetti settle a bit before I ask if they’ll send me their thoughts. So happy for the writers who did manage to snag a mentor! I wish them all good luck with the next couple months of revision and the agent round.

The best part about the Pitch Wars contest is the community. A good number of the potential mentees were active on the #PitchWars feed through the past two weeks, which was fun. I’ve got two possible CPs to work with, and there’s a ready-made pool of other writers who might be willing to do beta reads, etc. All in all, a great experience, and I’m glad I tossed my hat into the ring this year. On the bright side, I can work on my WIP over the next two months and still send out queries for my mss (*Mentees cannot send out any queries until after the agent round).

Now, back to querying my mss, and working on my WIP. As the summer ends, the garden wanes, and the kids head back to school, I’ll have more time to write. Well, after the bustle of getting the school year underway is over. Daughter is a sophomore this year, and starting to drive. Son is a senior this year and still doesn’t know where he wants to go to college (sigh), but he’s narrowed his field of study to engineering. Wait! Hmm, maybe I’ll be able to set up a writing room once he leaves.

So what’s the next challenge, you say? Aw, that’s easy. My WIP. I won’t be participating in NaNoWriMo this November, per se. I’ve already done my NaNo this year–in February. But, in lieu of the typical fresh NaNo project, I’m planning to hammer on my WIP. My goal: have the mss query-worthy by next spring. I’m trying to hone my voice for romantic mystery/suspense, and refining my process. I rough outline–not scene-by-scene–but I’m trying a few things to see what works for me. I think (and maybe it’s my mentor’s influence here) more planning may help me, since I’m at the point now where instead of writing stories I’ve built in my head over many years, I’m writing stories I haven’t mentally walked through a hundred times.

Who are you looking for? *scans the room* Oh, you’re wondering where my Muse is after the machete incident. He said something about research, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and deep-fried cheese curds. I’m guessing he’s headed to the MN State Fair, and didn’t bother to ask me along because, well, I hate crowds. Oh, and it’s gonna be tropical hot the next couple days. Research, though … there’s something to be said about people-watching and fodder for stories. What’s the addage? Be nice to writers, or they’ll put you in their next book.

Have a great rest of the week. Stay cool, stay focused, and write on!