From September 22-28, we’re posting mini-interviews with some of our 2021 Pitch Wars mentors. We thought it would be fun to have them answer one question. A question that would give you an idea of their personalities. And possibly spotlight a mentor you may have missed on your exhaustive search through the blog hop for the perfect four mentors to submit to when the Pitch Wars 2021 submission window opens. Don’t know what Pitch Wars is START HERE.
Giveaway!
We’re also giving away 2021 mentors’ and committee members’ books! Go to the bottom of this post for details on how to enter for a chance to win.
Need to connect to the community?
Join the Pitch Wars forum to have discussions with some of our mentors and other writers or get your work critiqued by your peers (and sometimes mentors) or search for critique partners. It’s our gift to you for being so awesome, and we hope you find this space useful. To join the forum go here: http://pitchwars.proboards.com/
Mark your calendars!
Join us for our official #PitchWars #askmentor chats on Twitter and our live mentor video chats happening on Sarah Nicolas’ Youtube channel. Go to this blog post for dates and follow @PitchWars on Twitter for all the details.
This is the question we asked our mentors to answer:
If you could tell your younger self anything about writing or the publishing world you’ve learned or didn’t expect when starting out, what would it be?
And here are their answers …
Alex Brown (Co-Mentoring with Skyla Arndt)
“Write the book you want to write…and then keep writing the books you want to write. Tell stories that are undeniably you and that you’re proud of. Make it weird. Make it creepy. Make it hilarious. Make it you.
Even if those manuscripts don’t get you an agent or a book deal, you’ll learn and improve with each one! There are no wasted words!
Also, invest in GameStop stock now. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it’s gonna be worth it one day!”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Allison Saft
“I would tell my younger self that writing is an act of compromise. Everyone has different priorities as a writer. Some value character over plot, atmosphere over fast pacing. As an artist, you will always give more weight to the elements of a book you love–and less to the elements of a book you value less. You will always sacrifice something in executing your vision. So write for the people who share your priorities, and you will find your readership. My best work has always come from being self-indulgent!”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Carlyn Greenwald
“Publishing is not a linear path and even if it seems you’ve been handed an extra rocky road, try to trust that since so much of this business is outside of your control, that your success will happen and it’ll happen exactly when it’s meant to happen. After all, if you never give up, you have to make it at some point.”
Emery Lee
“There are things you’ll write for you that really are only meant for you. You don’t need to query them or try to sell them. You can keep them close to your chest and continue to love them, as they are, for yourself. Not everything has to be written to share, and choosing to divide your time between things for you and things for others won’t hinder your progress or success.”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Diana Urban
“One thing I wish I knew to do earlier is something I’m still trying to learn: to separate storytelling from publishing. To let myself be immersed in a story, get to know the characters, and enjoy the art of it without worrying about whether it will get picked up or prioritized by a publisher. I’ve lost so much time worrying about things outside my control (querying, being on sub, etc.) when I could have been having fun with my next story. And even now, even when I understand this mindset shift I should make, even when I wish I could undo so many wasted hours, this is still a challenge!”
Wishlist Link | Mentor Page | Book Link
Enter for a chance to win one of our mentors’ or committee members’ books. We’ll choose ten winners to receive one book each. You ARE NOT limited to the mentors featured in our spotlight posts. You can choose any 2021 mentor or committee member’s book. All you have to do is search our mentors’ and committee members’ books, pick one you’d like to receive should you win, and enter it in the rafflcopter at the bottom of this post. The book must be one from our 2021 mentors or committee members.
You can find our mentor pages here: https://pitchwars.org/mentor-status/active/ And you can find our committee members here: https://pitchwars.org/about/meet-the-pitch-wars-committee/
It’s open internationally, but only for books available on the Book Depository. Make sure to go to their site and verify the book is listed for sale there before choosing your book in the Rafflecopter. Please note: The book you choose might not be immediately available due to supply chain challenges impacting the entire publishing industry.