Pitch Wars LIVE, #AskMentor chats, and spend a Day in the Life of our mentors

Pitch Wars 2021 is ramping up and so are our social programs, starting with Pitch Wars LIVE shows, #AskMentor Twitter Chats, and Instagram takeovers. All of these are completely optional but are a great opportunity to learn more and get to know the mentors. During the lead up to the mentee application window opening, Pitch Wars volunteers host several virtual programs designed to:

• Let applicants get to know the mentors 
• Give writers access to authors and industry professionals answering questions about craft, publishing, and Pitch Wars
• Facilitate opportunities for the community to connect

Join us for Pitch Wars LIVE and #AskMentor chats as we get ready for Pitch Wars 2021 

We will host live video chats and #AskMentor twitter chats leading up to the submission window. These are a great way to get your questions answered, get advice, and learn more about our volunteer mentors. Below is the full schedule for the Twitter #AskMentor events and our live video chats this year. 

Pitch Wars LIVE video chats: (All times Eastern)

• Saturday, September 4, 2021 — 12-1 pm — Middle Grade Mentors
• Saturday, September 11, 2021 — 12-2 pm — Adult Mentors
• Thursday, September 16, 2021 — 7-9 pm — Middle Grade Mentors
• Friday, September 17, 2021 — 8-10 pm —  Adult Mentors
• Saturday, September 18, 2021 — 12-2 pm — Young Adult Mentors
• Tuesday, September 21, 2021 — 7-9 pm — Young Adult Mentors

#AskMentor Chats on Twitter (All times Eastern)

• Sunday, September 5, 2021  — 2-3 pm — Any Category
• Wednesday, September 8, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Young Adult
• Thursday, September 9, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Middle Grade
• Sunday, September 12, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Adult
• Monday, September 13, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Adult Mystery/Thriller
• Tuesday, September 14, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Middle Grade
• Saturday, September 18, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Adult Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, etc)
• Sunday, September 19, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Young Adult
• Monday, September 20, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Adult Romance
• Wednesday, September 22, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Middle Grade
• Thursday, September 23, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Young Adult
• Friday, September 24, 2021 — 8-9 pm — Any Category
• Saturday, September 25, 2021 — 10am to 10pm — Last Chance Party

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed to find out which mentors will be participating in each event. You can also follow all of our mentors using this Twitter list. Learn more about how each event will work below. 

Twitter #AskMentor Chats

How does it work?

Make sure you are on twitter at the designated times. Tweet general questions with the #AskMentor hashtag, and our mentors will answer those questions by either replying to you or quote-tweeting you. They will also include the #AskMentor hashtag.

Can I ask a question to a specific mentor?

Yes, just make sure to @ that mentor and include the #AskMentor hashtag.

How do I follow the chat?

On twitter: type “#AskMentor” in the search bar and make sure to click on “Latest.”

On tweetdeck: add a column for “#AskMentor”

What is the Last Chance Party?

Mentors from all categories will be checking in throughout the day (10am Eastern to 10pm) to answer questions. Some may be posting on Instagram; find them with the #pitchwars and #askmentor hashtags.

Video Chats

How does it work?

At or a couple minutes before the scheduled start, @PitchWars will stream to Sarah’s YouTube channel. We will also tweet out the direct link. Watching directly on YouTube will give the best results, but you can watch the video embedded on twitter.

How do I ask questions?

The best way to ask questions is on the YouTube livestream. Those questions will be seen by the host in real time. If you can’t do that, tweet questions to @PitchWars and our Twitter Captain will try to pass those along to the mentors participating in the video chat.

Do I have to be on twitter to participate?

Absolutely not. Simply go to Sarah’s YouTube channel at the designated time.

Can I view video chats I wasn’t able to catch live?

Yes! There is a YouTube playlist where all mentor video chats will be collected.

Will there be live captions?

YouTube’s live captions are unreliable so we recommend using Chrome’s built-in captioning feature.

Back this year: Day in the Life takeovers on Instagram! 

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a Pitch Wars mentor? Some of our mentors are going to give you a sneak peek! 

Follow @PitchWars on instagram. Mentors will be taking over the account throughout the lead up to Pitch Wars to share what a day in their life is like. See how writers and publishing professionals make their days work!

Next up! #PWPoePrompts!

We are so excited to host #PWPoePrompts social challenge again this year!  Originated by 2017 Pitch Wars mentee Adelle Yeung, this will be the fourth year of this social media challenge. It is completely optional and just-for-fun as a way for the community to connect with each other. This year, #PWPoePrompts will run during the reading and waiting period after the submission window closes and before mentees are announced (10/1 – 11/5). 

We will share this year’s prompts later in September. Stay tuned!