Hey!

Here’s an impromptu video of our writing wishlist and writing tips!

Hey guys!

I am so excited as Pitch Wars is just around the corner! I bet you guys are, too, and I’m assuming you all know what this event is. If you don’t, let me know and I’m happy to explain!

I thought it might be a good idea to cover a few writing points that will help you get ahead of the pack when it comes to standing out to a mentor (well, at least for me!):

1) Know why your MC wants what they want. What is their motivation? This is one of the most crucial elements. It can’t just be “because they want it” or “so they don’t die” or “to save their sister”, etc. It needs to be specific. Look at books such as “My Sister, My Keeper” by Jodi Picoult, where this child is conceived as a child donor – now there’s a motivation for a book that’s super personal for her to live her own life.

2) Conflict, conflict, conflict! Both plot and internal conflict are super important. Look at The Hunger Games as an example: Plot conflict: having to survive the games when all odds are against her. Internal conflict: the conflict of the morality of kill or be killed. Of course, there is so much more to this book, but these highlight some of the conflicts.

3) Character. A reader enters the book with no concept of who your character is. Your job is to show the facets of them and who they are. What makes them tick? What are their secrets? What do they fear/love? How did they become who they are? However, the key is to show this just enough for the reader to understand them, but not so much you have lumps of exposition everywhere.

4) Pacing. This is vital. Get your book moving. Your book can only move if your characters are moving forward, being active, doing things. This can be hard to balance. Maybe you think the character is doing something, but really sit down and evaluate this: if you took the scene or action out of the book, would it really affect the story line? If not, it has to go.

5) Dialogue. Please don’t get caught up in fussy dialogue tags such as “he intoned”, “he chortled”, etc. They mean your dialogue isn’t strong enough and your reader gets pulled out of the story.

6) Description. Characters all notice different things depending on who they are and what mood they’re in. Make sure you make their observations authentic and not just general. General descriptions are lazy.

7) Be interesting. That might sound obvious, but there are a surprising amount of stories that are rote, general, flat and predictable. This doesn’t mean they can’t be amazing stories. It just means the author needs to work harder to put new elements into their work: whether it means adding more character, adding a plot twist or two, bulking up the depth of theme, etc.


I think that’s enough for the moment! Lol. There are a million different things a writer can work on and the writing craft can be daunting at times. But just tackle it a step at a time. I think those things mentioned above will really help your manuscript come alive.

Now, if you’ve got any questions on these points (or you want to ask another craft question), please don’t hesitate to let me know!!

Happy Pitch Wars!

Hey – so today I want to do a little thing with elevator pitches. In fact, I want to do something with your elevator pitch.

The thing is, elevator pitches are tough. And it’s hard to be objective. So I’d like to offer a pair of objective eyes. I’m an agented author and full time scriptwriter (I also have a copy and content writing background in marketing) so I‘m not a bad pair of eyes, I don’t think.

So short and sweet: feel free to post your elevator pitch below and I’ll give my honest response and advice that I think might improve it.

Not sure what an elevator pitch is? Well, the dictionary defines it as “a succinct and persuasive sales pitch.” At the end of the day, we need that to sell a book – to an agent, an editor, the sales department, the bookstores, a whole host of other people involved in the publishing process and finally, the reader. 

 Things your elevator pitch needs to be:

* Unique
* Easily communicated
* Concise
* Done in 30 seconds

What forms an elevator pitch:

* Genre
* Character
* Setup
* Conflict
* Consequences

Here’s a great post by my agency: Elevator Pitches

So let’s have at it.

Post your pitch below and I’ll give you my feedback!
 

P.S. You can see one version of my elevator pitch here in my About Books section (just scroll to the bottom of the page.

P.P.S. At least once a month I’ll be posting with something I can help you with – first lines, queries, how to improve one of your scenes, etc. So make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out!   

Howdy, guys! Pitch Madness is on the horizon and I’m teaming up as a reader with the fabulous Naomi Hughes for The Red Team.

First off, I suggest you go check out Naomi’s website. She is a kick ass freelance editor, agented author, and an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing, so she knows her stuff like the cat’s pajamas!

We’ve got the honor of reading for the inimitable Brenda Drake and the kick-you-in-the-pants amazing Kimberly Chase. Go check them out on the Team Listings!

Before we get started on my pitching tips for the event, I urge you to go and check out the books by these wonderful ladies. If you want to know how to make your writing sing, your blurb tap-dance, and your characters spark, their writing will certainly show you how!

Oh and you’ll want to check out the Agent List too! Now there’s some ripe picking there!

Now onto the pitching tips… En garde…

The DOs

1) Make your stakes super clear and specific. The most important part is how specific you make your stakes. Things like “the world will end” “she will die” “everything will be lost forever”, etc are not specific stakes. You want your reader to know how heart-wrenching it will be for THIS character if they lose the ONE thing that matters to THEM. Lack of specific stakes it the main thing that makes me pass on a pitch.

2) Highlight your conflict. What is the ONE thing standing in your character’s way that will stop them from getting their heart’s desire? Again, be specific. And make the conflict almost insurmountable. Big conflict means big drama means big investment from your reader.

3) Remember to show the agonizing choice of your character. They must make a decision to tackle the core of the plot conflict. Show what this is and how terribly difficult it is going to be.

The DON’Ts

1) Have no character name. DON”T do this. Give your pitch a warm touch by letting us know who it is about. If we don’t know, we can’t care.

2) Use so much tricky, pun-laded, clever writing that we can’t see the pitch. Yes, a dash of clever or a sprinkling of smart writing is awesome but if it gets in the way of understanding what’s happening, then it’s going to be a pass.

3) Vagueness. I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again – do not be vague. Remember, the person reading your pitch will know nothing about your book, so don’t assuming anything. Don’t assume we’ll know that “hexitaks” are an alien race, or “Jamie” is a girl not a boy, or that magic is common place in your world. Tell us.

And that’s the main three dos and don’ts on my list. There is a lot more to look for in a pitch, but these will make the difference between whether I pass or whether I put it in my yes pile.

Stay tuned for my tips on the first 250 words!!

And best of luck!