Welcome to day two of writing tips from your PitchWars mentors! Be sure to check out day one here if you missed it.
Trisha Tobias
“You’re going at your own pace, so don’t do yourself a disservice by comparing your publishing journey to someone else’s. Compete only with yourself; cheer on everyone else. Also, make it clear (to yourself and on the page) what your MC wants while drafting, revising, querying, pitching—really, at any point! If you know your MC’s desires, you have the best foundation to develop and deepen, so don’t skip this!”
Kim Torne
“An easy way to structure your query: HOOK, BOOK, COOK. Start with the hook — whatever will make someone NEED to read — then 1-2 paragraphs about the book. The final paragraph is about you, the cook.”
Maria Frazer
“One way to connect to your voice as an author is to write letters to your friends and loved ones. All of yourself that you put on the page, that’s your voice.”
Cole Nagamatsu
“Think of writing ‘rules’ as general guidelines rather than rigid boundaries. Ubiquitous rules like ‘show don’t tell’ are popular and enduring for a reason, but it’s OK to allow yourself space to subvert them in deliberate and meaningful ways.”
Sabrina Lotfi
“Some feedback can be hard to hear, but if it comes from a place of love from someone you trust (and you should definitely be getting feedback from people you trust), Listen To Them. You can disagree later, but don’t dismiss any ideas before you give them a chance to wow you.”
Carrie Allen
“If you’re struggling to condense your book into a query, focus on your inciting incident. If it’s compelling enough to rocket your MC into the story, it’ll be compelling enough to get a reader into the story!”
