Thanks

Just a short entry to thank those that provided advice for Shelley Watters’ Twit-Pitch competition.  Winds up the random number generator she used picked my entry as one of the lucky five for her query critique, but I like to think that it also had something to do with the excellent comments from reviewers.  Numerical anomaly or not, the help is greatly appreciated.

The Writing Community

An author friend once said that writing, at its core, is lonely. Our stories begin in our head and are only brought to fruition through BICHOK (butt-in-chair-hand-on-keyboard). We spend hours alone, breathing life into our creations in the hopes that someone, somewhere, will like them. 

While I agree that the nature of putting pen to paper is solitary, the community of writing is surprisingly vast and supportive. The recent Twit-Pitch competition hosted by Shelley Watters is a prime example. Contestants were encouraged to spend two days critiquing one another before presenting their polished pitch for selection. Over 100 un-agented writers entered and even though only one could win the prize of a full manuscript request, everyone was eager to provide honest critiques to each other.  

How often do you see kinship in competition?

This sense of community exists all across the writing world. Aspiring authors have countless forums and blogs to choose from, all of which are overflowing with free advice and information. Betas, writing partners, and support groups can be found throughout the Internet or (normally) within driving distance. The encouragement and motivation to keep plugging away is readily available for those that seek it.

In an age where the “me” mentality is splattered all over television and the Internet, communities like writing are a breath of fresh air. Maybe it’s because so many of us struggle up the publishing hill that we understand the hardships. Or maybe it’s because we spend so much time in solitude with our ideas that we thirst for communion when and where we can find it. 

No matter the reason, it’s nice to know that we aren’t alone in this venture. 

Twit-Pitch Competition

Shelley Watters' Twitter Pitch competition is on!  Two days (April 1st and 2nd) for contestants to post and critique each other on their Twit-Pitch Queries, then final entries entered on April 3rd.  Winner receives a full manuscript request from Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary Management while runners up get query reviews from the host herself.

My draft entry is below.  Best of luck to everyone involved and let’s have 140 characters of fun!

Twit-Pitch Query:

The Basics:

Title: Undead Chaos

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 82,000

The Pitch v1.2 (138 characters): - With new and improve edits thanks to excellent reviewers!

When Marcus beheads a zombie, he inadvertently frames an innocent man, falls in lust, and battles a scheme to unite Humanity by bloodshed.

The Pitch v2.1 (138 characters): - Tweaked once again per comments.

For Marcus, beheading the zombie is easy. The fallout: an innocent framed, lust, and thwarting a scheme to destroy Humanity, not so much.