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How to Win Pitch Wars (Whether You Get In Or Not)

by Adventures in YA Publishing
Last week we wrapped up our Red Light/Green Light contest–congratulations to Lindsey Myhr, who won a full request from Kelly Peterson of Corvisiero Literary Agency! If you were one of the top 5 entries, please remember that Kelly would LOVE to see your queries along with a 50 page sample of your work. Her query info is available here.

This week, I’d like to talk about another contest, which we do not host, but which is a Really Big Deal–that’s right, Pitch Wars. On Tuesday night, the Pitch Wars submission window opened, and the contest won’t close to submissions until Saturday night. For the next three weeks, hopefuls will be agonizing over whether or not they made it in.

Last year, I participated in Pitch Wars myself, and had a fantastic experience. While I didn’t make it in as a mentee, I still feel like I gained a great deal from entering. I came away with…

  • a fantastic community of writers to learn from and interact with

  • a number of suggestions as to how to improve my manuscript

  • stronger faith in my work, as a number of people had lovely things to say, in addition to offering constructive criticism

  • a small handful of absolutely invaluable critique partners

While any one of these things would have made my participation in Pitch Wars worthwhile, I cannot emphasize enough how important to your writing process good critique partners are. I never would have met mine without Pitch Wars, and that’s why despite the fact that I wasn’t chosen as a mentee, I still think of myself as having won the contest.

You see, a great CP is…

  • an editor

  • a sounding board for ideas

  • a staunch promoter of your work

  • a shoulder to cry on (even if the shoulder and the crying both happen virtually!)

  • someone to celebrate successes with

  • a friend to keep you grounded when the ups and downs of writing life get overwhelming

Once you find a critique partner you want to hang onto for life, chances are they will have more input in your writing than even your agent. They’ll be the ones who read initial drafts, who will be honest about what is and isn’t working, and who will offer countless hours of emotional support.


Have I convinced you yet that you need to find some fantastic CPs? 

One way to go about finding critique partners is simply by asking on Twitter (the writing community’s favorite social media platform) if anyone is interested in swapping queries/first chapters. You can search the #amwriting and #PitchWars hashtags for those writing work similar to your own. All this can be a bit hit or miss, though. I myself swapped opening chapters with probably two dozen other writers before settling on my current small group of CPs.

In an attempt to help you streamline the process of finding CPs, we here at Adventures in Young Adult Publishing are going to host a Critique Partner Match Up on August 25th.

That’s right–it’ll happen the same day as the Pitch Wars mentees are announced. From August 18th through 21st, we’ll be open to receive queries and 250 word writing samples via email from those who are interested in finding a CP to help them out with Pitch Wars revisions should they make it into the contest, or to assist with preparing for querying should they not make it in. (Because you’re not giving up if you don’t get into Pitch Wars!)

Watch this spot for further details regarding the Critique Partner Match Up. Next week (August 11th), we’ll talk about what to look for in a critique partner, and how to be a great CP yourself. On the 18th, we’ll post submission details for the Match Up, and you’ll be invited to start emailing in your entries.

That’s all for now, and may the Pitch Wars odds be ever in your favor!

Adventures in YA Publishing

This is the user name for posts from Adventures in YA Publishing that did not have a specific author.

Post © Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Aug 4, 2016
Category: Imported from AYAP
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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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