Checking in for my weekly writing update a day late this week since I wanted to write about April 21st yesterday, but it ended up being a timely choice. DVpit is today, one of the twitter pitch events. This one is specifically for un-agented creators of marginalized communities and happens twice a year. My gay card has me qualified.
The general idea: you pitch your manuscript in the allowed 280 characters and agents who are interested like the post as an invitation to query them. It’s like a warm lead. I’ve done two #pitmad events before and not gotten any bites.
I’d known about #DVpit for a while and planned on chiming in but ended up completely forgetting it was today until mid-afternoon. When I logged on I copied one of my past twitter pitches from #pitmad and retagged it. And team, within the first five minutes or so I had a like from an agent and a retweet from an editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (a retweet means they’d be interested in seeing the project once it’s agented). I had zero expectations based on my past experience so this felt like a huge win. Within a few hours I had two more agent likes, meaning I sent out three warm queries today.
This whole process is baby steps. So much rejection and little wins along the way. Like the full manuscript request I got on Monday from an agent (my second full request, the first ended up being a pass). I’m taking the little pieces of validation where I can and trusting for now that this story will find a home if the time is right.
In the meantime, here are my last sentences written from this past week on my new project:
- 4/14: Then find another.
- 4/15: She’s on my heels the whole way and easily pulls up beside me when we turn onto the bike trail to head back, but I still count it as a victory.
- 4/16: The locker room door thuds shut.
- 4/17: At the same time, the water slips from warm to freezing.
- 4/18: That’s your choice.
- 4/19: Red, please.
- 4/20: For once I wanted to be still.
With Love,
Natalie
Congratulations! 🙂