Pitch Wars is here! The excitement is spreading through social media as hopeful mentees ignore their laundry, home-cooked meals, and the clock as they get their manuscripts ready. Mentors are also getting ready by putting on their reading glasses, grabbing their red pens, and stocking up on coffee and tea. The lucky mentor-mentee pairs will work together to get the full manuscript ready for the agent showcase!
The Winged Pen is thrilled to announce five 2018 Pitch Wars mentors.
Julie Artz and Jessica Vitalis – co-mentoring middle grade
Gabrielle Byrne – mentoring middle grade (with Julia Nobel)
Rebecca Petruck –mentoring middle grade
Marty Mayberry – mentoring adult (with Léonie Kelsall)
Now let’s find out a little about each.
Tell us about yourself.
Jessica: In addition to mentoring Pitch Wars, I coordinate Letters for Kids, volunteer with We Need Diverse Books, and contribute to The Winged Pen. An American expat, I spend my spare time chasing my two precocious daughters around Ontario and changing the batteries on my heated socks.
Julie: I write about the natural world, mythology, family secrets, and all that is geeky or magical about those things. When I’m not writing, I’m probably hiking or digging in the garden in my house in the woods outside of Redmond, Washington.
Gabby: I am a rain addict. I love the rain. Building a world that takes up space in a character’s life and interacts with them as if it’s another character is one of my favorite things to do. Although I’m kind of reserved and shy, I have a really (really) loud laugh and a cheesy sense of humor.
Rebecca: I’m an optimistic pragmatist or pragmatic optimist? I try not to delude myself or others with false hope, and I’m a very hopeful person, especially for my family and friends. It’s easier for me to act goofy than show how sincere I am. I’m working on that! And I have legit made myself seasick when I imagine feeling the Earth rotate.
Marty: I’m an RN. I live in New England with my husband, three children, not enough cats, and a yorkie pup. And I love good tequila.
Do you have prior experience with Pitch Wars?
Jessica: I applied to Pitch Wars in 2014 but I didn’t get in. The day after mentees were announced, I got “the call” from agent Saba Sulaiman. Although I never participated in Pitch Wars as a mentee, I love the mission and have mentored middle grade since 2015.
Julie: I was a hopeful in 2014, a mentee in 2015, and am now looking forward to my second year co-mentoring middle grade with the lovely Jessica Vitalis as part of #teamunicornmojo!
Gabby: This is my third year as a Pitch Wars mentor. I was a mentee back in 2015. Pitch War is such an amazing community of people. I’m really glad to be a part of it.
Rebecca: I became a mentor in 2015. I’ve worked with four mentees and look forward to meeting my new one.
Marty: I was a PW alternate in ’13. I mentored YA in ’15 & ’16, and Adult in ’17. I’ll be co-mentoring adult again this year with Leonie Kelsall.
Why do you want to be a mentor?
Jessica: I’ve been writing for over ten years; along the way, I would have given nearly anything for a mentor to show the me the ropes, help develop my craft, and point out the strengths and weaknesses in my writing. If my hard-won skills can help make someone else’s journey just a little easier, then I’m all in.
Julie: I have learned so much from those who are a step or two ahead of me on the journey to publication, so I’m thrilled to be able to give back in the same way. And I learn from every mentor or client I have! Besides, I love Pitch Wars, so I’m proud to be a part of such a vibrant and talented community.
Gabby: I love helping other writers learn how to improve their work. I remember as a mentee there were moments when the advice from my mentor felt like an epiphany, and I could see that play out in my writing. It’s a great feeling to inspire in someone else.
Rebecca: There are things I learned the hard way or the long way. I like to shortcut some of those lessons for other writers and help them make a leap forward in their work.
Marty: To give back what so many experienced authors have given me: a boost to the next level.
What is your approach to working with a mentee?
Jessica: I’m lucky enough to mentor with superstar Julie Artz; we’re both very hands-on and known for writing extensive edit letters as well as going crazy with the red ink during line edits. We typically start with the big picture (theme, plot, etc.) and then fine-tune only when we’re sure those elements are in place. We’re extremely responsive and available for brainstorming as well as craft questions.
Julie: I’m the queen of the long edit letter! I like to be thorough, and always do a lot of brainstorming as part of the process of putting a revision plan together. Oh, and I give homework (reading and otherwise). You’ve been warned 😉
Gabby: Julia and I both like to give homework–work that prepares the mentee for our edits, and which will help them implement them. That might be reading a particular book with something specific in mind, or it might be a brief writing excercise to help the mentee put into practice a change they’re struggling with. It very much depends on the book and the author. Beyond that, there will be two rounds of edits this year, which is perfect since that is how Julia and I both liked to work with past mentees.
Rebecca: I always talk with mentees, via Skype or Google Hangout, then follow up with written notes. Conversation is so helpful to make sure there are no misunderstandings and to ensure we work together as a team. I try to listen as much as I talk.
Marty: Introductions first, followed by an edit letter. I also include line edits in the first revision round unless there will be substantial changes. I point out that my suggestions are just that: suggestions. While I believe I have an instinct for what works and what doesn’t in an MS, the final decision is the mentee’s. I’m always happy to discuss my comments and, if the mentee doesn’t agree with the proposed changes, discuss other ways we can address the identified issue(s). I’ll do a second (or even third, if needed) read of the MS, where we’ll fine tune it in anticipation of the agent round. I also help with the pitch, query, and synopsis, and I’m there for my mentee through the agent round and beyond. I’m still good friends with all my prior mentees and we talk frequently about publishing in general.
What would you say to your mentee if they did not receive any requests in the agent round?
Jessica: I always let my mentees know that it’s impossible to predict what might happen in the agent round. While getting a lot of requests is fun and exciting, it’s not necessarily indicative of the quality of the writing. Some stories are simply better suited for querying, and sometimes a lack of requests is a valuable signal that there is more work to be done, which I always tell my mentee I’ll be around for.
Julie: I know people who got zero requests in the agent round who went on to great success. The most important thing about Pitch Wars is not the agent exposure, it’s the community and the opportunity to work with a more experienced writer. So I know it’s hard, but don’t sweat the number of requests.
Gabby: Well, first of all, I know Julia and I will be talking about expectations and publishing with our mentee. Not getting requests is a real thing that happens. The thing is, Pitch Wars is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Most writers get their agents through querying, and having a manuscript go through the Pitch Wars gambit means it’s query ready.
Rebecca: I say it long before the agent round, “The agent round is nice, but it’s not the point. I love your writing and your story, and we will Gloria Gaynor dance party away a zero-request night, then get back to work together the next day.”
Marty: That this is just part of the writing journey, that more authors find agents via traditional querying than via a contest. But we discuss this possibility well in advance, and I believe my mentees go into the agent round with realistic expectations.
What was the best advice you’ve received in regards to your writing that you would pass on to your mentee?
Jessica: I wish I could remember who said that the difference between a published writer and an unpublished writer is that a published writer is one who never gave up. From a craft perspective, one of my favorite pieces of writing advice is regarding a sagging middle, which likely means either the antagonist isn’t strong enough or there aren’t enough obstacles thrown at the protagonist.
Julie: Everyone goes at their own pace. It’s so easy to get caught up in comparisons in this business, but it’s never productive. All any of us can do is write the best story we can and keep moving forward.
Gabby: I’ve got three little mantras. One is from an animated film character. One I made up. The last is from a real honest-to-gosh person (looking at you, Joy McCullough). Here they are: Just keep swimming–Dori the Fish. Writing is about the 3Ps–Practice, Patience, and Persistence. And from Joy (best for last), enjoy where you are in the process, because there’s always more coming.
Rebecca: Love is a verb. This was life advice from a counselor: How am I doing love with my family and friends? How are they loving me? Is it only words or are there actions? It realigned my lens on the world. I try to do love, and I think about how my characters do love. Often–like, really often–we genuinely love and hurt others because the way we do love isn’t the way they want love. We have different definitions and cross wires and misunderstand or refuse to feel it. More and more as I write, I think, “How does this character verb love?” And usually that gives me all the motivation and conflict I need, and then some!
Marty: Buy and use the Emotional Thesaurus.
To keep up with important information and dates, visit the Pitch Wars website, pitchwars.org, follow them on Twitter @PitchWars, and use the hashtags #Pitchwars and #PWpoeprompts
Thank you mentors for giving us a little insight into your writing and mentoring processes, and letting us get to know you. For more information about each mentor, you can check out their websites and follow them on Twitter.
Jessica Vitalis: jessicavitalis.com Twitter @jessicavitalis.
Julie Artz: julieartz.com Twitter @julieartz
Gabrielle Byrne: gkbyrnebooks.com Twitter @GKByrne
Rebecca Petruck: rebeccapetruck.com Twitter @RebeccaPetruck
Marty Mayberry: martymayberry.com Twitter @marty_mayberry
