First, let me say to everyone who had the stones to enter Pitchwars in the first place…
And now let me say…
I get it. The waiting, the worry, and for those of you picked, the shock and awe.
Last year, when I was picked by the incredibly amazing Kara
Leigh Miller, I was all like…
Seriously. I didn’t think I stood a chance. There were talented people trying to get into Pitchwars. One my CP’s entered and she rocks. People who
have been at this for a while, really clever, crafty people. Then there was me. I entered, crossed my fingers and tried to forget about it. I was over the moon when Kara asked to see more, but still, no hope raising here.
I didn’t stay up with baited breath for the midnight reveal.
I woke up in the morning with groggy eyes and probably a little bit of drool,
and reached over to my phone (pathetic, I know) but not because I was anxiously
awaiting the Pitchwars reveal of who was picked. Nope. *grins manically to hide shame* I
had so little faith with my MS amid the stiff competition of Pitchwars, I didn’t
even realize the reveals had
happened.
*clears throat*
So, when I saw my Twitter feed had blown up, I was confused.
I stumbled out of bed with scrunched up forehead, wondering why ‘congratulations’
was all over my phone. Maybe I was an alternate? The idea had my adrenaline pumping.
But no.
Not an alternate.
Mentee. Whaaaaat—
So, if you are reeling from all the digital hooting
and hollering, hear me when I say, “I totally feel you.”
But get over it. This is a tremendous opportunity, and while
having a mentor is a big part of the opportunity, you are the bigger part. Revel
in the confidence being picked should give you. Take it to heart, believe you
will soon have the best MS ever, and GET TO
WORK.
A large group of us 2014 alums have stayed in contact and
you would not believe me if I told you our stats. Many, many of us have landed agents (including me!) and I barely have enough fingers to cover all the book deals (not me yet.)
I don’t know the official stats, but I do know that most of us who got agented didn’t directly come from Pitchwars. Mine didn't. But the draft of my MS that got me my agent definitely came from Pitchwars. (Thank you once again, Kara!)
So my advice? Envision Pitchwars as this professional grade diving board into the deep end of the pool where the big kids play.
That’s where you are. Right now.
Take a breath. Dive in.
Take a breath. Dive in.
Your mentor can help you swim.
My wish for all of you selected this year is to have a great experience. You may or may not get requests. You may or may not have a perfect relationship with your mentor. You may or may not have the time you want to work on your MS. All true.
But you have someone to help you now. Someone to share the burden and prevent you from drowning.
Swim, baby!
Check out the blog entries below with my awesome Pitchwars 2014 peeps for more inspiration and brass tacks advice on how to make Pitchwars the incredible experience it should be!
Jennifer Hawkins: Last year at this time, I was you…
K. Kazul Wolf: Congrats on getting further into the insanity…
Tracie Martin: What No One Tells the PitchWarrior
RuthAnne Frost: 2014 Pitch Wars Mentee here, looking to offer…
Rosalyn Collings Eves: Most of you are probably sick with dread…
Peggy J. Sheridan: Welcome to the club…
Janet Walden-West: The Long Game
Destiny Cole: Yup, I’m talking to you…
Kelly DeVos: Confessions of a PitchWars Alternate
Mary Ann Marlowe: First things first…
Mara Rae: I’m going to keep it short and sweet…
Jen Vincent: Last year, on a complete whim…
Kip Wilson: Congratulations, lucky mentees…
A. Alys Vera: PitchWars is great, don’t get me wrong…
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