Of course, there comes a time when you have to just swallow hard and submit. Whether you're offering up the 4th or 5th or 20th revision, the act of hitting "send" feels like mustering the courage to fall in love again after your heart's been broken.
And this is why query contests rock -- because there's so much support here to help you find the courage to try again and - bonus! - provide crowd-sourced wisdom to help you make this next effort the one that will work.
A month ago, I never thought I would enter any contests because I felt nervous about sharing my work - even a query - with such a big group of people. I mean, betas, definitely, CP's, yes! But the WHOLE TWITTERVERSE???? Then I dipped my toe into #Pitmad and discovered something wonderful. The online writing community and the amazing authors who host these contests are SO GREAT!!!!
I come from a gloves-off, casual-cruelty-is-the-norm business, so this kind of earnest, sincere support actually, literally brings tears of relief to my eyes. It's so civilized here in this world!! #Happy.
So for those of you still on the fence about trying one, like I was, I wanted to tell you, go! go! go! Try one!! To make my point more elegantly, I am thrilled to share with you some comments from the hosts of #sunvssnow, Michelle Hauck and Amy Trueblood.
Heather: How did Sun vs Snow come about?
Michelle:
I couldn't help noticing the contrast between the weather where I live in Indiana and the warmth of my friend Amy Trueblood's area of the country, Arizona. I wanted to do something to liven up the bleh of winter and a query contest taking advantage of the different winter weathers seemed perfect! Agents said yes and the rest is history. :-)
Amy:
The contest is actually the brain child of Michelle
Hauck. She approached me in late October, 2013 and asked if I'd be interested in
hosting a contest with her. Michelle and I have known each other for a while and
I respected what she did with both Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street,
so agreeing to host was a "no-brainer" for me!
Heather: What are the benefits of participating in Sun vs Snow or any of the other query
contests out there?
Michelle:
Querying is a daunting business. I mean even successful querying results in
80 percent rejection. Besides the expected benefit of getting some writers
requests from agents, anything to add fun to the grim business is very welcome
to my mind. Plus, contests help create a sense of writing community by bringing
people together. That's a benefit that can last long after the contest is over.
And Sun versus Snow in particular has the advantage of mentors helping writers
improve their queries and first pages for the long haul.
Amy:
There are three benefits I think:
1) Getting great feedback from seasoned writers who can
help you refine your work.
2) Networking within the writing community. Before
Michelle and I even put up the submission details, there was already a group
swapping queries and pages and working on their entries together. It's really
cool to get to bring people together like that!
3) Getting the opportunity to stand apart from the
slush pile which can be very helpful!
Heather: What was the best
"learning moment" for you that came out of this contest?
Michelle:
There are always learning
moments. Reading so many queries (212 this time) certainly teaches me what works
and what doesn't stand out so much in a query and first page. It also gives me a
taste of what agents experience on a daily basis and gives me that much more
respect for them.
Amy:
First, I love this question. Second, I think that all
work is subjective. One person may LOVE your work, while another may not be so
enthused. The key is to look at the feedback as a whole and decide what makes
the most sense for your characters and plot.
Heather: Is there a "season" for query contests, or are they held year round?
Michelle:
They've pretty much become year round. I try to space mine out in order to
draw new material with each contest. I co-host Query Kombat in May/June,
Nightmare on Query Street in October, and now Sun versus Snow in
January/February
Amy:
I'd say most contests are year round. And there are
some great ones out there:
PitchWars
Cupid's Blind Speed Dating
Writer's Voice
Pitchmas
Just to name a few.
Heather: Any quick bits of advice for aspiring writers?
Michelle:
Don't be afraid to try things
out of your comfort zone. Don't hesitate to interact with your fellow writers
and form friendships that will help you forever. Never quit.
Amy:
Don't send out your work until you've had it vetted by
other writers in your category and genre. Another set of eyes can help you see
where your plot is failing or where your voice is inconsistent. Nothing can
replace having a great stable of beta readers and critique partners to help you
polish your work.
Heather: Last question - do you plan to publish the "Alternates" that didn't make
the teams?
Michelle:
Actually Amy and I have permission from our two alternates to post
their queries right after Sun versus Snow ends. Which opens a Critique Workshop
opportunity for anyone who entered Sun versus Snow. They can comment with
feedback on the alternates' posts and in return I'll post as many of their
entries as I can manage. The success of the Critique Workshop will really depend
on writers leaving feedback for each other. I'm sure I can depend on that. I've
found that writers love to help other writers!
Amy:
Also note that the ubiquitous Michelle is a Bouncer on the Cupid's Blind Speed Dating Contest, which is open for entries until tonight!
Good luck, everyone, and as always,
Yes. At the conclusion of the contest, Michelle and I
are going to post our alternates and work with them on feedback.
Thanks so much, Michelle and Amy, for your time and for paying it forward by sharing your expertise with the rest of the community.
If you participated in #SunvsSnow and want to take part in the Critique Workshop, keep following the Twitter hashtag #sunvvssnow.
To get some great advice on what does and doesn't work in a query, I really recommend you read through the queries that have been mentored and are now being critiqued by agents on both Michelle's (#TeamSnow) and Amy's blogs (#TeamSun). And even if you're burned out on queries for now, read the blogs anyway. They each feature helpful agent and author interviews plus other great writerly thoughts.
Michelle: www.Michelle4Laughs.blogspot.com
Also note that the ubiquitous Michelle is a Bouncer on the Cupid's Blind Speed Dating Contest, which is open for entries until tonight!
Good luck, everyone, and as always,
Be Brilliant.
Great interview!
ReplyDeleteThanks for interviewing us, Heather!
ReplyDelete