How to make every writing contest valuable
Every writing contest is valuable - if you play your cards right. With Pitch Wars 2020 looming, I wanted to share a post about how I’ve found value in every single writing contest and pitch contest I’ve entered so far. It goes without saying that you should be wary of scams/fake contests and sketchy agents, but as long as what you’re entering is legit, you can find value in it whether you win or just participate!
Make connections
Every contest and pitch competition has other participants, which means there is a whole world of people you can connect with! Now, that doesn’t mean you’re going to magically connect with your dream agent just by networking. Maybe there’s a chance you will, even if it’s slim, but you CAN connect with other writers and learn from them. Do query letter swaps or read their first ten pages. Give and receive feedback from constructive members of the community. You can learn from others and get inspired just by reading their work. You might even make longtime writing friends this way! I still chat with users I met via query swaps, and we support each other’s writing to this day. If you’re looking to connect with other writers, I suggest going to Twitter and searching contest hashtags (#PitchWars, #AMM, #RevPit, #PitMad) or using popular writing hashtags (#writingcommunity, #amwriting, #amediting). Read some tweets, chat with users, and make some friends!
Take advantage of learning materials
I submitted to Pitch Wars last year, and I still receive and read newsletters from them. NaNoWriMo sends out writing tips, tricks, and resources a few times per month via email if you subscribe, and they have a whole host of resources on their website. There are so many materials you can take advantage of that contests provide you. I even won a free query critique from Pitch Wars this year because I saw a note about it in their newsletter! Click links, read emails and blog posts, listen to podcasts, and see what contest runners and agents have to say on Twitter and beyond. You can learn so much if you dive into the resources provided, and your writing will improve whether you’re a winner or not!
Go beyond the contest
One of the reasons I was a NaNoWriMo 2019 winner with just over 50,000 words is because of the amazing NaNo community. Back in November 2019 before COVID-19, I participated in multiple, in person writing group activities. NaNo writers set up multiple events across the city of Chicago, and we’d meet up to write, get some food, do mug swaps, and get our word counts up. I met a great group of writers that I still write with to this day - even if we’ve only been doing zoom call writing groups since March! If I hadn’t gone to those in person meetups, I probably wouldn’t have written 50,000 words and I never would’ve met some amazing women. With COVID-19, in person events will be limited or impossible, but many contests are offering virtual write ins, zoom calls, Discord groups and more. Take advantage of these - they can prove invaluable.
You get out what you put in
At the end of the day, every contest is what you make of it. If you want to enter Pitch Wars or submit a few tweets to a Twitter pitch contest and call it a day, you definitely can. But if you put more effort in, you can find a lot of value whether you’re a winner or not. I submitted to Pitch Wars and Author Mentor Match in the past year and didn’t win either of them. Even though I was disappointed I didn’t win, I still learned a TON and made some amazing connections I still write with to this day. Because of those connections, I’ve greatly improved my manuscript and query materials. My current story is leagues above the manuscript I submitted to Pitch Wars last September, and I never would’ve been able to create it without the lessons I learned and people I met via these contests.
If anyone is participating in Pitch Wars and wants to swap pages, let me know! I’m always down to take a look at other people’s work. Good luck to everyone participating this year, and stay safe!