Since a fun announcement is coming tonight, I thought I would provide an update and provide some thoughts about the exciting next few months for me.
I have three projects that are currently in different stages:
On Sub = THE VOLCANO HOUSE: The adult family drama that I revised as a mentee in Pitch Wars 2019. It's still on submission and I'm still hopeful for a positive response! I recently received an R&R (revise and resubmit) and am considering another deep dive into revising it from scratch -- BUT NOT YET. I started drafting this manuscript in 2017, meaning it's been four years in the "making." I still like the story as-is, so I'm going to wait a few more months before I consider revising it one last time.
In Revision = THE AFTER PART: I'll be revising this YA family drama as a mentee through The Word's editor-writer mentorship. I feel like this story is a real winner, but it's a total first draft, so I'm eager to revise with Kate and my beta feedback and will go on sub with it in the new year.
Drafting = Untitled Chinese Mary Poppins meets Miss Marple in Hawaii: The premise for this came to me just as I was completing my first draft of THE AFTER PART, and I was SO excited to start working on it! I spent all of May brainstorming, outlining, and zero-drafting (like creating a detailed synopsis). I started drafting it in June but my progress has stalled recently -- cuz summer (and the aforementioned R&R for #1 and mentorship for #2).
With all these things going on, plus mentoring through Author Mentor Match, Write Team Mentorship Program, DVmentor and _(you'll find out tonight!)_, it's been hard to focus on one thing at one time. I do have a plan to get me out of my recent doldrums, though! It'll just take the self-control I've recently been lacking.
I imagine you are reading this because of the exciting announcement. If so, welcome! Feel free to browse my blog for my past experiences as a mentee and advice I've given about writing, revising, and querying. I'm going to save what my co-mentor and I are looking for for a later post, BUT be prepared for a totally different approach and wishlist this time around! Regardless of whether we're a good fit for you, this post will hopefully help you decide whether you want to pursue mentorship or need a mentor at all.
As a creative writing professor and mentee turned mentor turned mentee, I've kind of been around the block and know both sides of mentorship programs. This program in particular is INTENSE (a very short 3-month turnaround), so it's important for you to start thinking about whether you're able to commit something like this or prefer the more common route of cold querying.
To that end, at this moment, you probably fall into one of these camps. In order to determine what camp you're in, tell me your current writer mood -- then read on for my take.
Current Mood = I SUCK: Maybe you feel this way because you've exhausted the queries for this ms (aka queried over 20 agents) and feel like you need help seeing your work in a new light or maybe all your friends are getting agent offers and you're feeling left out. If you're in this camp, you're feeling pretty down and out right about now. You likely need time away from this project, so take it. Don't touch it for a month - that's right, 4 whole weeks. Just leave it and your related sadness alone. Work on something else. When that month off expires and that new thing is sparking joy, then forget seeking mentorship for that old thing and invest in the new thing! I firmly believe (bc I can see it in my own work) that the quality of your writing gets better with each new project, so don't beat a dead horse unnecessarily! Learn from your past mistakes in the old ms and move on. HOWEVER, if you're feeling a renewed excitement for the old thing and are open to -- even eager for -- mentorship, then by all means, go for it. Remember to query while you're waiting!**
Current Mood = CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC: Maybe you've recently completed a manuscript, had some friends/beta readers look at it, and need to make sure you're ready to query. My suggestion would be to take the next month to do one more revision pass on your own and get the query and synopsis (read my tips on those HERE) ready. When you're ready, start querying!**
Current Mood = FRANTIC FAN: You're a huge fan on this program and desperately want to get in, so you are frantically trying to finish your manuscript and scrap together the sub materials by the application deadline. I hate to say it, but I do not think you're ready for this program just yet. Because of the short revision window, it would be unrealistic to have a manuscript that is ready for such an intense revision process. Of course, there's no harm in trying, so by all means, apply if you're able to get to THE END in time. But if no one has read your manuscript and you're praying for a mentor to save you, just be aware that that might not/probably won't happen**. If you don't have a complete and functioning draft by early September or had eyes on at least half of it, then I would recommend working on your own timeline to complete it -- and look to other great mentorships like AMM and WTMP, which are right around the corner (in early 2022).
**Odds are low that you will get the mentorship you seek (last year, this program got over 4000 applicants for 115 slots), so you should not bank on making a match. Inevitably, you all need to query whether you're applying for a mentor or not, so if/when the manuscript is ready, send it to agents! (read about my tips on developing your agent list and query strategy HERE).
An added note post-announcement (Aug 12): I know the showcase is tempting. Yes, it's great exposure to agents you may not otherwise have considered subbing to, but if it is the only reason you're applying for this mentorship, then you're missing the whole point of this and all of the fantastic mentorship programs out there. The community and opportunity to seek guidance through mentorship are the only reasons you should apply for this program -- PERIOD. Think of it this way: if you do well in the showcase, you will probably do fine querying on your own as well. You achieve the same end goal with far less stress. Likewise, perfectly worthy projects that don't showcase well do fine through cold querying. Thus, the showcase is not an accurate measure of the quality of your query and manuscript and means absolutely zero if you don't meet people and acquire new skills.
So there you have it! My latest, and my recommendation about said mentorship. I truly wish you all the best of luck, regardless of whether you apply for this or another program. I post a lot of writing tips and leads on Twitter, so feel free to follow me THERE.
Or check back here at this blog for my occasional musing about writing and publishing!
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