*Part of this post was written by QC moderator A.J. Super, taken from her original post #PracPit Rules of Engagement for her previous #PracPit.
On Sept 3rd, PitchWars is holding another #PitMad Twitter pitch event. This time around, QueryConnection is helping authors prepare their pitches by hosting #PracPit, a critique event run in the past by one of our moderators, author A.J Super.
We will have BOTH a 4-hour Twitter critique session using the hashtag #PracPit on August 28, 2020 from (12) noon - 4PM EST as well as one on our forum, critiqued by several of our amazing mods, which runs for 3 full days from August 28 - August 30, 2020.
Critiquing on the forum, we have our moderators @MichaelMammay, @AllBrevityWit, @MKeenerWrites, @micascotti, and @lnloft, along with the other pitchers who post.
Keep reading to discover tips for writing great pitches, the rules for both Twitter and the forum (expanding on the Twitter rules), and the hashtags used for audience along with the genre tags which help agents find the stories they're looking for.
Important Dates to Remember
Twitter #PracPit: August 28 from (12) noon - 4PM EST
QC Forum pitch critiques: August 28 - August 30, 2020
#PitchWars #PitMad live event: September 3, 2020
A.J's Tips
Be sure to also check out A.J's blog post on how to draft a pitch: Making It Easier: Pitching Tips
Rules
(Twitter) Rules Expanded
1) Only 3 pitches per person.
This is so everyone gets a fair shake at being seen and helped. I'm also a firm believer that once you get the hang of pitching those babies start coming fast and hard and you can't stop coming up with great pitch ideas.
2) For every pitch you post for critique you must critique at least 3 pitches.
In order to make sure everyone gets critiqued, you must put yourself out there. If you have nothing more than "Wow! This is awesome!" to say, make sure you say WHY you like it so that the author can continue using best practices in their next pitches. Make sure your critiques are CONSTRUCTIVE.
3) 3 revisions per pitch.
Get a healthy amount of feedback and do MAJOR revisions all at once. Then come back with a whole new take on your pitch if you have to. This way you are incorporating multiple viewpoints and not just doing minor line edits here and there. If all you have are minor line edits, hold those until you get a good amount of feedback to make sure you craft the best pitch you can.
4) Thread your revisions.
Don't tweet again or it will count towards your 3. Also it will keep you a little more organized
5) Don't forget your hashtags.
Your genre, audience, and special identifier hashtags are all part of your pitch. Also, there will be some fellow authors who would prefer to critique only #SF or #R or #YA some other specific genre or audience, or they would like to give certain special identifiers such as #own, #div, or #lgbt special guidance. And don't forget the #PracPit tag either!
5) BE NICE!
If you don't want to be spoken to in a certain way, don't do it to others. Basic Golden Rule applies!
Hashtags
Courtesy of #PitMad and the #PitchWars committee.
CATEGORIES
GENRE
#AC = Action
#AD = Adventure
#BIZ = Bizarro Fiction
#CF = Christian Fiction
#CON = Contemporary
#CR = Contemporary Romance
#E = Erotica
#ER = Erotic Romance
#ES = Erotica Suspense
#F = Fantasy
#FTA = Fairy Tale Retelling
#GN = Graphic Novel
#H = Horror
#HA = Humor
#HF = Historical Fiction
#HR = Historical Romance
#INSP = Inspirational
#MR = Magical Realism
#M = Mystery
#Mem = Memoir
#MA = Mainstream
#LF = Literary Fiction
#NF = Non-fiction
#P = Paranormal
#PR = Paranormal Romance
#R = Romance
#RS = Romantic Suspense
#STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
#SF = SciFi
#SPF = Speculative Fiction
#SH = Superhero
#S = Suspense
#T = Thriller
#TT = Time Travel
#UF = Urban Fantasy
#VF = Visionary Fiction
#W = Westerns
#WF = Woman’s Fiction
ADDITIONAL IDENTIFIERS
SCI-FI & FANTASY SPECIFIC
Courtesy of Michael Mammay, Dan Kobolt, & #SFFPit.
#FA – fantasy
#CF – contemporary fantasy
#DF – dark fantasy
#EF – epic or high fantasy
#FR – fantasy romance
#HF – historical fantasy
#LF – literary fantasy
#AH – alternate history
#MYF – mythic fantasy
#SNS – sword & sorcery
#PN – paranormal
#UF – urban fantasy
#MR – magical realism
#SFY – science fantasy
#SF – science fiction
#AF – apocalypse fiction
#LSF – literary science fiction
#ML – military science fiction
#PA – post-apocalyptic SF
#SFR – sci-fi romance
#SFT – sci-fi thriller
#SH – superhero / superhuman
#SO – space opera
#DS – dystopian
#SP – steampunk
#TT – time travel
#WW – weird west