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Authors- who is getting ready for ABNA 2014?
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This will be my first time entering & i am so concerned about not doing it correctly!
Like Henry said: the pitch is everything. It has to grab the judges in fifty words. I don't think most people realize how important it is.Test yours on random people and see if it gets their interest.
I plan to enter, and I have everything ready. Just hoping I can get in before the limit is reached. If I do, and if they like it, fine; if not, there is not a lot I can do about it. I did my best, and winning is nice, but I won't spend a lot of time worrying about it.
Ken wrote: "I plan to enter, and I have everything ready. Just hoping I can get in before the limit is reached. If I do, and if they like it, fine; if not, there is not a lot I can do about it. I did my bes..."I don't think they reach the limit. There's always a chance but I've never had a problem.
Kellie wrote: "I'm entering for the first time. I've been reading my work over and over and over again. I'm satisfied with my pitch but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll think the same. I'm praying and keepin..."Well if anyone wants to post their pitch we'd all probably comment on it :)
I'll start it off - My pitch (at least for now)Wolinski has no morals, he left all that behind many years ago in the jungles. Now he operates in the concrete jungle of a mid-western city where he serves as judge, jury, and executioner. 'The End Justifies the Means'. This is the code Wolinski has followed for over a decade as he works in the shadows between law enforcement and vigilante, cleaning up his city at the mayor's behest by executing criminals—a job complicated by the bridge which connects his city with the lawless one across the river.
When the mayor is killed mysteriously and a new one takes over, Wolinski's methods are no longer tolerated and he finds himself out of a job. But then a serial killer with unique tastes begins preying on women and racking up more homicides in a month then in the past years, and the new mayor must turn to Wolinski, the only man who can hunt down the monster. The trouble is Wolinski's past actions have come back to haunt him and he finds himself boxed in on all sides by his own police department, the new mayor, the FBI, and even the Mob.
What's a Pollack bull in a china shop to do? Why break things of course...
Henry wrote: "The pitch is what determines who will move on, into the next round. The judges/editors will take one look at the pitch and decide whether it is moving forward or not."That actually sounds a bit discouraging - as if the contest is about finding the best sales rep. I think my writing is decent, but I have a hell of a time trying to figure out how to even write a description.
I think I'll enter and then forget about it. I'm in for the long haul, so failure to win something I didn't know about a few weeks ago isn't going to be a cause for stress. :)
(Ed, be sure to proof that pitch.)
I'm a little torn by your pitch Henry. While it certainly sounds interesting it also sounds very depressing.If it were me I might rewrite the last bit:
Unconditionally realistic, the first-person, stream of consciousness narrative explores the conflicted ideology of youth and society's indifference to suffering. This is a story of humanity's worst nemesis - itself. Rudy's journey gradually becomes a tale of anguish, madness, and finally dignity and redemption. This is really a story of perseverance.
This way it gives the reader some hope they won't commit suicide after reading it :)
I don't know... Depressing isn't a bad thing. It doesn't leave people indifferent, which is what the author seeks after all, to touch the readers one way or another. Besides, sometimes reading about someone's hard life makes you enjoy yours more.In any case, I would shy away from the use of 'really'. No offense Ed, but this particular adverb doesn't bring anything to the sentence. In fact, I'd say it weakens it.
Henry wrote: "I'll play along. Here is my (for the time being) pitch: A gripping tale of the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of the odds of survival stacked against him, Mad Days of Me: Escaping Bar..."
Henry,
I read your pitch and immediately saw where some tightening up might help. Tell me what you think of these revised first few sentences. Don’t mean to step on your toes. Just a friendly suggestion. If the revisions change the meaning in any way, I apologize.
A gripping tale of survival and of the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of negatively stacked odds, Mad Days of Me: Escaping Barcelona is a journey into the endurance of the human psyche and a study of the alienation at its core. Having left behind his childhood town full of dead-end jobs and bleak future prospects, Rudy, a nineteen-year old runaway, arrives in Barcelona seeking a new home.
I'd recommend cutting the entire first sentence. Three reasons:1. The word "gripping" is a value-judgement. The reader should be left to decide if your tale is gripping. Your blurb should communicate that what they're about to read is gripping through the revealed story elements.
2. The first sentence references a 'him' who nobody knows yet. The 'him' being referenced isn't introduced until the following sentence.
3. Cutting the first sentence results in introducing the main character, the setting, and the story right up front.
@Gregor Good point!@Anyone who can answer. Sorry if it sounds silly, but what's the difference between a blurb and a pitch?
Thank you Henry. It clarified things a bit. Not that I would even dream about entering the contest, but I'm always eager to learn. :)
I just joined the authors' group here and noticed this thread about ABNA. I did enter and am curious - did any of the posters here go further in the contest and what helped you? Have any of you entered before this year? Good luck to all of you.
Margie wrote: "I just joined the authors' group here and noticed this thread about ABNA. I did enter and am curious - did any of the posters here go further in the contest and what helped you? Have any of you ent..."Yes I entered before but this time (for the first time) I didn't make it to the second round. Pitch was not strong enough.
The Pitch is everything in case you didn't know.
The hard part for me has always been the Excerpt (first 5000 words. My novels sometimes tend to take a while to get started so this has worked against me. As a test I edited one of mine to move the action earlier and got to the third round.
No matter what it's a good exercise. If you make it far enough you get 'professional' critiques. of your work.