That thing I've Been Promising #TeamDannie Alumni

Hi Kids!!

Well, it's finally summer break and I have two seconds to breathe. Writing life and life life have been complete chaos so I want to start by taking a minute to thank those of you who have had to put up with my growing pains over the past couple months. And also to those of you who put up with me in general. I make no apologies for who I am--snarky, opinionated to a fault, and often lacking a filter. I know that can be a lot to handle sometimes, especially when I'm wearing my emotions on my timeline and whatnot.

So thanks. For realz.

And now to the good stuff!

If you've been around since PitchWars 2013 you know I had promised I'd do something more for the people who queried me. And I've had a vague idea of what that is since then, but honest to blog less than zero time to implement it. And I'm not much better off at the moment, but we're going to ease into this anyway, now that it's summer and I've got more than ten minutes to devote to Twitter a week.

During the weeks between selecting our PitchWars mentees/alternates and the agent round, you probably heard Sonia, Alexandra, Christy and I babbling about our 'clubhouse' meetings. Once a week, we'd get together in a private G+ hangout and get shit done: brainstorming loglines, working out plot snags, swapping beta reads, venting about writerly frustration.

It's something we've continued to do in the six months that have followed PitchWars on a fairly regular basis and even though I've been at this for a while, it has been an amazing resource for me. We get together about once a month and talk shop, provide support, and work out our writerly shit.

Basically it's a support group for writers. Because writing is hard, y'all. And as our careers grow, we're expanding what we do with the clubhouse.

That's where you guys come in.

We're opening it up to 10 additional #Team Dannie members--the first 10 who comment here with their Twitter accounts so I can DM you the info.

What you can expect in the clubhouse:

• A confidential, emotionally safe place to get support during tough writer times
• Some killer brains to bounce ideas off of.
• Help spreading the word about projects, publications, and the good stuff that needs spreading in our writing lives. 
• An external pressure to hold you accountable to caretake your writing life!
• Random discussions of snacks and an abundance of digital wine.

What we ask for in return:

The commitment of participating in our monthly meetings. The clubhouse only works because we're committed to it and to each other. So if you sign on, please only do so if you intend to participate regularly.  The meetings are always on Monday nights after kiddos go to bed. We figure out the date/time as a group to keep it as convenient as we can for everyone.

How it works:

Our next meeting is on Monday, June 23rd at 9pm EST. (A week from tonight.)
I will DM you the details once we've added you to the approved member list (which I'll also DM you about)
Plan to come and chat, bounce ideas, listen and work!
Meetings usually last about an hour but people check in and check out as they can.

Who's eligible:

Anyone I've selected for my "team" in a blog contest. This includes #AgentTreat #PitchWars (including all 60ish people who queried me for the 2013 contest) #NestPitch #PitchMadness and Team Supernova for this year's #TheWVoice (since I was Kim Chase's co-coach.). Basically if I've hosted your pitch on my blog or picked you for my team in a contest, you're a member of #TeamDannie and are thus eligible.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST have a gmail account to enter the clubhouse. Gmail is free, so if you don't have one it's pretty easy to set up an account.

We will add to our numbers as people show interest, and as it works for the clubhouse. If the club gets too big we may have to figure out a way to stagger membership.

Questions? Hit me up in comments or on Twitter!

The first ten people to post the following as a comment to this post are in!

• Name/Nickname/Pen Name:
• Contest I picked you for:
• Title of your work:
• Your twitter name:

Ready? Aaaand go!!

The Writer's Voice: Introducing TeamSuperNova!

The Writer’s Voice— modeled loosely off of NBC’s The Voice— is an online contest this year hosted by the lovely Brenda Drake, Kimberly P. Chase, Monica Bustamante Wagner, & Elizabeth Briggs. By way of a raffle, unagented writers everywhere were encouraged to enter with the hope of making it to the next round: Posting your query and first 250 on your blog. *gulp*

Then the hosts read through the numerous entries(150+) and selected who they wanted for their teams by way of a big ol’ “I WANT YOU!” comment. After a lot of fun, tweeting, & hair-pulling (there were so many amazing entries!) the teams were decided. On May 22^nd, the teams and their entries will be posted on the hosts’ blogs for a stellar cast of agents to review. 

And each host has a partner in crime to help them whip their writers...I mean the writers' manuscripts into shape. That's where I come in. 

Now that we have our team, I'm stoked to be "celebrity guest coaching" along with my literary partner in crime Kimberly P. Chase, author of  THE APOLLO ACADEMY and all around Sci-Fi goddess. Here's a little about our awesome team and some links so you can scope them out on social media! Follow these writers as they aim for the stars!

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Blogger

  www.KimberlyPChase.com

Kimberly P. Chase writes young adult and new adult science fiction. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science, which basically means she's kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Naturally, her books tend to include aviation, hot flight instructors, aviator glasses, and—let's not forget—kissing!  When Kimberly's not writing or reading, she's hanging out with her husband, five-year-old son, and two dogs. Her debut novel, The Apollo Academy, released August 6th, 2013 and is now an Amazon BestSeller and Writer’s Digest Honorable Mention Award recipient. 

Blog | Facebook |  Twitter
Pinterest

Dannie Morin is an addictions therapist with a writing problem. By day she alternates between counseling teens and wrangling a very sassy toddler. By night she writes, critiques, and edits like a boss. When she's not doing any of those things, she's a compulsive participant in the Carolinas Region of SCBWI and a regular Snarky Sue in online Pitch Contests. Dannie is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and pens Young Adult and New Adult fiction in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Blog   |  YA Confidential   |  Twitter

Instagram

Alison Miller is a young adult fiction writer, tutor, and most importantly—a full-time mom. When she's not writing, she attempts to sell high school students on the benefits of differential equations and her children on the joys of cleaning. She’s also a coach’s wife, soccer mom, fair-weathered Philadelphia Eagles fan, tap dancer, choreographer, and is auditioning for the role of Wonder Woman. She is a member of SCBWI and an active contributor to YA Confidential, a blog dedicated to all things teen, all the time. She resides in eastern North Carolina with her husband, two children, and two Gracelings.

I am an aspiring YA/MG author and a proud native New Englander. By day, I work in medical writing, and by night, I map out the worlds in my mind on paper. I studied to become a pediatrician, but turned back to my first love, creative writing, and haven’t stopped since. When I’m not hunched over my computer, I love to run, listen to live music, and eat every type of cuisine I can get my hands on.

Blog      Twitter

Twitter
www.ladennison.com

Laurie is a Florida girl. She writes young adult books, fondly remembers her years teaching middle school, and lives for God, her family, and All The Books. Alternative music is her jam, Gator football is her sport, and she’d eat chocolate chip cookies every day if she could get away with it. She blogs and tweets about reading and writing at:

Blog   Twitter   Goodreads

Leandra Wallace is an Indiana girl with a love for vanilla in her pop, sparkly things, scarves, ampersands, and old buildings. She lives with her husband, son, and a small black dog, dreaming of one day having everything in its place. She enjoys blogging about books and writing and believes everything is better with sauce on it.

**and thanks to Leandra for her help with the copy on this post!*

Miriam Spitzer Franklin

I’m an elementary/ middle school teacher, currently teaching writing and literature classes to groups of homeschoolers. I’m thrilled to announce that my middle grade novel, EXTRAORDINARY, will be published by Skypony Press in Spring 2015. My passions include animal welfare, vegetarianism, figure skating, coaching Odyssey of the Mind, and of course, reading and writing children’s literature! I live with my husband, two daughters, and two cats in Charlotte, NC.

http://www.shana-silver.com

https://twitter.com/shanasilver

Shana Silver’s work has finaled in the RWA “Get Your Stiletto In The Door” contest and the RWA North Texas’s “Great Expectations” contest. Her short stories have appeared in various literary magazines such as ShatterColors Literary Review and The Hiss Quarterly. She studied creative writing at Syracuse University under Junot Diaz and Mary Gaitskill. She now works at a well-known educational publisher in NYC where she oversees the creation of tablet apps, eBooks, and other digital products. 

Twitter    Blog 

When an injury forced Nashville native Susan Bickford off the scaffold, demanding a break from her decorative arts business, she pulled out an old manuscript. Curious about the characters, she resumed her writing.  More manuscripts followed, all filled with stories she conjures while waiting for paint to dry. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Susan with a brush or trowel in her hand, painting, plastering, and gilding anything that doesn’t move (and some things that do). She’s a member of RWA and the Music City chapter. 

Stephanie Edwards is a 25-year old student currently studying Biological Anthropology. When she isn’t trying to be the next Jane Goodall, she spends her time working as a Marketing & Communications Assistant with her university and spending quality time with good food and a glass of wine, sometimes with friends, sometimes with Netflix. Stephanie’s currently working on an Adult Urban Fantasy novel about city-dwelling witches, while trying to shop around her Adult Science Fiction story, The Pact.

Bait and Pitch: A Workshop

Note: If you’re here looking for fishing tips, you’ve come to the wrong end of the blogosphere.

Bait and Pitch is a Thursday feature on the blog where we workshop pitches until they are bloody…erm…brilliant…Bloody brilliant!

Here’s how this works...

Every Thursday, I open my blog up for people to post their pitches for critique/feedback. We’ll alternate between Contest Pitches (35 words), Query Pitches (no more than 4 sentences like you would put in your query), and the dreaded Twitter Pitches (140 characters ONLY!)

You post your pitch, you give feedback on other writers’ pitches. And we all grow and learn together. Sounds good, right?

Well, here come “The Rules” to ruin all your fun.

The Rules

Bait and Pitch is open to ALL categories. PB, Kid Lit (early reader, chapter books, etc), MG, YA, NA and Adult. By request we are also including Memoir but please be sure this is clear in your commenting! ALL genres—yes, this will include erotica until you guys make me regret it! ;P (If there’s a strong request for nonfiction we will add you guys, too, comment on THIS post if you write nonfiction or memoir and you’re interested.)

This is open to manuscripts of any status. Shiny and ready to query, drowning in beta reader hell, or just an idea, you do not have to have a finished manuscript to participate. This isn’t a contest. It’s just practice.

One pitch per week. If you have multiple manuscripts in the works, you gotta pick one.

You post, you crit. Critique as a reply to someone else's pitch. At least one critique per pitch you post, though the more crits, the merrier! If you post without critiquing, you can’t play again. Sorry.

You edit, you critique again—Want to make changes based on people’s feedback? Cool. You gotta critique somebody else when you revise.

If you revise, post it as a REPLY to your original pitch. This should not require additional explanation.

Critiques must include AT LEAST one piece of positive feedback. Every writer has strengths.

Don’t be an asshole. This, too, should not require additional explanation. But I’ll give it anyway. Your opinion is just that, and you’re just one writer, who likely does not know everything or you wouldn’t be looking for pitch feedback, eh? Remember this is practice. It's okay to suck here. It's not okay to be sucky.

If you cross the line, *I* will critique your pitch in a similar manner. K? *grinz*

Sharing is caring. Tell other people and invite them to participate. I’ll keep this thing going as long as there’s interest, but I’m not doing this for blog hits. So let’s make like a writing community and commune. Or something.

If you guys play well with others and share and care, I’ll see if I can’t get some community “celebrities” to stop by and offer their insights.

Formatting Your Pitch

NAME: The Wicked Pitch of the East

(Whatever you wish for people to call you here. It can pretty much be anything other than Dannie Morin...or Danny Moron. I know you people.) 

CATEGORY/GENRE: YA/Sparkly-Vampire-Free Paranormal

If you put magical realism and it's not magical realism, I will let Sharon Johnston cut you.

TITLE: WHERE ARE THOSE WILD THINGS, ANYWAY?

PITCH: This is where you will write your 35 glorious--or not so glorious--words for people to critique. (Or 140 characters, or 4 sentences depending on the type of pitch. You'll have this info at the top of the weekly post.)

Okay, those are the rules for now. Sound good? Questions? Feedback? Hit me up below in comments!

Each week the post will go live at 12AM EST for you to comment with your pitch. You can subscribe to the blog or book mark this page. I'll update as soon as I can. And we'll keep the party going each week as long as there is interest. 

Cheers!

The Wicked Pitch of the East (aka Dannie)

The Schedule

April 24th    Contest Pitches

May 1st       Query Pitches

May 8th       Twitter Pitches

May 15th     Contest Pitches

May 22nd    Query Pitches

May 29th     Twitter Pitches
June 5th    Contest Pitches
August 14th      Query Pitches

The Writer's Voice Contest Entry #77

“The Writer’s Voice” is a multi-blog, multi-agent contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Monica B.W. of Love YA, and Krista Van Dolzer.  I was lucky enough to be selected in the drawing to participate. Below is my query for IMPERFECTLY FINE  and the first 250 words of my manuscript. Enjoy!

THIS ENTRY HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. Stay tuned. :)
~Dannie