There’s this thing that happens on Twitter. A couple times a year, writers use specific hashtags to participate in what’s called a PitMad. On this day, agents and publishers look at tweets with the hashtag and, if they like the author’s pitch for their complete book, they like it. That’s an invitation to submit to that agent or publisher.

Retweets are great, because it adds visibility. But likes are, typically, reserved for the agents/publishers.

It’s not something I’ve participated in before. Either I had a publisher, an agent, or the timing was wrong. When you’re at work, you can’t exactly whip out your phone and do a pitch once an hour!

Okay, you can. But you run the risk of not having a job. I do know there’s way to schedule them ahead of time. Me, my anxiety, and I prefer to be able to watch the screen and hope for likes.

There’s one this coming Thursday (2/24/22). Seeing as I’m still only working 1 day a week, and it’s not Thursdays, I’m planning on participating. I’ve written up several tweets, with the correct hashtags, for book 1 and 2 of Heroes of Avoch.

If you’re on Twitter, find me at @KMWarfieldbooks or check out the #SFFPit hashtag. Retweets are definitely welcome!

Here’s the thing. Writers are eternally optimistic, even when we’re deep in depression. Even when we’re about to stop writing, walk away, and think of our career as nothing more than a hobby. We always hope that maybe this event will be the one that connects me with a dream agent. Maybe doing pitch wars will find us the publisher who falls in love with our style.

Maybe this is the one thing that leads to another thing that leads to a career instead of a hobby. Maybe this query will be different and we’ll earn enough to pay some bills.

We can’t lose that optimism. We cherish it, nurture it, and flood it with water when we get rejections. It’s harder to take care of than orchids, more fickle than a cat, and about as easy to herd as a scurry of squirrels.

In return, it works hard for us. It gives us hope when the rejections happen. Lifts us up when sales are non-existent. Reminds us that the highs are so much better than the lows.

They remind us, sometimes hourly, that tomorrow is another day. There’s always a chance that the next query is the one that works. The next submission will end with a contract offer.

That our stories, our voices, aren’t forever destined to be silent.

BB/Chan Eil Eagal Orm