In the final stretch leading up to announcing the #pitchwars class of 2020 & starting to see the ripples of "no requests" posts.
Buckle up for a thread of some cheerleading, encouragement & advice.
1st - it ain't over yet! I'm serious. Not even close.

2nd - there was not one sub in my inbox that did not have potential. Not. A. Single. One.
Each one had something remarkable - a strong voice, a compelling concept, amazing characters, deep atmosphere. Whatever.
Sometimes I could see what a sub needed & sometimes I couldn't.

Every time I chose not to request - it was about my skills & knowledge or strengths & weaknesses. Could I guide that mentor to a finished MS that would really shine?
Every time, I wanted to reach out to the author & celebrate what they had accomplished. It's exciting & scary.

3rd - it really is not blowing smoke when people say the biggest "win" in #pitchwars is the community.
All of my CPs are in some form or another via PW. Ditto most of my betas.
The entire crowd of amazing people I hung out w/ @ RWA last year was via PW. This is my writing fam!

The opportunity to expand your network & meet other writers who can challenge & encourage you is NOT a little thing!
Ditto the act of prepping a final work, putting together a submission package & working to a deadline. That's new to some & it can be tough.

YES, #pitchwars is full of excitement & potential disappointment.
I'm here to tell you - my entire publishing journey has been all of that & then some & then some more & still more.
I owe a lot of my ability to cope to PW - either the people I've met or the lessons I've learned.

4th - did I say it ain't over?
I don't just mean PW. Whether you're ready to query, or ready to go deeper w/ a CP & really dig into revisions - your journey isn't over until you decide it is.
You're gonna shelve books you love. You're gonna put projects on hold for a later date

You're going to experience rejection. Possibly lots of rejection.
Saying it gets easier sounds like so much BS, but it's sorta true. You learn to deal with it in healthier ways. You learn to process it & grow.
But it still sucks.

5th - & you're gonna hear this a LOT - this is only one path of many!
#PitchWars is great, but it is not the only way. It's not a magic carpet ride straight to a book deal.
Your path is YOURS. It's exciting & a little scary to think about. But it's true.

Hang in there. Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep making new friends in writing circles. Keep challenging yourself. Keep reading.
Because those are the things that will keep the dream alive. That will sustain you when you need hope.

And finally - don't sell yourself short.
Ever.
Believe in yourself. You wrote a book - you are a writer! You are an author!
And that, right there, is something amazing.
Thank you for submitting. Thank you for sharing your work!