Ok, writers! This is a brand-new, free mentorship / critique contest program for unagented adult, YA and MG writers.
And as Twit pitching scares the heebie-jeebies out of me, I think I may do it. If only to dip my toe into writing Twit pitches. It seems a little less intimidating than pitching direct to agents.
That I can tell, it will run a little differently than other mentorship contest programs, like Pitch Wars. There's no agent showcase at the end, although if chosen by a mentor you are interviewed at the end of the mentorship program.
Your application is chosen from a "weighted lottery." There's no explanation of what that is on the web page, so I'm not entirely sure. Possibly the "weights" have to do with your responses on your application? Which may imply, more weight is given to some responses than others? But I honestly don't know. The application isn't up yet, and the web page only has three sections, which don't fully explain it, yet.
If accepted, you then participate in a Twit pitch. The website says, "Mentors and critiquers will like pitches as an invitation to send their submission package for review."
Here's the thing. You can get a like from a critiquer or a mentor. It says if a mentor chooses your MS, "you and your mentor will have an open-ended, 4 month mentorship beginning March 20th. In this mentorship, you will receive career, querying, and revision guidance for your current work."
But, and this is key, critiquers will also be offering crits of QLs, synopses and opening pages, which can be really valuable, too. And if you're chosen for those, they're provided by Mar. 20. So, it's kinda like Twit pitching for help on either / and your submission packet / full MS.
I missed a help session earlier this month to help craft Twit pitches, but now I'm on the lookout for them, so I'll participate if they have another.
Here are the Important Dates to Remember:
November 15, 2020: WTMP participant application opens
December, 1 2020: WTMP participant application closes
January 16, 2021: WTMP participants notified of selection
January 31, 2021: #WTPitch Event on Twitter 8AM EST to 8PM EST
March 20, 2021: Submission package reviews from critiquers due; Mentees announced on The Write Team website
July 2021: WTMP Alumni Interviews!
I checked out the FAQs as well, and there are still a lot of questions I have that aren't answered here (What's "weighted lottery" mean? etc.), but it did answer a few.
And there's an email contact to ask more questions, in case you have any.
Let me know if you enter and I'll cheer you on. I'm going to try this one. I think. Yikes!
