Pitch-Hit-Catch

I finished transcribing my primary pitch onto my index cards and I feel a bit more prepared, or at least ready to practice my pitch. Then I cleaned house, did laundry, polyurethaned the table I've been redecorating, visited a friend, made dinner, and worked on the second pitch.

Why is the unrevised first draft of my fourth book easier to think about than the multi-revised 3rd book? Argh. Any rate, now I have all my 2nd pitch on the computer and need to transcribe it to index cards so I can practice it as well.

I think I have learned something from this experience. Write the first draft--prepare taglines and pitches for it--queries--synopsis submissions--then start full revisions. I think the core of the story is the pitch.

At least it is for me.

Dilemma: what story do I pitch first? The one I know is ready to submit? Or the one I am passionate about now?

Creative Avoidance 101

Well the conference is less than a month away and I have to get prepared to pitch to my agent/editor. Whew, that means making cute little index cards with boatloads of prompts about my stories and being able to talk about them effortlessly.

My first foray into this endeavor meant distilling info given at my local chapter meeting. Then I fritzed around and started a home DIY project. Can we say I am not focused? Then I had a bit more time on the computer. I researched my editor's authors and my agent's background. Post Its on the wall--need to transfer to the index cards.

Oh, did I mention that I now have multi-colored cards? Yeah~after my dr. appointment, I went to Staples and bought all kinds of conference items (get ready to pitch and more). Now I have purple, pink, yellow, green, and blue 4X6 index cards, a cool clear index card holder, and a black box holder.

Shopping is good creative avoidance.

And I managed to work on the DIY project some more, cook a cool appetizer, go out for dinner, shop for a Father's Day gift with my daughter whilst signing up for Publishers Marketplace and researching my agent/editor a bit more. Oh, and I got onto Amazon and ordered two writing books.

But my pitch is still embryonic at best.

I did order business cards. And I bought Avery labels to plaster on the back of some of them--with my one liner hook on them.

Goal: tomorrow is Father's Day--no rest for the weary.

Goal for Monday: clean house and work on pitch-

Goal for week: prep two pitches so I have them ready to try out at the workshop on the 27th....

I also have to get my DD ready for her camp (starts on the 29th), clean house (really needs it), get a mammogram (oh joy), connect with a writing friend on Wednesday, figure out my wardrobe for the conference (I have NO clothes), oh, and I HAVE TO WRITE AND PREP MY PITCHES AND PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

No problem... really ....

Pitch Panic

Well it's all in. I have my pitching appointments and now I must sit down and prepare my two pitches, my elevator pitches, and my head-to-head pitches.

Yikes. When? This is the weirdest writing time of year for me. Summertime is usually a time of year when I notch down my writing. This year I have a child underfoot, company coming in about two weeks, and I have travel myself (part of it is the National Conference). I can WRITE the pitches, but when can I practice them?

Yesterday I drove to Chattanooga with Darling Daughter and we practiced the first part of my pitch at a restaurant. The GMC of my characters as well as the high concept/hook. I'll start filling in the gaps today. I want to have a pitch ready to practice by Monday at the latest. I want to have both pitches ready by Friday. 

On Saturday I go to the Southern Magic Meeting. Kelly St. John is leading a pitching workshop. I want to be prepared with my two main pitches and a catchy elevator pitch for each one as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to refine the pitches at the workshop and have more to practice the week of the 29th. 

My DD goes to camp on the 29th. My company arrives on July 1st and stays a week. I am glad to see my friend, but I hope she doesn't mind it if I practice my pitches on her!! I pick up my DD from camp on the 3rd. We drive my friend to Birmingham on the 8th. I may spend the night. 

We leave for DC on the 11th! I can practice my pitch in the car, in the hotel, and on my writing friends. 

Today I have a doctor's appointment. I hope it doesn't throw me off my game. I am going to Staples after I'm done. I'll pick up my index card box and different colored index cards for my pitches. I'll buy Avery labels as well to print out my one liner hooks. Must order business cards and postcards for the conference and for querying. Will do that tomorrow. They usually arrive in about a week.

I hope I can focus on this task--it's so important. And when I am afraid I will fail, well then it's easier to fail if I didn't prepare properly. I can blame the lack of prep rather than the quality of my work.

Must overcome that tendency. Must do it now.

Staging a Room, Staging a Life

I woke up this morning and dressed quickly. I had builder reps coming to check out the insulation levels in the attic and restore them to peak level at 8AM. 

They arrived on time. I was dressed, ready and already reading my fourth MS first draft. Whew.

The new insulation was installed. Darling Daughter awakened, hung about in jammies, and I continued reading draft 1 of 4th MS.

Then off to my friend's house to help her reorganize a room in her house. I had a great time moving around her bits and pieces and telling her get rid of this, or asking "why is THIS here?" Oh, fun! We took a cluttered room and restructured it into a nice, habitable space.

Isn't that amazing? She was so happy with the results. Sometimes it takes a fresh eye to see what needs to be done with the crap we have in our houses.

Then off I drove... home to work on the reading and note taking for the revision of my 4th book. And it hit me. Sometimes it takes a fresh eye to see how to fix the crap in our stories. 

I am so glad I waited so long to fix this mess. I am so glad I have a fresh eye. I already have a better idea about where I am going to take this MS. And I am excited about it. It'll take cutting out unnecessary words, repositioning the other words, and refining the details with bits of description and prose. 

Oh my!

My friend's husband arrived home from work, looked at the room, and said to her, "Christine's hired."

I hope one day an editor reads my pages and says the same thing.

Summer is Here--

Well, I was very spoiled by Summer School--my DD's required elective class allowed me to work while she endured a very redundant computer applications class (easiest A she ever got--well... summer school is that way for College so .... good lesson learned). 

But NOW.... yikes... I have pitches to prepare, writing to do, guests arriving during the next month and I feel like WHOOPS... how in the heck will all this happen while Missy Wonderful Who I LOVE and Want to Spend Time With is Home? 

Oh, well... I will not stress... 

I asked her to hear my pitch while I practice... and she will... she's so supportive of my writing. And if writing doesn't happen, reading about it will. And if all I do is prep the pitch, so be it. 

I only have 3 more years with her... I refuse to compromise that time with her. I am first and foremost, a mother. And I love it!

Princesses with Attitude

Yesterday I spent the day playing tourist in my own city. My friends and I went to the Space and Rocket Center with my GF's daughters (5 & 3). The three year old loves space, astronauts, rockets and will probably go to Space Camp when she is older. I asked the five year old if she wanted to go to Space Camp. She said she'd rather go to Princess Camp. Me, too. Sure, space and rockets are interesting and fun. But the idea of hurtling into space on top of a missile (it is a missile even if we call it a rocket) taller than a lot of building and carrying a payload of fuel capable of creating a crater if it blows up on land doesn't thrill me one bit. 

But Princess Camp? Oh yeah. My five year old friend and I talked about creating our own Princess Camp. Presently, due to the word camp, she wants to pitch a tent in my backyard. I asked her if Princesses should live in a tent. She promptly informed me that OUR tent would have carpeting. While at Camp Princess, we receive manicures-pedicures and our hair is styled. Plus, we get our faces glamorized. But I was informed, we'd make our own meals. When I questioned the idea of Princesses cooking, my tiny friend waved the objection away, saying, "We'll be the kind of Princesses who can do our own stuff." 

I loved the response. Princesses who are pretty, pampered, but capable of looking after themselves are women who aren't afraid to ask for more and they aren't afraid to go after what they want. 

My young friend's Princess model is very familiar to me. I've read about these kind of women in romance novels. These pretty, capable, strong, gorgeous, educated, intelligent women are princesses because they won't settle for just any man. Sure, these heroines might be wearing stilettos while they overcome their conflicts to succeed, but they expect their heroes to honor their dreams and cheer them on toward their goals. 

Anyone can impress a bimbo, but a real man will work very hard for my kind of heroine, a Princess with Attitude!

Friends Bring Memories

I am on hiatus. Today I ran errands, went to the grocery store, and readied the house for my friends to arrive for a visit.

Yay!

Best of all, when they did, the house filled with a buzzing warmth and activity. We have two adorable young girls, their mom, and their aunt here for a few days. Out come the Littlest Pet Shop bins filled with all my darling daughter's collection. Out come the kid snacks, the mayhem, the crazy clutter of fun. 

Out comes the chatter. The chatter of young sisters playing, fussing, ordering, and repeating all the above. The chatter of friends sharing goals and memories, making a meal together, and visiting on the veranda.

Out comes the happiness. The joy of seeing dear friends, their children, sharing hopes and dreams, visions and lives. Out comes my mini moment of oh, can I bottle this time? Can I keep it please? But I can't.

After a few days, this wonderful hurricane of happy life and energy will whirl out of my house and head north to Virginia. And my new house will become silent. Empty. Ghosts of fun tripping in my halls bringing wistful moments. 

Moments where I wonder why we moved, moments of loneliness and isolation as I miss the ease of being in their company, and moments of optimism in nurturing new relationships to their full bloom. 

For having accomplished this amazing sense of connection time and time again, I know it is possible.