Advice from the Pitch Master

Hi, all! Sorry for the silence (again), but I've been busy. Dealing with personal stuff (which you can probably guess), applying for a new job (why, yes, I AM nervous that my potential employers will stop by here and conclude that I'm not sufficiently dignified for the position--thanks for asking), and getting over 70 pitch sessions ready for LTUE.

Busy.

Busy.

Busy.

The good news? Two of those time-eaters are now mostly history, so I should be able to resume my regular blogging schedule. And writing. And reading, please the heavens. (How I've missed it! I had to return BITTERBLUE to the library today and I'm not done yet!)

Anyway, since I didn't get to attend many panels at LTUE--Pitch Master is a time-consuming job, turns out--I thought I'd share my thoughts on pitching agents and editors. I had lots of fun dispensing this advice to the captive, nervous pitchers as they waited for their turn with Michelle Witte and Judith Engracia (my awesome friend Wendy Knight--whose debut FEUDLINGS comes out next month!!--was monitoring the editors' room, so I got to spend ten seconds every ten minutes with two awesome agents. So fun!).

So here's the short list of what I told them:

• You bought the time: use it! Don't [do what I did when I pitched last year and] get all excited when you get a request and leave early. Especially if you haven't asked any of your carefully prepared questions. These folks are experts in their field, so ask your questions!
• Don't ask questions designed to figure out if the two of you are compatible enough to work well together. That's the sort of thing you ask when they offer representation. Which, let's face it, probably won't happen. (See below.)
• The odds of THIS agent being the agent who will love YOUR book are only slightly higher than they would be if you were cold-querying through the slush pile. Your whole career isn't riding on the next ten minutes. Your personality--though fantastic--can't make an agent like your lyrical-sci-fi-romance-adventure when she prefers comedic-sci-fi-romance-thrillers. So chill out.
• Since this agent COULD be the agent who loves your book, make sure you pitch it well! Follow the advice Howard Tayler gave about teasers this year (in one of the few presentations I made it to): You need an inciting incident, character action, conflict, and a hook. A hook is that moment when the reader starts to imagine your book themselves--to wonder what might happen and get excited to find out. (Howard usually blows my mind at cons. He's THAT amazing--and he actually remembered me this time! :) )

And that's about it for advice from me.

Two more things, but this is just general con-advice: 1) always have an updated business card to hand out. If you're wondering if you even need such a thing, ask yourself if there's a chance you'll meet someone nice, who you'll want to talk to again. If the answer is yes, you need a card. It just takes too long to write down your email on a napkin--and then they'll just lose the thing or forget who the heck gave it to them. Photo, email, blog, twitter, etc. Trust me. Get it before you think you need it. You can design them yourself with free templates on Word and print them cheap at your local copy shop.

2) Save the elastic necklace things off your con-name-tags in case the next one wants you to wear a pin instead. Necklaces are sooo much better, IMO. Also, your business cards are stored INSIDE the plastic name tag holder, right behind your name tag. That's where they live. Then, when you meet the aforementioned really nice person, you don't have to go hunting. You don't have to wonder where you left your bag. You just dig into your name tag and voila! Easy.

So who has pitched before? Any advice you want to add? Any general con advice? Who was at LTUE?

Pitching at LTUE

What is LTUE, you ask? Only one of the coolest, most cost-efficient SFF symposiums EVER. Just check out my LTUE label for all the coolness of the past two years.

THIS year, LTUE gets even cooler. First, yours truly is officially on the Writing Track Committee! Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause. My main role on the committee? Setting up our first ever Pitch Sessions! (Now you can applaud.)

We have an awesome line up of editors and an amazing agent who will be at the symposium and who will sit down with you (for the small fee of $20) for ten minutes to listen to your pitch on your book. Then they can decide if they want to read more. Which, of course, will inevitably lead to an offer, followed quickly by fame and fortune.* Cool, huh?

I'll update this link when I can, but go check out the LTUE site starting Friday morning to see who is taking pitches and to register for the symposium (only $30 for three days of awesome). Then, starting 9:00 am MDT on Saturday, January 19, you can register for your own pitch session!

I fully expect the best slots to go fast, so you might want to clear your schedule for Saturday morning. Just saying.





*Results may vary

Well, Hello, New Blog

Turns out, fixing my blog name problem was easier than I thought it would be. I just imported all my posts from the old blog (which need not be named) to this one!

I'm still needing to redesign this lovely new space with its cool new name, but I'm happy.

All the posts below here are from before. I'm still not sure if I'll be doing any weeding or if I'll just keep 'em all. Any advice?

The Soundtrack of My Name Change

Sorry for the blog silence. Real life around here has been... intense. Rather than explain, why don't you just enjoy the songs that have been running through my head?

This was my theme song for the week after New Year's. I learned it in college voice lessons to teach me how to belt. I've always thought it was beautiful, but never before was it at all applicable:


I fought this next one for a long time, but, well. Truth is truth, even when it's hard:


This is my favorite fight song--many of the lyrics are wishful thinking (at least at present), but quite a few of the story details are... accurate.


Of course, there are days (getting fewer and fewer) when this song applies best (well, with a gender reversal):


These next two are songs I've shared with my three sons. I can't express how grateful I am for how wonderful my children are. They are such a support to me right now.




And, of course, this all leads to the sad conclusion: I'm going through the Big D (and don't mean Dallas.) (That song only applies in title, but it's kind of catchy.)

I'm not quite sure what I'm doing with this blog yet--it has the wrong name on it. I'm reverting to my maiden name: Robin Ambrose--which I've been assured is an awesome writer name. Also, yes, I'm very VERY grateful that I haven't published yet. Thanks for asking. :)

Please stay posted. Real life is still taking all my spare time, but I'm taking steps to set up a new blog with the right name and will do whatever I need to do to make sure you all find your way over to the new one.

Please also know that I'm going to be fine. I've been overflowing with love over the last few weeks--I have so many friends both in real life and online who have gone out of their way to prop me up, let me rant, and give me concrete advice on how to come out on the other side of this in one piece. You guys all rock!

My Favorite Christmas Song

In honor of the holiday, I wanted to share this song by Faith Hill. The first time I heard it, I didn't even realize it was a Christmas song until the end. Which made me love it even more.

Get More:

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks so much for all your support, friendship, love over the last year.

Desperate for Balance

As I crossed the NaNo finish line, my husband clued me on on something: he was feeling neglected. Not just a little neglected, but crisis-neglected. I was . . . a bit shocked.

If you've followed my blog at all or if you care to check out the My Hubby tag, you know two things: 1) my husband is about the most supportive man in the world, and 2) we have next to no interests in common. He will never enjoy spending time with me while I'm writing or reading: he doesn't write, he doesn't read, and he doesn't understand why I like it. I will rarely enjoy spending time with him doing the things he loves: I don't ski, fish, hunt, or understand why he likes it.

For over 12.5 years of marriage, we've made it work anyway.

But it--whatever it was--isn't working anymore.

Last month, I thought everything was right with my marriage. Now I know there need to be changes or things will get very, very wrong.

So I need advice, wise readers. I know a lot of you are married and are very happy. Do you have advice for a writer who wants it all? Is it possible to have a day job, happy husband, content children, relaxing reading and STILL have time to write? How do you do it?

If your spouse isn't a writer, what do you do to make sure you spend time with them? How do you involve them in your writing life (if at all)? If you have two hours of free time after the kids are in bed, you haven't written anything all day, and the spouse is watching a show you don't like . . . what do you do?

I've had exactly one idea to fix this: we're going to learn how to play the guitar together. Hubby has expressed interest and I've always thought it would be fun. Might not have been a priority in my life, but if we both enjoy it . . . well, it has a leg up on every other non-bedroom activity in the world. This, naturally, will take even more time away from writing, but it should provide some forced togetherness with the love of my life, and that ain't bad.

I've pondered whether I can give up writing entirely. Hubby assures me he'll never ask it of me--he just wants some balance. I'm not entirely sure I can give it up without being miserable. I can go long stretches without it, but I need a creative outlet, and I love words. (Lovely, lovely words.) I'm relatively certain I can kill that part of me, but . . . then part of me will be dead. And the years I've spent on my writing will have been wasted. And I don't want that. I still want to be a published writer. Preferably one who can afford to buy her husband a ranch.

So help? Ideas? Advice? Wisdom from on high? Thoughts on where to buy a couple of cheap beginner guitars?

2013 Note: Thanks everyone, for your awesome advice. Though it turns out the problem was too big for advice, I really appreciate the help.

Late to the "And You Are...?" blog hop

I didn't even see Emily King's and Tammy Theriault's blog hop until today, but I wanted to play anyway, so here I am. :)


1. How many speeding tickets have you gotten?

Um... none? I was pulled over for speeding once and given a warning because I was new to the area. Now ask me how many accidents I've caused. Uh, actually, never mind. Don't ask.

2. Can you pitch a tent?

Yes. But why, when I have a husband to do it for me? :)

3. What was your worst vacation ever?

First family reunion with the new in-laws. We left the pretty lake and drove 3 hours one way to take a 15-minute tour of a house carved into a rock. The tour guide wasn't even all that good.

4. What was the last thing you bought over $100?
Smart phone. Oh, how I love it! *Wonders if it was really over $100* *Decides that yes, yes it was*

5. We're handing you the keys to what?

Sadly, I don't care much. I want it fuel-efficient, with comfy seats, power windows-and-stuff, sunroof, and approved by hubby.

6. What was the last meal you cooked that made even you sick?

Well, I made brownies when I was about 12 that had waaay too much salt in them. Other than that, I eat just about anything, so it's hard to make something that makes me sick. :) I did get food poisoning at a restaurant, once, though....

7. Fill in the blank: Oh my gosh! Becky, look at her butt! It is so big. She looks like ____?
I used to before I decided to start using my gym membership!

8. What was your first car?
The one my husband had when we got married. :)

9. Your best friend falls and gets hurt. Do you ask if he/she's okay or laugh first?

Smile first, then concern face (quick, before she can see), then laugh later. Together.

10. What's the worst song ever?

All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You by Heart. I mean, seriously? You're in love with someone else and you think there's anything right about sleeping with a random stranger? Poor poor tortured soul. (Well, obviously not tortured enough.) Worse? I went back to look up the artist and read through the lyrics again. And now I know she slept with him because the man she loved couldn't give her a baby. So now she's completely betrayed two men. *shudders*

So did you play? Wanna join late so I'm not the last one on the list?