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What I learned from Nest Pitch 2015

Nest Pitch has taught me so much writing. Here are a few thing's I learned from polishing up my first 300 words and taking part in the Nest Pitch:

Your openings matters a lot. If your story kicks off in chapter two, or only grabs a reader's attention half way through chapter one, then you might be giving potential readers too much time to put the book down.

Show. If you're cramming ideas in to hook the reader, you might actually be burring them with information instead. See if you can leave some of the exposition aside and show it later.

Avoid vagueness. Your readers are blank slates, and they will only pull into the opening image what you give them. Specifics are what interests readers, and confusion is not the same as intrigue.

One idea per sentence. If the sentence starts to sound full or unclear, then writing it as two separate sentences could strengthen your writing.

Take a unique angle. Ask yourself, what makes your opening specific to your book? Is it like no other, avoiding clichés in both the writing and the scene choice?

Value strong writing over everything else. If your writing is strong, then you'll be engaging too.

Query contests are about much more than just writing. It's about connecting with other writers, cheering on your new friends, and knowing that all books are beautiful. ;)

Cheers for reading!

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