On 14th February, I took part in a Twitter pitch aimed at Romance writers. This is where you post up to four tweets over a set time period (9am – 9pm EST), using the hashtag #KissPitch, and literary agents who are interested in finding new romance writers will ‘like’ your tweet if they would like you to query them with a first chapter and some more details about your story. This was the first time I’d taken part in a Twitter pitch, and it was such a great experience, because it forced me to come up with four different ‘elevator pitches’ for my story, to condense the complexities of plot, theme, character and setting into 240 character Tweets. It’s not easy! But it does really help you to focus on the core elements of your story, and what your story is really about.
This was my most retweeted Tweet, and it was really exciting to see people reacting to my story. I tried to convey something of the tone, genre, world, the goal of my protagonist, and the conflict she faces. I wanted to emphasise what makes my story unique and different; most dystopia I’ve read is set in a futuristic setting with advanced technology. My story is based around a community of 100 people who are post-apocalyptic survivors, so they don’t have factories, mass production, much available technology or electricity or all the infrastructure that’s needed for those things to be possible. That’s why it ‘feels like the past’ – the characters ride horses, make their own clothes, grow their food, and sort of live an Amish kind of self-sufficient existence.
The key problem my protagonist faces is that, because they are ‘survivors’, they have an enforced child-bearing policy where young people are paired up for fifteen years when they come of age. Elise’s mother died in childbirth, and so did her grandmother. She dreads having to take part in something which potentially will kill her.
Elise discovers that there may be a way out, a way of escape… But she doesn’t expect to fall in love. Leaving is not going to be as easy as she thought.
There are various Twitter pitches throughout the year, such as #PitMad and #DVPit.
If you’re a writer, why not take part? If you’re querying anyway, it helps you find agents who are actively looking for new submissions, and it can help you get to the top of the slush pile.
Sophie Toovey 