STORYWORLD

There's a rule in the fiction world that you never send a pitch to an editor or agent unless you have a finished manuscript, unlike the world of journalism where you can pitch just an idea. Unfortunately, not all authors observe this rule. Me included. I recently made the mistake of getting so caught up with an event that occurs on Twitter called Pitmad , I submitted an idea for a book I haven't actually finished. Let's put it this way - the first half is done, but the second half is badly in need of revision. Pitmad is an event held once every month or second month. Authors are able to pitch the log line for their novel twice an hour for the duration of the event, which goes on for most of the day. Editors and literary agents are alerted to the event and watch out for pitches that interest them. If they favourite your pitch it means they want to read a sample of your work. So basically you sit on the computer all day and plug in your pitch, then wait for the agents to...