Tracy C. Gold

Hi, Pitch Wars mentee hopefuls! You are probably reading this after you have submitted your Pitch Wars applications, while you’re waiting to hear from potential mentors. Or perhaps you’re spotting this before the official blog hop, or this post has come up a year or two down the road at another stage of the process. Either way, I’m here to share my advice as a two-time Pitch Wars mentee. I also applied a third time because I loved it so much and didn’t get in that third time (okay, alright, it was greedy to apply again!).  

Here are a few thoughts that should be helpful for you at this stage of the game. 

Querying is unlike anything I’ve experienced in any other industry: it’s guided by unspoken rules. Everyone has slightly different ideas of what those rules are, and newbies can be left completely oblivious.

I’ll cover some basic guidelines for tricky situations that come up when you’re querying. These guidelines come from my own querying journey, mentoring querying writers, and working with agent Carrie Pestritto (though these are my views, not hers!).

A few months ago, I decided to close down the editing company I cofounded, Sounding Sea Writers’ Workshop, as my cofounders had moved on in life, and managing a company presented extra complexity compared to being a sole practitioner. I’m now reposting the content I had created for Sounding Sea on my personal website.

Thanks to some recent pitch contests, I’ve been talking to a lot of new writers who are thinking about approaching literary agents. Below, I’ll break down the basic process of seeking literary agents and explain some of the common vocabulary that trips newcomers up. Note that this post is primarily geared towards writers of fiction and memoir, with a few notes for non-fiction writers to keep in mind.

Update: this webinar, and a transcript, for those who prefer reading, is posted here.

If Game of Thrones inspired you to write your own epic fantasy, join me for a free webinar about how to manage multiple points of view. I’m recording live and doing an exclusive Q & A next Wednesday at 3 pm New York time. The main webinar & transcript will be posted afterward.

I’m a huge fan of the show, but for this webinar, I’ll mainly be talking about the first book. Read, or reread at your own risk (I’m now halfway through the audiobook of A Clash of Kings, 40-some hours later). You don’t have to read the book to understand the webinar, but the webinar will certainly spoil the first book, and potentially the whole series. Spoiler alert! You’ve been warned.

I’ll cover the following concepts:

1. How to choose which character narrates a scene

2. How to decide whether a character deserves to have a POV section at all

3. How to avoid confusing your readers 

4. How to choose between first person and third person

5. How to make each voice distinct

Thanks to Reedsy for hosting me!

Register for free here.

I adore writing and reading in the first person. Escaping into a character’s mind in first person carries me away into fictional worlds. I help a lot of my editing clients navigate writing first person, or decide whether to write in first or third person. Reedsy, a database of freelance editors, designers, and other publishing experts, published some of my thoughts on the matter, along with other great advice on writing in first person.

Read the whole post about writing in the first person here.

I am excited to finally relaunch my writing and editing career after a rough pregnancy and some major post-partum health complications. After struggling with hyperemesis gravidarum (yup, like Duchess Kate), and complications from surgery to remove my gallbladder, I am now looking forward to fewer hospital visits and more engaging work. (Snuggles with my adorable daughter are a given!)

Here is the kind of work I am most excited to dive back into:

• Editing creative writing (fiction and non-fiction)
• Editing business/marketing writing
• Writing marketing content

Check out my services page for a full list of what I can help with, as well as testimonials from some of my past clients. You can read more about my qualifications in my bio, and contact me at tracycgold@gmail.com. If you’re just here for baby pictures (or horses and dogs), check out my Instagram.

I’m very excited about Homefront Cooking, a collection of recipes and essays from military service memories and their families. I contributed a brief essay about my Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Lil, along with Lil’s delicious mashed potato recipe.

Read more about Homefront Cooking in the New York Post.

You can buy Homefront Cooking here.