I submitted Infinity’s Heir to Revpit 2018 on a whim.

When I read about the contest, I had all but retired Infinity’s Heir. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in the manuscript – I did and still do – but it seemed like one of those projects that languishes in limbo forever. A year, and nine versions, after the finished product, the manuscript was no closer to where I felt it needed to be for any agents to seriously consider it for publication.

So, my options seemed to twofold: submit it to Revpit for a chance to work with an editor, or retire the manuscript for good.

I chose the former option, and it’s likely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

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Submitting work to an editor is far more nerve wracking than sending a query to any agent. As a writer, I’ve come to expect rejection from queries I send to the slush pile. The waiting is terrible, but I’m never really disappointed when an agent sends back a polite “no”. It comes with the territory, so I’ve learned to temper my expectations based on what I’m most likely to see.

But an editor? That’s something altogether different.

Researching the Revpit editors felt much more personal. These people were excited to take part in the contest. They wanted to see the submissions. And they were willing to donate a massive amount of time and effort to make it all happen.

Infinity’s Heir seemed like a perfect candidate for the contest. I had spent a year polishing the work, but I felt like it could use a bit more. So, I picked two editors that seemed like a good fit and sent in the required material.

Then, the waiting began.

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Perhaps the best thing about RevPit is the community.

I feared that I’d be waiting for word from the editors in a vacuum, but that wasn’t the case. All of the writers who submitted to the contest stuck around and made the twitter feed an absolute joy to be a part of.

Then, there were the editors.

Many of them were just as excited about the contest as the writers who submitted to it. They inhabited the twitter feed just as often, speaking with the community, engaging with them, comforting them, and posting #10queries on the work they had received. Just seeing how excited, and moved, these editors were by what they were reading made the stress, and waiting, worthwhile.

It made me realize that I was part of something bigger than myself. And, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone in my writing journey. Seeing so many others go through the same thing I did was heartening, and it stoked the fires of determination and perseverance like never before.

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By the end of last week, I had received word that both editors passed on my Revpit submission. I was disappointed that Infinity’s Heir hadn’t made the cut, but there was a silver lining that all but filled the entire cloud: personalized feedback.

In all my time writing, editing, and querying Infinity’s Heir, feedback had been limited to other writers, or beta readers. It was useful, but only informed the current version of the work. It always led to improvements, but never really to a place where I thought the manuscript was ready.

But, the personalized feedback I received from the editors, while short and to the point, went a long way in truly informing me of where Infinity’s Heir could improve.

And I’ve taken it to heart

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Over the weekend, I started a new version of Infinity’s Heir.

Based on the changes I plan on making to the manuscript, the road ahead looks to be a long one, but it’s a path that I never knew existed until I submitted to RevPit.

While it’s one thing to take the road less traveled, it’s quite another to veer onto one that didn’t exist until a week ago.

Making significant changes to a manuscript is a daunting proposition – it’s never easy to start from the beginning and rework something you thought you were happy with. It’s especially hard when those changes alter the bones of the work.

But I’m happy about this new path.

Revpit breathed new life into a work that I thought was dead. And even though the end result is months of work, I’m happy about the fact that Infinity’s Heir will come out the other side far better than it was before.

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Finally, to any of the writers or editors from the Revpit community that may be reading this, I want to thank you.

This past week has been one of the most fun and interesting times I’ve had as a writer. While I didn’t make the cut (Congratulations to all of those that did!), being a part of the contest was an amazing experience. Having the support of fellow writers was overwhelming, and receiving meaningful feedback from the editors was more than I could have ever hoped for.

It was a truly special experience – one I’ll remember for as long as I continue my writing journey.