CP Matchmaker!

Established in 2014, CP Matchmaker has been my way of trying to spread the love and give back to the amazing writing community on Twitter.

I myself have been extremely lucky when it comes to critique partners. The amazing ladies I work with are smart, and kind, and thoughtful and they've taught me a lot about the way I write and the kind of writer I want to be.

But not everyone has that same support. CP's can be HARD to find sometimes, and a lot of writers don't even know where to look.

That's something I'd like to try and remedy.

Getting great feedback from other writers is the #1 thing that helped me on my journey from newbie-writer-nobody to an agented author. You can only learn so much on your own, and having the support of other writers along this very hectic, stressful path we've chosen is absolutely invaluable.

And that is where CP Matchmaker comes in! #CpMatch is a Twitter party like #Pitmad, but rather than pitching your book to agents, you're pitching it (and your critique style) to potential critique partners! This is the six or seventh time I've run the party and more and more people have participated in each round. (Thanks in part to the WONDERFUL support I've had in spreading the word to the writing community, so a huge thank you to everyone who has and will continue to do that.)

Okay, so here are the details:

What you're going to need:

1. A Twitter pitch (to include the #CPMatch hashtag)
*This is also great practice for pitch contests like #PitMad. 
(Which is where I first connected with my agent!)

2. A graphic (see below), should you choose to spread the word and get more people involved. (Which you absolutely should, because the more people who know about the event, directly impacts how many people participate and betters your chances of finding more amazing matches! So share share share!)

3. And a few labels (If you wish to use them.)

For the purpose of easy identification, you can also include (abbreviated for Twitter convenience) a little about your critiquing style, so you can match not only on concept alone, but by the specific brand of feedback you can offer.

Do you give straight to the point notes?
STTP

Fan of the compliment sandwich?
CS

Are you brutally honest?
BH 

A good copyeditor?
GCE

Or are you more of an attention to detail type?
ATD 

Maybe a critique partner beginner?
CPB

Plot hole hunter?
PHH
Do you give great big picture notes?
BP

Are you a few of these things? Go ahead and list as many as will fit in your pitch.

Need an example of a #CPMatch pitch?

After being abducted by a windowless, demonic train, can Olivia escape the fear manifesting cars with her life before The Blood Train claims her soul? YA horror #CPMatch CS PHH

Make sense?

On the day of the event, tweet your pitch!



(Just ONCE please! Everyone scrolls, and there's never SO MUCH traffic that any of the tweets get lost, don't worry!)



Then all you have to do is spend some time on the feed and read the pitches yourself! If anything looks interesting, message or tweet at the writer and get to know each other a little better. See what you each have to offer, ask about each other's books, see if you mesh well.

And I can't stress this enough: SWAP A SAMPLE CHAPTER

You'll know if you're a good fit for each other until you see their feedback first hand. They might be the funniest/nicest/coolest/whateverest person on the planet... and still not match up with what you need in a critique partner.

And that's about it! Pitch, read, message, and swap. Simple as that!

If there's something you're unclear about, ask me. Have a few extra label ideas? Let me have em! I am totally up for any suggestions here. I want every round of CP Matchmaker to be as helpful as possible.

And on that note: SPREAD THE WORD. 
Please. Pretty please, with sugar on top and ice-cream in the middle.

Tweet about it.
RT my information.
Blog about it.
Tell your neighbor.
Shout it from the rooftops.

I can only help facilitate matches for those who participate. Again, when loads of people pop in to pitch, your chances of finding great CP's rises exponentially!

Help me, help you find your CP soulmates.

I've also made a few info graphics. Feel free to use them in blogs, Tweets, whatever!

And THEN, when you find a fantastic person to work with,
all you need is a...