pitching

3 Ways To Make Pitching your Story Less Scary

Posted on by emilylizthompson

Writing is a daunting task. Anytime words flow out of a person to create a narrative, it’s a long and sometimes brutal process. During this time, it’s easy to get into your own head about your writing. I do this all the time, especially when I’m working on a new story idea. When your burrow your head deep into the text, it can be hard to pull yourself out to look at the bigger picture. If you miss a look at the big picture, you might not catch a duplicated leave with an incoherent story. To help yourself find these areas in need of fixing, it’s time to consult. It’s time to pitch your story.

Pitching sounds like an official and scary word, but it doesn’t have to be. Pitching can be everything from a well-designed presentation to a conversation. After my deep dive into NaNoWriMo and Save the Cat, I’ve grown to appreciate the pitch. I’m also in the business and advertising worlds, so I’m well aware of the benefits in that world. I was happy to see that it’s helpful for writing as well! It may seem scary, but pitching an idea doesn’t have to be nail-biting. Here are three tips to help keep decrease the nerves

  1. Pitch to someone you trust

If you are in the writing stage and need story advice, talk to someone you trust about your story. Talking it out is a great way to look at your story in a new light, and it can help you get a new perspective on some plot points. Pitching to someone you trust is super important. If you are self-conscious about your writing, like me, it’s a must. If you have a fellow writer that you trust, go to them first. They can give you more technical advice that could help take your writing to the next level. If you don’t have a writer buddy, that’s okay. A close friend outside of the writing world can still give good feedback. I usually talk to my sister, who is both a fellow writer and someone who understands my weird personality. She knows how to tell me an idea is dumb without upsetting me, and I often get new ideas for my plots when I speak to her. It’s a win-win. 

  1. Think about something you want advice on beforehand.

Before speaking to your trusted confidant, think about the issues you see already. Is a character falling flat for you? Is an added theme taking away from the story? Jot these thoughts down and ask. This is especially helpful if you have a writing confidant. Asking specific questions will help give them a starting point for discussion. This is helpful if your questions are more specific to the technical side of writing. These questions are good for non-writers as well. You might discover that something you were questioning isn’t a problem for a reader.

  1. Repeat, repeat, repeat. 

Like many things, pitching becomes less scary the more you do it. As someone who still gets nervous talking about my story idea around some people, I know how it feels. All you can do is jump in and keep going. Speak to other friends, teachers, and colleagues about your idea. Keep it casual, but make sure you hit some general points in your conversation. This is where the questions come in handy. Ask each person the same questions as a baseline. Let the conversation go from there in an organic way. This makes it easier to repeat this process and get even more results. Over time, you’ll see a decrease in your nerves and a more confident approach to receiving advice. In the long run, this is key to get more confident. If you pitch your story to an agent and a publisher, this confidence will go a long way.

Pitching is still a bit nerve-wracking for me, but I’ve found these three steps super helpful. Three years ago, I would have been nervous to share my writing with my sister. Now we toss ideas around with casual air. No nerves in sight. I have faith that you will be able to get there someday as well! What are your experiences with pitching a story? Do you have any advice on how to lessen the nerves? Let me know in the comments below! If you do end up pitching a story in the future, let me know how it goes. Go forth my fellow writers. You’ve got this! Thanks so much for reading and happy writing!

A Journalism Major in a Poetry Class

Posted on by emilylizthompson

There are so many different ways to write. But sometimes it’s easy to forget the complexities of these different writing types.  When I started college, my writing experience wasn’t the vastest. It consisted of MLA formatted essays and the beginnings of stories left unfinished. I didn’t step out into the wide writing world until college. I learned APA, how to write press releases, and after a while, poetry writing. In a move that was both scary and exciting, I managed to weasel my way into an English major’s class as a Journalism major. I had pitched it to my advisor as a great way for me to hone my writing skills in case I wanted to be a copywriter. Whatever it takes right? 

Before I took this class, I had mildly ventured out into the world of poetry. When an emotion became too vivid, it was somehow easier for me to channel into poetry than anything else. I even got a few published in my university’s publication. But I didn’t consider myself enough to be a poet. The world of poetry is vast and intimidating, especially for a girl who doesn’t consider herself a writer. Because my poetry wasn’t deep or full of clever author choices, it didn’t feel good enough. Needless to say, my imposter syndrome was pretty high when I walked into my poetry class. 

Thankfully, my professor was encouraging and not at all condescending towards my writing. Which was a blessing to me, because my writing felt juvenile compared to some of the works we were reading. During that time, we kept a journal and had the task of writing a few poems in it a week. As the semester progressed, I felt less perturbed by the blank page when it was time to write. In fact, I sometimes found myself jotting down an idea on my phone to write in the journal later. It was so exciting to feel the current of creativity flowing out of me. Even if my writing wasn’t as “sophisticated” as my classmates’, I was happy with what I had. 

I found that my PR classes helped a lot with my writing instead of hindering it. In a press release, you have to include as much information as possible within a limited word count. Because of this, you have to be strategic when choosing your words. I found this also true when I was writing poetry for class. When you craft a poem, each word you choose matters. It was challenging, but also comforting in its familiarity. I channeled the wisdom I learned from my JMC classes to help me, especially when I was editing my poetry. 

Taking a poetry class also helped my writing skills in my JMC classes. This class allowed me to explore a new writing style that was actually super helpful in my JMC classes. During the time of my poetry class, I was working on a campaign for an advertising competition with my class. The writing experience I got in my poetry class helped me edit the copy for the ads we were pitching. I  discovered that it also helped with my brainstorming process. I guess they both pull from the same pool of creativity! 

In the end, I found my experience in my poetry class to be a big help to my writing and creativity. What about y’all? Have you ever taken a poetry class, and what was the experience like? How did it help out in other parts of your life? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing everyone!