Hey everyone,
Let me take you behind the scenes and back in time a little bit to the months after I’d just changed my name.
There’s something quite frightening, but also freeing, about starting again. I’ve talked about the freedom side of it a bit, but let me be very straight and honest—to suddenly have no bylines with my name after a twenty-year career, to have limited name recognition, to suddenly find myself with no website, no Twitter followers, no one who could read my work in the paper and recognize my byline—it was difficult. It don’t work for these things, but they provided boosts to the ego and it was all gone. Suddenly I felt naked and new and where I was at the beginning of my career, with a lot of talent and a whole lot of heart, but worried that I would have to prove myself repeatedly.
But it also provided a blank slate and if you’ve been around me for a while, you know that I believe that there is nothing quite like the opportunity of a blank slate. No preconceived notions about who you are, no expectations, and no desire—from others or yourself—to build on past success.
I decided that, as I worked on my next book, this was the perfect time to start freelancing again. To pitch stories that I was dying to tell, and to create a portfolio that truly represents who I am.
Of course, how else would I begin if not for 30 Days, 30 Queries? This is my diary of that journey, of my attempt to send 30 pitches in 30 days.
I say “attempt” because something happened on Day 20 that put everything in jeopardy.
Read on to find out what happened.
Day 1:
Pitch 1: Really excited to be starting this process again. Pitching is one of my favorite parts of the freelancing game and even though I know I’m good at it, it’s always a bit nerve-wracking to come back to something you haven’t done for a while. Starting this month with a story that’s timely (Covid-19) but also difficult to place (narrative). If it doesn’t sell in the next 30 days, it’ll lose the timely element, so I’m eager to get it out quickly and see if anyone bites.
Day 2:
Pitch 2: Been watching the last season of Masterchef Australia and they have this “Invention Test” where the contestants get 45 minutes to cook a unique or interesting dish with an ingredient the judges have chosen. Incredibly inspired by this, I decide I’m going to do the same with my writing. Give myself 45 minutes to write a pitch on plastic waste—about a project I’ve known about for a long time. Get the pitch written just at the 40-minute mark. Now to let it sit for an hour or so before I fix spelling, grammar, etc., and send.
Day 3:
Pitch 3: Got lost in a rabbit hole of research last night. Dozens of browser tabs were opened. An audiobook from the library was borrowed. Midnight came and went. 3am arrived and I was still knee deep in reading. I did get two story ideas out of it, though. Sent one off this morning. Have written the second one up as well but it’s not quite right so I’m going to come back to it tomorrow with a fresh eye (my left one). 🙂
Pitch 4: In the meantime, there’s another idea about a teenage entrepreneur that’s been knocking around in my head for a bit that I’d already written up but hadn’t looked at markets for. Did that today and sent.
I have two deadlines today that I’m avoiding, which could explain why I’m so pitch-happy. In case there were any questions about my sanity, well, I’m glad that’s been settled.
Day 4:
Read the second pitch I wrote from yesterday. Am not loving it and still can’t put my finger on why it’s not working. Don’t have time to mess around today so will have to leave this until later in the week.
Day 5:
Today was a complete blur. Too tired, too many deadlines, not enough sleep. No pitches.
Day 6:
Also a blur. I’ve been working all day and still, somehow, nothing got done. The to-do list has spawned little mini to-do lists and they’re threatening to reproduce and grow tentacles and take over my life and my mind and my home and… aaaaaargh! Need to get back on schedule tomorrow.
Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10:
The alien invasion happened! My to-do list took over my brain and short-circuited all the neurons and sent me into three days of stupor in which I did nothing but sit by the window listening to the rain fall whilst eating large quantities of carrot cake and reading Agatha Christie mysteries. Have emerged rested and happy, albeit utterly behind on my pitch challenge.
Day 11:
Today is pitching day! I have finished all deadlines, taken huge strides on the novel-in-progress and even relaxed and rested over the weekend. So now, over the next few days, I pitch. And play catch-up.
Pitch 5: This is a profile that’s reflective of a trend in India, but it’s something that’s quite specific to a niche community. Which makes it a Marmite pitch, as they say in Britain: You’re either going to love it or hate it.
Pitch 6: This is the second pitch from Day 3 that I needed to reread to see if I liked it, and if not, come up with something to fix it. I really must have been in a foggy brain state because I’ve just looked at it again and think it’s pretty good. A minor tweak or two and it’s sent.
Day 12:
Success! Finally an assignment from an environmental publication I love, respect, and have never written for before. So incredibly exciting. And a bit of a relief, to be honest. I was beginning to worry that I’d lost my marketing mojo.
Pitch 7: Is there anything more compelling than a story with the words “secret” in the title? The UK is so full of hidden mysteries, all over the place, right under your very nose. Or maybe that’s just how I’ve come to think of it. Makes for fantastic pitches, though. This one is based in London and is about a special project that will unearth some such secrets. Really want it to sell.
Pitch 8: I don’t typically write op-eds, so I don’t typically pitch op-eds, but this one came fully formed to me a few weeks ago. I’ve had to let it sit for a while because the timing was off, but pulled it out of hibernation this morning and set it free.
Oh, and as I was working on my pitches today, another assignment came flying through the door (er, Inbox). Two assignments in one day. woot woot! This one is the result of Pitch #5 from yesterday, the Marmite pitch.
Day 13:
I’m aware that I’m seriously behind on my pitching and given that I’m planning to take the next three days off, in addition to all the weekends until the end of the month, I need to be sending at least two pitches every day on the days that I am working. While finishing two assignments, launching a new course, and also participating in a novel challenge where I’ve publically committed to writing 30,000 words this month.
I could pretend like it’s too much, that I’m overwhelmed, and that this sort of thing stresses me out, but the truth is I LOVE IT.
Two pitches a day? Bring it on.
Day 14:
Was out most of the day yesterday, but came back to a note from an editor at Dream Publication who had a question about a story I pitched (Pitch 3). Replied as soon as I could. I’m going to have to wait the entire weekend to find out if it’s a go. Drat.
Day 15:
Have just booked time off at the beginning of next month to go see family. Family who’ve been seriously unwell and whom we haven’t seen in over six months. I will not be taking work with me.
This puts my pitch challenge in jeopardy. But it’s also a real incentive to get off my arse and get these pitches sent, and quickly.
We’ll see what happens.
Day 16:
It’s a no from the Dream Publication editor, but the kind of no that is standing right next to a yes, so close they need to get a room. She said that it’s not right for her section because of a possible timeliness issue but she’s passed it on to an editor at a different section because he may like it. And asked me to send more ideas.
In the meantime, have interest from an editor in Pitch #7. She’s got some questions for which I’ll need to do some additional research.
Pitch #9: An India story. It’s not entirely realistic to write India stories from here in the UK long-term, but this one’s in my beat (environment) and I’d still like to keep being able to tell some stories for certain editors until I go there again post-Covid, so this kind of fits into that approach.
Pitch #10: Profile of amazing women doing amazing things. One of my specialties.
Day 17:
I want to get something sent to the Dream Publication editor as well as editors at two other publications who have been sending me very nice rejections and asking me to send more ideas. The problem is that I’m tapped. These are BIG publications, so I keep wanting to send them BIG ideas, which is stupid and ineffective and something I teach other writers not to do. BUT HERE WE ARE. Fucking paralyzed.
Day 18:
I feel as though the email I sent to an editor this morning telling him how excellent I am at writing profiles and that not hiring me would be a mistake and a travesty of the highest order should count as a pitch. Especially since I sounded far more breezy in my email than I was actually feeling. However, there were no actual ideas sent, so perhaps not? Either way, that is something I did today. And it felt, oh so good.
Day 19:
Heard back from editor to whom I pitched my excellent profile writing skills. He’s interested in a story that I’m working on, but alas, it’s already commissioned by someone else. Sent him the following two ideas, so I guess it counts now.
Pitch #11, 12: The two profiles. The first of an entrepreneur duo from Brighton who’re making it big due to Covid-19, and the second of a mum who I met online who is helping reunite British citizens with their families.
I’ve also just got two more assignments, and am feeling officially swamped.
Day 20:
Pitch #13: This is an excellent energy story that I found while I was reporting the story from a pitch I sold during this challenge. Have sent it to only one publication because I expect it will get snatched up right away.
Two more assignments have arrived and I’m going to have to end this challenge early, having so much work that it’s a little bit more than I can handle at this point. I keep forgetting that when I did 30 Days, 30 Queries back in the early days of my freelancing career, oh, about two decades ago, I didn’t have a family, a business, and a novel on the side. And my pitches didn’t actually get such good results.
I now officially have more work than I can handle (6 assignments from 13 pitches), so today is going to be my last day of pitching, at least for this 30 Days, 30 Queries round.
The goal is to bring in work, not to have a mental breakdown and I feel like I’ve achieved that goal really well.
This is, in fact, something students of 30 Days, 30 Queries tell me all the time. Many of them never get to sending 30 queries in a single month because they’re so swamped on their way there that they don’t need to.
And isn’t that the best posssible outcome?
So that’s my diary of my own 30 Days, 30 Queries journey.
More soon.
Cheers,
Natasha