Craft your “spontaneous writing pitch” using one of these structures

the magic is in the specifics about you/your writing

When someone asks what you’re working on lately, do you start with your writing? 

Until this year, I didn’t. I felt squeamish; unofficial; not important enough. Fill in the blanks.

But the truth is I’m immensely proud of the work I do with The Editing Spectrum, and I’ve been practicing how to talk about my work as if it holds as much weight and importance as a fulltime job (even if the numbers never quite reflect my present-day investment). 

If you pour your heart, soul and energy into your writing: that counts! That means you are writing something worth telling others about. 

Today I want to share a tool to help you succinctly and effectively share about your writing “in real life.”

As an autistic person, I write scripts for essentially any and all public interactions I can anticipate. Plus, it helps that I’m an editor, so I’m constantly polishing, refining and doing post-conversation analyses.

Today’s Ask an Editor will help you create a “Spontaneous Writing Pitch.” (You don’t have to be autistic to benefit from having a script/pitch ready to share about your work!) 

Here’s why I think having a pitch is worthwhile:

• If your writing is fulfilling to you in any way, spread that happiness and joy. Hearing from people about what makes them happy is inspiring to us all.

• If your writing is changing because of a new season you’re in, that’s what I’d call a personal life news event. It’s hard to get people’s attention when we say, “Oh, I’m writing.” There’s nothing specific here to sink our teeth and attention into. But if you say, “I’m in a really different, surprising season of writing over on Substack,” you’ve just given the listener an opportunity to wonder (What’s different? What makes it surprising? What is Substack?) and engage more fully.

• If you’re neurodiverse or even if you just prefer to not be in social settings much, I’ve found that giving my mind a resting place (“I can tell someone about my writing.”) helps make these outings feel a little more worthwhile.

• You never know who’s ready to read your writing, who might be ready to share your writing with someone else or who might be inspired by the way you’re on a new writing season. In this context, having a pitch ready is a form of extending care to those you meet without stepping too much outside your comfort zone.

Use this structure and then share yours in the comments

For the sake of simplicity, we’re all using the same opening words:

I write about…

䷉ for essays: pick the topic people has resonated with the most (even if that’s only 10 likes on a story)

• I write first-person essays about childcare regulation and teacher ratios; the most recent piece got a lot of people chiming in on how child/teacher ratios affect cognitive development.

• I write creative essays that surprise people about global warming; recently a handful of readers commented on how racial discrimination is woven into climate.

📚 for novels/ serialized novels: share the name of your main character and then ONE attribute that makes that character relatable/intriguing to your readers

• I’m writing a serialized novel about three sisters during World War II who come to terms with the nature of death and religious beliefs. Dottie, the main character, explores the limitations of gender and inner conflict around who can and cannot enlist to fight on the frontlines.

• I published a book, “The End of Timing,” last year and now I write a newsletter to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at the practical side of writing and character development. I love answering reader questions about how a character like, Frida, began staunchly opposed to motherhood but came around to spending months in a fertility clinic.

📰 for news reporting/analysis: share the theme of your newsletter, followed by an example of what you’re covering that other reporting/analyses overlook

• I write a newsletter where I’m interviewing medical experts about the intersection of patient autonomy and providing good medical care.

🗣️ for advice columns: describe one single life experience that influences how you write advice

• I write an advice column that springboards off my time in the Peace Corps when I was 23. After living with the people of Ukraine, I came to filter my personal and political lens through eastern thinking frameworks.

👩🏻‍💻 for misc. musings, short stories and cultural critiques: describe where the inspiration usually comes for these (especially if you explore lots of themes, root the “magic” of your writing in inspiration

• I write short stories that are rooted in how important art education was in my public school education because I think art informs all the sciences.

• I explore a lot of themes that often link back to my discoveries around body acceptance and neutrality in the workplace.  

I write it on Substack, a place where:

if you’re brand new to online writing: share what makes it seem intriguing, helpful, exciting to you.

• I’ve never written consistently online before, but I am excited to see some shape coming to the writing topics that matter most to me.

if you’re new to Substack but not new to online writing: share what makes Substack feel different so far. That could be the quality of comments; how authors interact with one another; how Substack helps answer questions; how Substack is an all-in-one solution.

• I used to write a blog on WordPress, but I found that it was an isolating experience. The community aspect in the comments sections really fuels me as a writer.

A completed pitch would sound like this:

I’m writing a serialized novel about three sisters during World War II who come to terms with the nature of death and religious beliefs. Dottie, the main character, explores the limitations of gender and inner conflict around who can and cannot enlist to fight on the frontlines. I used to write a blog on WordPress, but I found that it was an isolating experience. The community aspect in the comments sections really fuels me as a writer, as I’m getting ready to write a sequel.

Share your first drafts in the comments below (when they re-open)

Use these emojis so everyone else can see right away what your pitch is shining a light on. I’ll be in the comments, sharing feedback and helping polish what you share.

䷉ for essays

📚 for novels/ serialized novels

📰 for news reporting/analysis

🗣️ for advice columns

👩🏻‍💻 for misc. musings, short stories and cultural critiques