Fourth Friday Check-In

You guys, it's the last 30 Pitches in 30 Days Friday post! The finish line is Right. There. High-fives and brofists to my amazing participants Margo and Katherine Owens!

I think the most important thing this whole exercise has taught me is that you have to make the time. My last minute pitches look just that: last minute. Sure, last night's ditch attempt to come up with anything at all, holy crap I am so tired, actually led to something kind of interesting, but that was the clear exception to the rule. The thing about this blogfest is that when you compare the pitches, or even just the snippets of ideas, I've come up with in the past four weeks to, say, the past six months, there's a definite imbalance in idea production.

I'll say it again, nice and loud: make idea production a priority. A fun priority, sure, but a priority nonetheless. It shouldn't be something you squeeze into your week when you're in bed on Sunday night; it should be a part of your schedule. Maybe not weekly, but for the sake of your idea muscle, set aside time to just play.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a passion for building a platform and finding your market that made you want to be a writer. It was probably reading a book that made an impression on you and wanting to tell a story that would excite other people as much. So get excited! Read Margo's post about including your passion in your pitches and throw all your loves in the blender, and see what happens. Follow KO's suggestion to think way outside the box to stretch the idea muscle and get beyond your comfort zone. In the words of Nike, just do it. Sit down with your laptop or notebook and actively chase down ideas. Don't let 'the muse' take credit for your imagination!

My pitch for the week: After her neighbour dies and no-one notices for days, a single thirty-something starts a blog about her weekly dates intending to be in a relationship within six months or admit defeat.