Disclaimer: the title of this blog is misleading.

I’m sure you clicked on this blog post because you were anticipating a juicy story about me going to pitch a drink in someone’s face or something else truly mean and uncharacteristic for an optimist. Haha, fooled ya!

I’m actually itching to do a pitch: meaning, a sales pitch for one of my writing projects.

As some of you may know, I’m currently in a business-focused class called The Creative Writing Industry. We’ve been learning all about the legal and business side of the writing industry and how to protect our intellectual property as well as successfully sell our work. This week, we’ve been focusing on the entrepreneurial side of the field, which involves us exuding confidence my the bucket-full and attempting to pitch our work.

So far into the course, I’ve created a one-sheet, which is basically a single page summary of my novel along with a few visual references, a pitch board, which is reminiscent of those giant poster boards you had to make for science fair projects in Middle School, only much cooler and relevant to the real world, and now… [drum roll please]… I actually get to create a video of me mock-pitching my novel concept for a potential buyer.

Per the teacher’s instructions, we cannot use a script or note cards and have to do the pitch as naturally and unrehearsed as possible. I am NOT allowed to edit the film at all, so there won’t be the option to remove the nervous “umms” and “uhhhs” that are bound to occur.

When I first heard about the assignment a few weeks ago at the start of the class, I was TERRIFIED. I am one of the most analytical, type-A personalities out there, so rehearsing, planning, and having note cards prepared is practically a necessity for me to continue breathing. I plan out everything in life, from the meals I eat to the timetable when I brush my teeth. It’s obsessive. I do not like to be impulsive and I really prefer to know that I can run my video through iMovie for editing, cleaning, and perhaps a little photoshop liposuction on the cheeks. The fact that the video has to be unretouched and raw in addition to being completely improvised is a horrifying thought.

However, the farther I’ve gone through the class, the more confident I’ve grown in my ability to truly represent myself as well as pitch my novel. It doesn’t hurt that I’m working with a marketing firm to brand myself, which has been a major validation of my professional aspirations. Between my course and my relationship with Different Perspectives Production, I’m beginning to develop a tiny bit of an ego; I think that’s a good thing. I’ve struggled with a lot of insecurities regarding my writing in the past, so the fact that I’m really starting to feel secure in my work – and in my ability to represent myself as a small business and entrepreneur – is a really astounding thing.

Tomorrow night, I’ll be recording my pitch in the quiet recesses of my office, likely doing it over and over again until I feel confident that it’s as perfect as I can get it. And guess what? I can’t wait for the practice to be over and to do it in the real world.

Optimists be pitchin’

~ Victoria Elizabeth Ann