The short pitch is written!

Today will not go down in history as a great writing day. 'Cause it wasn't. It totally sucked.

I spent way too much time on the short pitch, stressed out completely and almost threw in the book-writing towel completely.

But you know what the problem was?

I was trying too hard. I was trying too hard to get too much information into two hundred words.

Finally, I realized that I had to regroup. I did some additional research and went back to ground zero. Started over completely.

And it worked! Within 45 minutes (minus the time I spent emailing back and forth with Mom), I had the pitch written and I loved it!

Once I had it down, it was suddenly so clear to me that I'd been wearing a prom dress to a picnic.

Huh? (I know, I know. But the analogy works, I promise...)

My original drafts were so formal and so tight that there was no room to breathe. I daresay... painful in a way. Well-written, don't get me wrong. But entirely wrong for the occasion.

It was a good learning experience, though. Remembering to focus on the venue is sometimes more important than focusing on the outfit.