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Join us for a friendly challenge of Pitch and Query -- you be the Agent!
We're going to find our very own winners, sort of like a Lottery, but not depending upon Luck.
Here's what we're going to try, and THIS time we're going to invite the whole 100+ Challenge Writers membership...
Challenge 22 will be called Pitch and Query
Here's a preview of how this whole-different kinda challenge will work...
For this competition you'll choose your favorite/best article or story, location on the site doesn't matter (fiction, non-fiction, whatever).
Then, you're going to PITCH it to the whole group, using just one or two sentences. NO LINKING YET
With me so far?
The membership will function like Agents. Each contestant will have a TOTAL OF FIVE "YES" VOTES in their pocket.
BEFORE you can post your ONE PARAGRAPH writing sample, still UNLINKED, you'll need to gather...
FIVE "YES" VOTES from the membership here.
Once you have your "approval" to QUERY, you may then post a ONE PARAGRAPH sample from your "proposed" article or story.
Still with me?
OK, so we're talking about
Challenge 22: Pitch and Query
I described the PITCH, in which you try to garner FIVE "YES" VOTES.
For the QUERY, you'll post a sample paragraph from your "proposed" article or story (the one you've picked to Pitch and Query about).
Once again, each contestant will be allowed A TOTAL of THREE Query votes of "YES". In other words, you can't just vote Yes for everybody and, of course, you cannot vote for your own pitch and query.
This is us, being "Agents," okay? Still with me?
Once you've gathered the required FIVE "YES" VOTES you will finally be allowed to...
POST THE LINK TO YOUR "PROPOSED" ARTICLE.
NO LIINKS will be permitted until you've received the go-ahead from our membership, the "Agents."
You may lobby, you may beg, you may cajole (good word, huh?), but you have to gather your FIVE VOTES EACH for your Pitch and then for your Query.
After that, we'll all submit our First Place and Second Place votes (as in earlier Challenges).
The winning article or story will be the one that is "purchased" for "publication" (on our Zone, at least!), sort of like in real life.
Does this sound like fun? Are you game for a real challenge? Hope so -- you voted for it!
(yes, that WAS an evil glint in my eye)
Yes, the sample paragraph will come from your intended article.
**Deadline for new Pitch entries is 7pm Tuesday, June 22, 2010** The winners of Challenge 22: Pitch and Query are.............
The Pitch is a real "Pitch"
Articles for Review: The final stage of Challenge 22: Pitch and Query
By Diane Quinn by EJ Young by April May Maple by MJ Joachim by Ann Hinds by Petra Newman by Charlotte Howard
Pitch your best pitch.
#1 from Doreen Martel *
I have a great article about making the most of a layoff - since so many people are laid off I think it's timely and appropriate for this challenge!
#2 from Raymond Alexander Kukkee * * * * *
Where does your inspiration come from? The purpose of my article is to offer intuitive insight and an answer to that universal writer’s dilemma--the blank page, and includes ideas that will equally coax and encourage writers in search of inspiration, regardless of genre.
#3 from Olivia Bredbenner * *
The long forgotten can be found again even after many years. They are the true silent majority who tell no stories and leave no tears.
#4 from Charlotte Howard * * * * *
Dear Fine Agents,
Jobs and careers are a bit like relationships - coming and going until you find the one that fits you perfectly. My proposed article describes the link that joins my own career and family relationships, exploring that fine line between love and hate.
#5 from April May Maple * * * * *
Anyone that has grown a garden understands it is so much more than simply raising plants; gardens have a habit of taking root and shaping us as much as we shape them. My article is an emotional flashback of how I viewed our first garden at the naive age of five with a touch of the harsh reality only an adult reexamining her past could see.
#6 from EJ Young * * * * *
Trapped in the squalor of a tiny room in a foreign space, Shani sucked in the stale air as a slow fear settled in. Could she really be caught in the middle of a government cover-up?
If you are interested in what happens next, I can provide a more extensive excerpt from my article. Thanks for your consideration.
#7 from Glory Lennon * * * * *
A bittersweet journey of a child with autism and the family who finds they have a special love for this special child.
#8 from Ann Hinds * * * * *
Dear Sir or Madam,
The article being submitted is written in the first person and is politically incorrect but sometimes it is necessary to strike back at racism with a personal narrative. Everyone holds strong opinions and I believe that instead of burying words, they need to be brought to the light of day.
Thank you for your consideration.
#9 from Conny Manero * *
Dear challenge agents,
You think you've got it bad in your job? Try being an assistant to a boss from hell in a place like hell; knowing then what I know now, I could have sued him.
I hope to have tickled your curiosity bone.
#10 from Jim Bessy * *
Dear challenge Agents,
There are two sides to every story, even one about Camping. Please consider my submission, which follows an emotional journey into the age-old debate between tenting and RV camping.
#11 from Anna Mack * *
Dear Agents,
Adults sometimes seem oblivious to the dangers to young children found in old cemeteries where sunken holes, loose tombstones or fallen tree limbs may have tragic consequences. My article tells of one such occurrence that brings one of those dangers to life.
Thank you for your consideration.
#12 from Amanda Dcosta * *
My Challenge Agents,
Disappointed that your summer is ruined because you cannot buy a charcoal grill to replace your old / used / ruined one? Have no fear; for you can now grill your way through summer with a DIY charcoal grill in the most efficient, inexpensive and convenient way, adding even more spark to your outdoor fun in the bargain.
#13 from MJ Joachim * * * * *
The ominously large, victorian mansion looks strangely out of place in the suburbs of San Jose, California. As one of the world's most famous haunted houses, the Winchester Mystery House promises thrills and suspense for everyone who visits.
#14 from Diane Quinn * * * * *
Saving money is a hot topic for everyone these days with most families eager to cut corners. Turning off lights and lowering the air conditioner temperature are no brainers; but are you just as savvy about dollar zapping parasitic electronics?
#15 from Lady Diana *
Dear Challengers.
There are two kinds of animals; the preys and the predators. I know for sure I don't want to be the prey, but have you ever wondered to which catergory you belong?
#16 from Petra Newman * * * * *
Dear Challenge Agents;
Remember how things used to be? This article is a lighthearted, nostalgic glimpse back in time when time didn't matter.
#17 from Cheryl Barnette *
I wrote a fictional story about how a young boy is caught up in the midst of drug addicted caretakers. Heartbreaking, but these situations occur all too often.
#18 from R. Renee Brembry
Dear Challenge Agents,
My story about a girl who learns the depths of true shame in a struggling society should be read by all children and parents considering the financial hardships many families continue to undergo while, at the same time, keeping themselves afloat during this twenty-first century depression.
Each * next to a name is a vote earned. Remember: Each agent has but three (3) votes to bestow on those each deems worthy. Your Pitch needs five (5) votes to continue into the Query phase of the competition.
Part #2 : The Query
Here are posted athe one paragraph excerpts from the articles pitched by those fortunate few with the required 5 votes.
#1 From EJ Young: 5 votes
Thanks to modern technology, on-line stories spread as fast as fingers can fly on the keyboard. After reading and repeating the same stories, it's no wonder that truth and myth blend together. Some myths might sound outrageous but they seem to have a magical hold over people. Some myths about air travel sound more believable than others.
#2 from Petra Newman 2 votes
Hello again; Here is my excerpt from my article.
Think, I Love Lucy . . .Rin Tin Tin . . . Lassie . . .Roy Rogers and Dale Evens . . . American's sweetheart's Doris Day and Rock Hudson . . .the rebels, James Dean and Brando. It was the era of crinolines, bobby socks and penny loafers, jukeboxes and Coca Cola. It was a simpler more innocent time. This was the decade of my childhood.
#3 from Sir Raymond 4 votes
Without further ado, I offer my Query for the second phase of our challenge:
Inspiration encourages better writing methods and techniques, but more importantly, it encourages and even prods insistently the desire to learn well the exquisite art of writing . To be a superior writer demands inspiration, for inspired work is inevitably superior. To proffer a hypothesis in clarity, to outline technical details precisely, or to write creative works of art in an extraordinary fashion requires more than mundane thought. The fruit of the pen, to ripen elegantly, requires nothing less than inspiration, but where does inspiration come from?
#4 from Ann Hinds 5 votes
Fellow writers, the paragraph below is for your consideration. If chosen for further review, some may find the rest of the article politically incorrect and I beg your forgiveness if you find it offensive.
In America, we "bury" things that make us or others uncomfortable. We bury words, we bury images, and we sanitize everything. If we bury it, then we do not have to deal with it and what it stands for. The problem with burying words is that they do not go away. They stay out there because they have no place to go. You can't say it but continue to refer to it as the "N" word. It's every bit as prevalent as it was when you could use the whole word.
Thank you.
#5 from April May Maple 5 votes
It was the summer of 88, the summer of my first garden. That summer marked many changes in my life and as the garden grew, I grew as well. We had moved from our towering apartment complex to a small white house, without my father; just mom, sister, baby brother and I. It was okay though, we lived in a white house just like the president. Well at least that is what Crystal and I would tell each other.
#6 from MJ Joachim 5 votes
You can't help but notice the ominous structure, so curiously inviting, yet threatening too. Rumor has it ghosts still roam the premises of this house that survived the earthquake of 1906. It was 7 stories back then, and had been under construction for approximately 22 years when the earth rumbled, shaking its very foundation.
#7 from Diane Quinn 4 votes
Do you leave your computer on all day? Do you believe that when you turn something "off" it no longer uses energy? Many household electronics continue to cost us money even when in the off position. This is the premise of parasitic electronics, and you will be amazed at how many of them you have in your home.
8 from Charlotte Howard 1 vote
"When being asked about my job, I usually answer "I don't work", but the truth is that my job is 24-7! I wear many employment hats - housekeeper, nanny, cleaner, tailor, chauffeur and cook being the most commonly worn. You see, as well as being a freelance writer I am a mother and housewife."
#9 from Amanda Dcosta
The grills should be of cast iron with an anti-rust coat to it. Affix wooden covered cast iron handles to each grid to aid in easy handling during and after cooking. The idea is to make your entire grill as convenient as possible for use. The size of the food grill should be a little bigger than the upper periphery of the grill unit, so that it does not dip into the coal pit or allow the food to come in contact with the coal.
#10 from Annalou Mack 1 vote
Missouri was in the midst of Indian Summer on this beautiful, warm, sunshiny day of October 1, 1936. It was a perfect day to work outside in the clear, fresh air. My mother's neighborhood club had agreed to take as a project the cleaning of the local cemetery that had been allowed to grow up in weeds and brush. Some of the tombstones in this old cemetery had fallen over while others were loose on their base. In retrospect it was not a safe place for children to be playing but baby sitters were unheard of in those days which meant everyone took their youngsters with them wherever they went. |
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Zone ManagerHelium member since Aug 20, 07 Company: D'Zyne Construction Title: Owner Education: Finger Lakes Community... AAS Business Administration |
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My story about a girl who learns the depths of true shame in a struggling society should be read by all children and parents considering the financial hardships many families continue to undergo while, at the same time, keeping themselves afloat during this twenty-first century depression.