Was your story idea pitch any good?
Welcome to the third edition of Missed Pitches, a home for rejected ideas. The list of subscribers is GROWING and I can’t thank you enough for taking interest in this very experimental project with so many brave writers trusting me with their rejected ideas to present. Bravo!
If you still haven’t read it, go over to J.D. Graham’s newsletter to read a little Q&A I did where I talk about what this project is about, how writers and editors can benefit from it and why I got this started.
For editors: If you’re an editor who is looking for story pitches from writers, make your life easier and subscribe to this newsletter to get a weekly batch of story ideas not yet published.
For writers: If you are a writer who has a rejected idea and have not yet submitted to this newsletter, use this Google Form to have your idea featured here. Follow on Twitter at @MissedPitches. Read the previous edition here. Cheers! // rungomez
Contents:
Meet the Brazilian scientists escaping the “office of hate” (by Giovana Cherubini Fleck, giovanacfleck@gmail.com)
How I turned my life around after my husband ghosted me (by Jennifer Billock, jenniferjoanbillock@gmail.com)
Not all men (by Modesty Sanchez, modesty.sanchez@gmail.com)
How to sneeze in public (by Hailey Johnson, hailey_johnson@emerson.edu)
Why flow can lead to greater happiness and less wasted time (by Sally Benford, salbenford@gmail.com)
Freelance opportunities
Writing jobs
Writing contests
NOTE: The following rejected story pitches have been lightly edited for space and clarity.
Meet the Brazilian scientists escaping the “office of hate” (by Giovana Cherubini Fleck, giovanacfleck@gmail.com)
The pandemic brought an interesting paradox to Brazilian society: while the need for scientific research increased, researchers were fleeing the country. Since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019, 93 of the most acclaimed scientists left Brazil to live and work in other countries due to attacks coming from the president's supporters
I’ve talked to three of these scientists; three women who were being harassed by Bolsonaro's supporters and were forced to interrupt their research in Brazil due to death threats. They are Rosana Pinheiro Machado, Márcia Tiburi, and Débora Diniz. Since June, an investigation by the Supreme Court is trying to map and prosecute people associated with president Bolsonaro who are engaged in disinformation campaigns and threats against opposition. Popularly known as the “office of hate”, the operation is run by advisers to the president who supports a network of pro-Bolsonaro blogs and social media accounts that spread fake news and attack anyone who is a critic of the president.
Ms. Machado and Ms. Tiburi also claim to be targets of such operation. This story aims to use the context of the three scientists to illustrate how dangerous it became to produce knowledge in Brazil and the impacts of that during a global pandemic.
How I turned my life around after my husband ghosted me (by Jennifer Billock, jenniferjoanbillock@gmail.com)
In 2018, my now ex-husband ghosted me two weeks after our 6-year anniversary. He disappeared while I was on a work trip, and showed back up later in the form of an email saying he moved to a different state and had filed for divorce. I came home from the trip to an empty house and complete devastation - but I was able to turn that sorrow into something positive and create a new life for myself. I'd love to write a piece about spousal ghosting of this type, how to deal with it, and how to turn your life around after such trauma.
Not all men (by Modesty Sanchez, modesty.sanchez@gmail.com)
I want to write an article about how the rampant “man-hating” in feminist circles is counterproductive and does more harm than good.
For decades now, man-hating has become a prominent feature of the modern feminist movement. When one talks to feminists in college or in the workplace, often the conversation turns to derogatorily discussing men and their incessant “mansplaining” or “manspreading” or condescension or any other characteristic failure. Online, there are countless tweets that purposefully exclude men (i.e. “good morning to everyone except men. you can choke”) or disparage them. In some way, they represent a much more sinister belief prominent in feminist circles, which is that men are inherently, irrevocably oppressive.
Man-hating is a divisive tactic that discourages solidarity and succeeds in positing men as being completely antagonistic to women's progress, thus eliding the true source of women’s subjugation, which is, of course capitalism and the continual exploitation of female labor. Man-hating also is used to depict certain issues (childcare, reproductive issues, etc.) as exclusively pertaining to women and their interests, when these issues and problems also affect men.
Women’s power to do harm is understated and omitted from the rhetorical man-hating movement. This article would be around 1000 words, and will cover everything I mentioned above (and potentially more) in a detailed manner by using sources and citing notable left-wing feminists like Alexandra Kollontai and Anuradha Ghandy.
How to sneeze in public (by Hailey Johnson, hailey_johnson@emerson.edu)
I don’t go out very much anymore. Although last week I was at the grocery store, soon grasping for the hand sanitizer dispensers and wipes to clean down the basket as though they were a free sample. Yet, after I had gone through all the aisles, cautiously grabbing things like cereal or cat litter and hoping that they would not rip the surgical glove on my hand, a scene that I had never participated in before began to quietly twitch within my nose, and then my eyes, before an urgent fear settled in.
Where was I supposed to sneeze? Was the once courtesy of sneezing into the bend of your elbow now tasteless within a post-corona society? And would that mean I would instead have to get the inside of my mask all wet?
Ideally, I’d like to interview a few doctors from all over the country as well as around
the world, and get their take on where the best location to sneeze is right now.
Why flow can lead to greater happiness and less wasted time (by Sally Benford, salbenford@gmail.com)
It’s not a condition that happens every minute of the day or even every day. Yet, according to researchers, when we experience flow—being fully and completely immersed in the task at hand—we improve our performance and focus, not only when we’re experiencing it, but up to three days afterward. During that time, people experience higher levels of productivity, creativity and happiness and less procrastination and addiction issues.
The term is attributed to Claremont Graduate University Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi, who says it means “being completely involved in activity for its own sake... time flies and the ego falls away.”
It’s a state that psychologists believe lead to a fully engaged and happy life. I think this is a story that would appeal to readers interested in improving their mental health. I have an overflow (no pun intended) of information and contacts to line up interviews for the story.
Freelance Opportunities
via @COMPOSTmag (Nov 9): We're thrilled to launch of our first Call for Pitches! We invite writers, artists, technologists, and organizers to submit creative pitches.
The theme is “Fertile Grounds.” Check it out here: https://compost.digital
via @MeganBungeroth (Nov 10): Call for #pitches: Drive magazine is seeking pitches for our Summer and Fall 2021 print issues, and for online features. Please DM me for a guide to pitching if you're interested. Here's our website: https://subarudrive.com Looking for pitches this week!
via @curatormagazine (Nov 11): Writers: we want your pitches! Here's what we're looking for and what you can expect when you send your words our way. https://www.curatormagazine.com/writeforus/
via @jacobkleinman (Nov 11): Call for freelance pitches. I'm looking for articles for Inverse's entertainment section through the end of the year: *email: jacob@inverse.com*
- Essays on timely old sci-fi movies ($100-200)
- Smart or unique analysis/reporting on Mandalorian and WandaVision ($150-300)
- High profile interviews ($300+)
via @huellas_mag (Nov 12): New open call for pitches! We're looking for longform stories of inertia—in English or Spanish—and emerging writers from the Americas. Deadline is December 15th. #LaCrónicaVive https://www.huellasmag.com/open-call-for-pitches-vol-2-inertia
Writing Jobs
The Hustle is hiring a Staff Writer - Remote
Journo Resources is hiring a Senior Staff Writer - Remote
GQ is hiring a Sports Writer - New York
The Mill is hiring a Staff Writer - Greater Manchester, UK
Foreign Policy is hiring a Newsletter Writer - Latin America
Writing Contests
The Creative Block Essay Contest (Deadline: Nov. 30, 2020)
#GetPubbed Writing Contest (Deadline: Nov. 30, 2020)
The Nine Dots Prize (Deadline: Jan. 18, 2021)
The Winter 2021 Screenwriting Contest (Deadline: Dec. 20, 2020 / Jan. 31, 2021)