The Pitch
Alright, everyone, I promised an example of a pitch. Some people emailed with questions so I’ll try make it clear what you need to do:
Pitch three (3) essay topics to me in writing next Thursday (Sept. 18).
A pitch is really a proposal, specifically containing:
- the basic topic.
- the concept for the essay.
- the unique approach you plan on using (your “angle”).
- what you want readers to learn from reading the essay.
- any other basic information you think will convince me this is a good idea for an essay.
Here’s an example pitch for one essay:
Topic: Soybean Paste Girls
This essay will deal with a (somewhat) new idea in Korean society, the “Soybean Paste Girl.” The essay will not focus on women who are called this term, but instead will discuss this stereotype in comparison to other female (and male) stereotypes in Korean popular culture, past and present alike. I want readers to learn about how pop culture is affected by politics and consumer culture, and to teach readers to think carefully about why we use the insults we do. I think by exploring this idea — which I consider sexist and a response to changes in Korean consumer culture today — my readers can be more aware of the sexism that underlies the term. My angle will be to analyze the images (especially webcomics) used online to describe “Soybean Paste Girls” and explain why the insult is related to anxieties about new-styled younger female consumer culture.
That’s a bit heavy… well, it’s an essay I’m working on myself, in fact! But it should give you some idea of the kind of thing I’m looking for. You should have a pretty good idea about what kind of essay you want to write, once you’ve written your pitch.
Remember, you need to pitch three (3) articles to me this Thursday! Get cracking!