Writing Coach Podcast 226: Exhume your lede

WCP226 Exhume your lede

It’s common for the lede to get buried in the draft (and sometimes final) article.  In pitches, it can happen twofold: first there’s a tendency to take up a half a screen of nonessential small talk (“Hope you’re well”), and then even in what is supposedly the main pitch, there’s often excessive background and context.

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It’s common for the lede to get buried in the draft (and sometimes final) article. 

In pitches, it can happen twofold: first there’s a tendency to take up a half a screen of nonessential small talk (“Hope you’re well”), and then even in what is supposedly the main pitch, there’s often excessive background and context.

All of this may make you, the freelance writer, feel more comfortable. But it also means that the real focus of your story remains buried, and effectively unavailable to your editor and their readers. Let’s exhume your story.

🔗 Mentioned on this episode

WCP 182 Archives: Annoying pitches

WCP 155 Why your pitch is too long

WCP 1 What’s your problem?

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What should you include in a pitch to an editor?  

Check out my blueprint for writing queries that editors find irresistible. Click here to download a copy of the free eguide, “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.”