In the publishing biz, 'pitching' is getting a few minutes with an agent or editor and trying to sell them your story. Many people agonize over their pitches, memorizing them and honing them and sweating over every word. I didn't worry too much about them, but it is a nervous event.
I'm involved in pitching of a different kind. I'm weeding out as we do some remodeling and prepare to move my current cramped office into bigger spaces. I've gone through just about every drawer, file cabinet, and box I own, looking at stuff I haven't seen in years, much less used.
You've got to have the right mindset to do a good weed-out. You have to be willing to look at something, evaluate it objectively, then toss (or keep). It's good practice for writing. So often I work on a scene and I love it. But I have to go back later and evaluate it and decide if I want to keep it or not. Yes, it's useful -- but is it REALLY useful in context of the book I'm writing? Or is it just a Good Scene? It's hard to eliminate a few hours of work, just like it's hard to toss out old letters or books. You've got to have the right mindset to do it.
Call it Spring Cleaning, but I'm in the zone on it. I've gotten ridden of a bunch of junk and man, does it feel good. I feel like I'm paring down the junk in my life and getting ready to open a new door.
Of course, the construction dust has to settle and I've got a few weeks of work ahead of me before I can do that ...
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