Writing a story pitch gives most of us a wobble. You're excited about your story, and then suddenly you have to "pitch it" to an agent or editor, and your words wither to husks. Fair enough! Doing something new is always a bit scary, a bit of a challenge. Doing something new when what's at stake is the future of your beloved story? That's terrifying!
So in this Writing Skill, we're going to practise it with non-existent stories, absolutely nothing at stake, just a lot of fun and Hollywood-Voice mimicry. Plus, I have suggestions to turn that same bold confidence to your own beloved story if you have one, and ideas of how to use this with your writing group / buddy. Give yourself the gift of ten minutes' writing time, grab your pen, notebook, and something to sip, and let's start.
For our non-existent stories, we're going to use the handy ran-gen, Big Huge Lab's Plot List. Plot ran-gens are always useful for practising key skills when using our own story puts too much pressure on us, so this is ideal for practising story pitches. It throws out a selection of 6 randomly generated plots (NB: randomly generated, not AI-generated), which you can then play with, gleefully and carelessly, to try things out. In this case, story pitching!
First off, head to Big Huge Lab's Plot List, and from the six one-sentence plots it gives you, pick three. I chose these three:
- A cold-blooded assassin meets a strange beggar woman on a voyage to a new land.
- A convicted murderer comes to life in Los Angeles.
- Hercules escapes from prison.
Next, you're going to write three quick story pitches, one for each plot: fast, bold, exaggerated, with your marketing hat on, using the Hollywood Voice for added drama and silliness. The bigger and bolder you go here, the better! Each pitch should include:
- The main character
- The "inciting incident" - what starts the story moving
- The aim / goal
- The problem / what stops them
- A sense of the setting
The generator will give you some of those; the others you can make up. (And if you get stuck on naming the characters, remember you've got Behind the Name up your sleeve: go to Behind the Name, click your language from the home page, click "more filters", and then choose "community impression". And don't forget all these nifty links are on the Writers' Links page on my site.) So bound into your pitch, no-holds barred! Here goes... (I'm writing this at speed, no planning!):
Cold, deadly Natasha has left a discreet trail of corpses across her career, but her most challenging assignment yet sends her across the desert to a new land. When a strange beggar woman persistently haunts their caravan at every oasis, she begins to suspect she's been unmasked - but the truth may be even more terrifying.
There we have it!
- The main character: Cold deadly Natasha, who has left a discreet trail of corpses across her career,
- The "inciting incident" - what starts the story moving: a strange beggar woman persistently haunts their caravan at every oasis
- The aim / goal: complete her assignment; find out what the strange beggar woman is about
- The problem / what stops them: also the strange beggar woman
- A sense of the setting: a desert, and far back enough that we don't have air travel
Off you go! Three big bold brave pitches! If you're keeping this a ten-minuter, give yourself three minutes for each.
If you have an existing story
Write three big bold brave pitches for the Plot Lab stories first. Then, while you're on a roll, throw your own story in the mic and give it the exact same treatment. You can always de-cheese it later: for now, full Hollywood-poster pulp-fiction stuff!
If you have a writing buddy / group
Once you've each written three pitches, swap, and each tell each other your favourite from each person's batch. Often, stuff we think is too over the top ends up being the one that works better than we expect! When you've chosen your favourites, also make notes on nifty strategies / useful turns of phrase from all the pitches.
Have fun!
If you're dreaming of getting published, it starts with this sort of thing, and sending your writing out: so that's what the Publishing workshop covers on Saturday 22 August 2026, in Oxford. Whether you write poems, stories, or both, you'll find out where to send it, sort your layout, and write synopses and cover letters. All in a fun, friendly, supportive atmosphere. Read more about the workshop and book your place here.
