How Writing Relieved My Stomach Ache

I’m Going to Write for the New York Times Chapter 4

This is an ongoing column about my quest to write for the New York Times. If you’d like to know the background behind why I’m doing this, check out the first installment of the series.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

All week, I felt a buzzing in my stomach. At night, I didn’t want to eat (unless it was Cadbury Mini Eggs, those I could eat by the pound), I felt vaguely sick, and had a subtle buzz of anxiety at all times.

I wondered if I ate something bad (but not the Cadbury Mini Eggs, they only bring good to the world) or suffering from newfound allergies.

Then, I sent in my pitch to the New York Times and voila. Anxiety buzz gone, sick feeling gone, and my stomach felt 100% fine. By putting off the pitch till Thursday, a growing fear physically took over my body day by day. To relieve it, all I had to do was write a couple paragraphs and hit send.

My Ideas Don’t Seem Fancy Enough

This is my third idea in three weeks for the Times and this time, the pitch felt hard. I didn’t want to pitch Comfort Viewing or Letter of Recommendation again, since I just sent them something. They deserve a chance to say no before I send something new!