So you want to write for Uppercut…
Unfortunately, Uppercut is no longer accepting freelance pitches at this time. That said, our pitching guide will remain up to help any writers who aren’t sure about formatting.
How to Pitch
If you’d like to pitch, please send an email to your target publication with the subject line PITCH: [Your Tentative Title/Idea Summary]. Your pitch should include a brief introduction if we’ve never worked with you before as your first paragraph, followed by a brief explanation of your idea, any sources you might be planning on using, and about how many words you’re planning on. Please also include a few clips of your previous work (if you have any), your portfolio (if you have one), and links to your social media. Here’s an example of what we’re looking for from one of Ty’s past pitches:
Hello!
I hope your week has gone well so far! My name is Ty and I’m a freelance writer for Out Front Magazine and Gayming Magazine. I also run a games and media site called Uppercut.
Jo-Mei’s Sea of Solitude was initially pitched as being about “a young woman named Kay who is suffering from such strong loneliness that her inner feelings, the darkness, the anger, the hopelessness, the worthlessness, turns to the outside and she becomes a monster. The game is about finding out why this happened to her, but also about how to turn her back into a human” at E3 2018. But by centering the need to return the other monsters to their humanity, and failing to elaborate on the monsters that are representative of the protagonist, Kay, Sea of Solitude fails to depict the lonely mental health journey it set out to portray.
In between 1000-1500 words, I’d like to dig into how Sea of Solitude’s inconsistent notions of monstrosity leave much to be desired when it comes to Kay’s feelings of loneliness and how she sees herself. The monsters that represent Kay’s loved ones are fleshed out depictions of pain and real life issues, while the monsters that represent Kay, and her own monstrous transformation, are woefully underdeveloped and are given an unsatisfying conclusion. This ultimately leads to the game feeling like a journey to learn about dealing with other people’s trauma in a healthy way, instead of Kay facing the loneliness she’s supposedly feeling and learning to deal with her own issues.
Thank you so much for your time! I look forward to hearing back from you.
Ty Galiz-Rowe
@ty_grrrrrrrr
CLIPS
Persona Can’t Do Women Justice Without Fixing Its Conservatism
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is Bad Because it’s so Good
Sea of Solitude Could Change How Women Are Portrayed in Games
Lastly…
If you’re a newer writer or don’t have clips/a portfolio, no worries! We’re just as interested in giving new writers a chance to shine as we are with hosting established folks. Any writing samples you have would be great, but if your pitch is solid, we’ll likely be willing to give you a shot regardless.