This will be a weekly feature designed to aid freelancers by teaching them what not to do with pitch letters. Click below to seen an example shared with us from an editor at a top girls' magazine.

Editors! I need your input for this feature. If you are interested in receiving better pitch letters, send me the pitch letters you have received that you have passed on, letting me know why exactly you declined this particular pitch. Was it because the idea was proposed poorly? Because the author displayed a total lack of knowledge of your publication? Was it just the attitude? Names will be removed to protect the innocent, so you can be anonymous as well (although it would be nice to say what type of publication you work for.) Please send them in if you've got them. Writers, if you still have your turned-down pitch letters and got a good explanation of why they didn't work, send them over.

These were sent in from a high-ranking editor at a teen fashion magazine located in New York. Candidate Number One:

In my readings, I came across 17-year old high school student, Bonnie Kizis. She is a straight A student, but what makes her more special, is her work on her family's farm. She lives and works on an 11-acre farm and is also the Future Farmers of America vice president of her school and a chair for the chapter committee. I think this New Jersey girl would be an interesting story on how she still stays glamorous and on top of school while working on a farm.

I hope this idea will fit in your Features section. Please
take your time getting back to me.

Editor says: "This one just wasn't special enough." Okay, let's try another:

Think osteoporosis is an old woman's disease? Think again.

The average woman develops 98 percent of her skeletal bone mass by the age of 20. That makes now a crucial time to build strong bones. Here's how...

The piece can be divided into "healthy eating," "exercise" and "lifestyle." Each section would have medical information, practical tips and things to try now. I'd speak with experts as well as teenagers who are battling brittle bones (due to an eating disorder or other condition).

The editor says: "Uh, they've obviously never read the mag."

Lessons for today: spice up your pitch and for the love of god, do your homework.