I'm no longer a 'pitch virgin'!

A couple of weeks out now from the RWA conference held in D.C. and my thoughts keep drifting to the pitch meeting I had with an editor. It lasted for all of 10 minutes and I had to impress her enough such that she would request my manuscript. In my prior life I had delivered many presentations (sometimes to hundreds of people), I had conducted training sessions and had attended many conferences over a 15 year period, but for the pitch meeting I wasn't just nervous, but TERRIFIED. Perhaps because it meant so much to me; before, it was important of course as I considered my career seriously but it was just business. This was just too close to my heart and soul. I prepared meticulously, writing out and discarding a multitude of index cards to assist with the delivery of my 'pitch'. I believe I did OK in the meeting considering I had never ever ever told a single soul anything about what I have written. Did I say EVER? And I had to say it out loud. It probably helped that it was a stranger, a stranger that had heard a lot of strange stuff before I bet. She did ask for my first three chapters after all, but I still wonder if there was something I could have done better or what she really thought of my delivery and style. As I finish the revision of those chapters and prepare to send them off, I look back on the meeting. It could be an invaluable experience that I can file away and which could benefit me for the future pursuit of publication OR it could be an instrumental turning point in the realization of a dream!