Do you ever have those days when you just flit around from one project to the next, feeling the chaos of the busyness in your schedule? I call those “butterfly days” when I’m bouncing from one project to the next, never landing anywhere for too long. I never feel productive on those days. I usually end the day feeling stressed and like … [Read more...]
There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block
I recently asked my students their views on writing. It seemed important when starting a fresh writing class to talk about how they think and feel about the craft. Imagine my surprise when one phrase that I don’t even believe in came up repeatedly. Writer’s block. The students talked about it. They think they’ve experienced it. It keeps them … [Read more...]
The Best Quotes About Writing Tight
I love a good quote. There’s just something about the ability to summarize a complex thought or issue concisely and creatively. As a journalist, I always loved any articulate source. But it wasn’t only the ability to say something fluently or coherently. It was the ability to say it well — that little creative spunk that gave the … [Read more...]
Making Time for Podcasts
You know that listening to podcasts is beneficial for so many reasons, including helping improve your writing and inspiring content ideas. But how on earth do you fit them in with all of the other things you have to do? Making time for podcasts must be intentional, just like making time for anything else you know you want or need to do, … [Read more...]
15 Ways to Work Your Beat
Newsrooms aren’t the chaos you see on TV and in the movies. In real-life newsrooms, there’s more of a method to who does what, not just a bunch of yelling and paper throwing. The organization is because of the beat system. This approach to assignments helps ensure that everyone in the newsroom has a job to do and nothing gets missed. No matter … [Read more...]
Determining News Value
Think about the last story you read, bumped into on social media, or saw on the news — the last thing it seemed like everyone was talking about. You likely saw it in multiple locations if it was a “big” story. You know this information because someone, somewhere, decided it was news, and others followed suit. It became the news of the day. It had … [Read more...]
How to Write More Without Spending More Time Writing
Sometimes you have a heavy writing load and need to crank out a lot of copy. This idea is especially true for freelance writers. It’s often feast or famine in freelancing, and you’re afraid to tell anyone “no” when good assignments are available. The next thing you know, you’ve taken a lot of work, and you’re slammed and trying to figure out how to … [Read more...]
