Category Archives: Newspaper article
A Computer Wrote This Op-Ed. Sort of.
The Guardian (external link) asked Liam Porr, a computer science undergraduate student at Berkeley, to have a computer with the latest technology write an essay. The op-ed dragged on endlessly and I wondered if repetition was programmed into its instructions. … Continue reading
Reporting Will Change You
I never talked to strangers until five years ago when I did some newspaper reporting.(internal link) That changed me. I was forced to ask questions, the best I could think of. Turns out that nearly everybody is interesting if you … Continue reading
Does a Book Validate You as A Writer?
It’s in every writer’s DNA to want to have a book published but it’s not necessary to prove a writer’s worth. I make little money from my writing but I am still a professional and proud of it. Writing can … Continue reading
The Greatest Challenges in Writing for Publication
The greatest challenge in writing for publication is word count. It’s set by the editor, it can’t be exceeded. A topic easily explained in 1,000 words becomes tremendously difficult given 250. A reader never knows your word count, only that … Continue reading
The Trouble with Siamese: Postcards from Delaplane
As if I didn’t have enough problems, the Siamese cat has moved her kittens out of the garage. She favors my shirt drawer but has settled, a little grumpily, for a carton box in the bathroom. I must be careful … Continue reading
Reporting on Twitter – The Death of Journalism
Since when did covering Twitter amount to reporting? “Ivanka Trump is facing an online backlash for tweeting what one critic called a ‘tone deaf’ photo of herself cuddling her son as outrage grows over a federal government policy to separate … Continue reading
An Excellent Guide to Writing Cover Letters and to Making Pitches
Format Magazine is out with a great page on pitching editors: https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/art/how-to-get-published-advice (external link) They advise most of what I’ve recommended over the years but I’d add a few things. Consider making two or three pitches in an e-mail. An … Continue reading