Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Blather

I'm going to try a freewrite. That's when I attempt to write whatever comes into my head for about 10 minutes, or until I get tired of it, and post it. I'll probably edit out anything too private before I post, however. But, just because this'll probably be really boring for most folks, I'm putting the bulk of it behind a cut...



Ok, there. I'm tired. Not too tired, just physically worn down. I haven't had a good night's sleep for a week or two thanks to the AC being broken. Now that it's fixed, I suspect I will rest. But I'm not sure. Maybe I should take a bath just to see if I can relax enough to make sure. I don't know. Anyway, I'm tired. Work has been tough. I love writing; it's all the work that goes into getting information before I do the writing that has been difficult. I still feel incredibly silly at interviews, like I'm unprepared and unprofessional. I usually manage to get great stuff out of folks, but that's more because the folks I'm talking with are great. My interviewing skills definitely need more work. I also have a lot of trouble making cold calls to people I don't know to start a conversation that will lead to an interview. While 99% of the folks I talk with are cool about it, I've had a few that dodge my phones calls and even fewer who have flat-out said no. Being a reporter is strange. I sometimes look back to my time at Western and my two quarters in the journalism department. I hated it. I hated almost every thing about it. I didn't learn nearly enough to be a reporter now, and I'm constantly terrified that I'm going to screw up. But I love what I do now. I love meeting people, even if I'm scared of them and feel stupid interviewing. I love talking with them and learning about them. I wish I could master shorthand, but there's just no time to practice it. I wish I could fit it into my regular note-taking somehow, a piece at a time, but I just can't figure it out. I have several stories on my stove... I've done the interviews, got pictures, just need to write. They are like candy. I can't wait to dive in and enjoy them, but I also have a strong desire to get it right, so I'm hesitant. I think I've got a couple for Monday that need to get done. I'm going to have a long day tomorrow, I think. I want to get more stuff done. I have been reading a bit more than usual, I'm in a reading mood, apparently. I finished my sister-in-law's book and enjoyed it, and a couple of others since then. I need to do reviews. But I'm still kind of savoring the books, so it can wait. I need to read last month's comics, which should arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to that. I feel a bit behind. I wish there was a comic shop in town, but I'm certain it wouldn't survive if there was. I will not drive 30 plus miles every Wednesday to get comics, not anymore. So I get them once a month and pray nobody spoils the big stories before I get my issues. Switching gears, it's been warm around here lately. About 30 on the Celsius scale (zero is frozen, 10 is not, 20 is warm and 30 is hot). Of course, summer hasn't started yet, and it's going to get a LOT hotter before it cools off. The new frozen yogurt shop, Frio, is less than a block away from the newspaper office. They will be/have been getting a lot of my business. I think that's enough writing for the moment. I'm not sure I've written anything worth reading.

This feels like too little, so here's some links to stuff I've written recently: Column about solar roadways, Pinewood Derby, Elevators, Marijuana 101, and Disaster Strikes!

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