"A Writing Workout"

Writing is revising, and revising some more. Ask any writer and he or she will probably tell you it's extremely hard work. The deadlines are endless, corrections take up a whole lot of time. Is my lead strong enough? Do I have enough conflict in the story to keep the reader reading?
Believe it or not, sometimes writing non-fiction articles is harder than fiction. It's a game of perfection for most writers. What makes the story flow, and what trips it up? Can a mundane comment ever work in a story? Sometimes just getting a quote is a problem. Most interview subjects don't have an eloquent answer to your question, and will say a lot of words that just don't make a good quote. In that instance it is best to paraphrase so that neither one of you looks like a fool.
It's your reputation on the line, and it's important that concise words and phrases are used as well.
I've recently finished two very long feature articles that have to have a punch,kick, flavor, and a whole lot of reader interest to make this publication take off with the first edition. I want to see it fly, higher than the cute kites that I've watched meander towards the heavens.........

"New Publication Musings"

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to write for a new publication? Were you approached by someone that you worked with in the past, and thought, well, this might be a good idea? Or, did you wonder if the new magazine would be finacially viable, as in will I get paid for my work?
Those are the questions that I am pondering right now. I spent a whole lot of time interviewing, researching, and writing a very nice personality piece for this start up magazine.
I really hope that it turns out the way the editor imagines it, so that a new voice will be heard in the area. It will be similar to the Ann Arbor Observer, which is quite different than some of the Newspapers in the area. To me, a chance to learn and experience a different writing style could be beneficial to me as well.
Yet, I wonder, is writing a journalistic style bad, even for a magazine? It's hard for me write stories full of flavor, unless it's truly a fiction adventure. I don't ever want to cross the line by mixing journalism and fiction. It seems like there are too many news writers out there today who are doing this. It's quite scary to me. I don't like it. I am uncomfortable when I see the writing/journalism profession continually comes under intense scrutiny because of intential mistakes. How do you write about an event that hasn't happened? If it's not a preview story, then it's libelous.I want to keep my journalistic integrity intact. Does anyone else feel the same way as I do?

Contest Entries II

In a previous entry I wrote about the importance of entering contests to sharpen your writing and to earn a chance at winning a prize, or at least seeing your name in print.
This week was another milestone for me. I entered two Haiku to Byline's Magazine at the end of January 2005, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I won an Honorable Mention for this contest.
The more writing that you produce and submit increases the chance of your work being recognized and published. You want to have as many Byline's as possible so when an agent or publisher is looking for your Bio and CV (Curriculum Vitae), you can show some writing credentials!