Bother to Write I spoke to a university journalism class in the States today. It was a Skype call; a presentation I’d prepared about the importance of good writing skills for a journalism career. For any career. I went through the standard spiel about using active voice, metaphor, being correct, complete, careful and clever. I threw in quotes from some of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott and Bob Dotson (who says success [in the news business] “does not depend on being dealt a good hand. It’s playing a bad hand well, over and over again”). But only towards the end of the talk did I touch on what for me, is the heart of the matter. Good journalistic writing is about more than not pissing off or confusing your audience; It’s about connecting people to their neighbors and helping them feel more informed. Personal essay (for me, in the guise of this blog) connects me with other fractured hum...
When you look like your passport photo, it's time to go home. - Erma Bombeck