Scenes from a work day:

9 a.m. First call of day, with a trade magazine editor and old friend. Talk shop. Go over pitches for business features I sent earlier. Settle on a few, plus a special report story package. Discuss terms. Schedule due dates. I am a contributing editor.

10 a.m. Interview local quasi-celebrity social media expert about Twitter, Facebook, etc., for career piece for new website for women. Fun stuff. Conversation veers to mutual acquaintances, dumb things people do online. Make mental note to interview this source again if possible. I am a career columnist.

11 a.m. Conference call with two web gurus for story for small business tech website. Realize I can only use fraction of their information. Contemplate pitching follow-up piece in order to use leftover material. I am a tech writer.

Noon – Another interview for same tech piece. Hear same things over again, signal story’s ready to write. I’m an old pro.

1 p.m. – Monitor ongoing email discussion with editor, other writers collaborating on stories for new small business website. I am a team player.

2:30 p.m. Get idea for blog post. Dash off post, look up links, preview, change headline, preview again, tinker with headline, preview, make change, preview, make change, preview. Publish. Check stats. Wonder why stats have been lower since switching blog to self-hosted. I am a blogger.

4 p.m. Write social media story for women’s website from morning interview. Channel light and breezy in order to stuff maximum meaning into minimal word count. I am a word-working wonder.

6:30 p.m. Feed dog. Check homework’s done. Make dinner. Do dishes. I am a working parent.

8:30 p.m. Finish final edits on copy going into catalog for youngest son’s upcoming school auction. I am a volunteer copywriter.

9 p.m. – Query editor of tech website with ideas for next month’s assignments. Check email. Check blogs stats. Check Twitter. Check email again. Power down computer.  I am a Type A worker.

You could call what I have freelance multiple personality disorder.

Then again, if you do what I do, you know it’s all in a day’s work.

While I’m away from my keyboard this week, I’m re-running a few posts that didn’t get the attention – or web traffic – they deserved the first time around. I’ll return with fresh insights on the business of writing next week. – Michelle Rafter

I recently interviewed a management guru who’s a rock star in corporate circles, makes a mint from training sessions and has several best-selling business books under his belt.

Want to know what he did at the end of the 60 minutes we spent on the phone? He thanked me for reading his books before we talked. It seems that despite his fame and glory, he gets interviewed all the time by reporters who don’t bother to find out the first thing about what he does before turning on their tape recorders. That’s like a music writer talking to Chris Martin without listening to a single Coldplay song.

And we wonder why people don’t respect writers.

Not adequately prepping for a big interview is one of the cardinal sins of journalism. True, if you’re racing to a crime scene or get dragged onto a story at the last minute there’s not much time for research.

But more often than not, there’s time to do at least a cursory search on your subject. And if it’s a story that you pitched to a magazine or Website you have no excuse for not doing your homework before dialing Mr. or Ms. Big.

What should that homework consist of? Here’s my checklist of 12 things to do to ace a VIP interview:

1. Read the book. Need I say more?

2. Read what other people have written. That includes whatever you can get your hands on about your interview subject’s work, company, book or whatever other aspect of their life you’re writing about. Information is power. Soak up as much as possible so you’re comfortable with the subject matter and so you know what the heck Mr. Big is talking about.

3. Write your questions ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than getting tongue tied because you’re nervous, or forgetting to ask the most important question. Need help? Ask your editor for input.

4. Get your numbers straight. Just this week I almost missed an interview because I thought the subject was calling me and she thought I was calling her (the PR rep got her wires crossed). Work out the logistics ahead of time so you can spend the final minutes leading up to an interview mentally going over what you’ll say, not frantically looking for a phone number or street address.

5. Be on time. Show up late for an interview and you’ve already pissed off the person you were hoping would open up to you. Ain’t gonna happen now.

6. Take good notes. A voice recorder is a beautiful thing, especially the digital kind that plug into a conmputer’s USB port. But machines break, batteries die, stuff happens. So back yourself up with typed or handwritten notes. Yes, it’s old school, but it works.

7. Be polite. At least at first. Good manners go far in this business. And if it turns out to be a confrontational interview, you can always switch to bad cop mode.

8. Play devil’s advocate. Afraid to ask probing questions? Couch it in a non-threatening phrase like “Skeptics say…” or “There are people who say that you…” or “Let’s say for the sake of argument I don’t buy your opinion of (XYZ subject). Convince me.”

9. Keep track of the time. Heads will roll – namely yours – if you hang up before asking your editor’s pet question. Skip some questions if you have to, you can always follow up on the middling stuff with your VIP’s publicist, secretary or marketing chief.

10. Ask for more. Ms. VIP may have said she only has 15 minutes, but as you get close to being done, ask for more time anyway. If things are going well, she may oblige you by answering another question or two. And if not? There’s no harm in trying.

11. Ask what to ask. My go-to last question is always the same: “Is there anything else you’d like to say?” It gives your VIP the opportunity to mention something else that’s on their mind that could lead your story in a whole new direction. Or not. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask.

12. Say thank you. They didn’t have to talk to you, but they did. So even if they weren’t forthcoming or even if they didn’t say anything you didn’t already know, thank them anyway. You never know when you might need to talk to Mr. or Ms. VIP again.

I’m teaching a class on journalism basics at Digital Journalism Camp here in Portland this Saturday, Aug. 1.

To get ready, I’m asking writers going to the camp, as well as WordCount readers and my crews on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to help me decide what topics to cover in the presentation.

I talk up the benefits of crowdsourcing in other aspects of freelance work, so I figured this is a good opportunity to practice what I preach.

The class is geared to entry-level reporters, writers and bloggers who’d like to learn some tricks of the trade from a old fart veteran. The class could also be helpful to freelancers or citizen journalists who’ve come to writing or blogging from a different career and need a better mastery of the basics, including doing research, finding sources, making corrections and prepping for interviews.

If you’re coming to Digital Journalism Camp, or will be reading the live blogs or tweets from conference sessions, what should I cover? Use this poll to tell me what you’d like to see. Feel free to provide additional feedback using the comments section.

If you can’t make it to the conference and don’t follow the tweets, I’ll be sharing some of my tips and tricks here in coming weeks.

How’s your thumb?

Is it sore? Have you been spending more time than usual on Twitter checking out news from Iran or what people are saying in the wake of Michael Jackson’s death?

Is your idea of winding down after a long day at the keyboard picking up your BlackBerry to text all your friends?

If it is, you could be headed for trouble, thumb trouble. Too much typing and texting is leading people to complain of sore thumbs, aching fingers and “iPhone elbow.” Therapists compare today’s era of Twitter-crazed texters with the advent of office computers, which ushered in a major increase in cases of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome and RSI.

It is possible to text to your heart’s content and avoid major injury. Stretching, correct posture and frequent breaks are key. Read all about it in my story just out on IncTechnology.com.

“Don’t worry, you’ll never have to talk to them again.”

That line’s been stuck in my head ever since an editor said it last summer – and it’s 100 percent wrong.

The editor and I were talking about a story I’d done, a case study involving some relatively new and complicated technology. I’d finished writing and, at her request, sent the draft to one of my sources – I know, bad editorial practice but totally not my call – to check that the convoluted tech stuff was factually accurate.

Only when I emailed the story to the source, I’d forgotten to remove some notes at the top that I’d written to the editor, notes that included some less than flattering comments about the source – nothing defamatory, nothing horrible, but embarrassing nonetheless.

That’s what prompted the editor’s comment to relax and forget about it because I’d never be talking to that person again.

It’s advice I promptly ignored.

Maybe that’s the way she does business. But it’s not how I operate.

To make a proper go of it as a freelancer, you’ve got to be a beat reporter, keeping up on the latest news and events in fields you cover. That means keeping in touch with a ever widening circle of contacts, because you never know when you’ll need to talk to someone or ask for a referral to someone they might know.

Over the years, I’ve prided myself in my source list. A friend and former co-worker still talks about the extensive list of contacts I left when she took over my newspaper beat while I went on maternity leave.

These days I use LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Desktop to keep tabs on sources and manage contact information online and within my computer files.

Sources are my pot of gold, my secret weapon. They’re the reason I can take 500-word assignments that only pays 50 cents a word, because I can tap into my source list to turn a story around in less than a day, making it financially feasible when calculating the work on an hourly basis.

I may treasure my sources, but I’m no pushover.  The only times I’d let a source see quotes before they’re published, go off the record or talk anonymously is if the editor asked or the circumstances warranted it. And asking tough questions is par for the course.

After I realized what I’d done and called the editor, I picked up the phone again and called my source. Even from across the the country, I’m sure they could tell my face was red. Luckily for me, they were pretty good about the whole thing and there were no lasting repercussions.

Moral of the story: Never, ever, include notes on a story that you wouldn’t want the world to see. And whatever you do, be good to your sources.

I have a confession to make. I am a Web content writer.

Do I write for Web content aggregators? No.

I write for magazines that publish stories in print and online. I write for business and trade magazines that publish some stories in print and some online. I write for e-zines, news sites and custom publishers that publish only online. I write for this blog.

I don’t need to write for content aggregators. After more years in the business than I care to share, I don’t have to. I know a good story when I see one. I can find sources. I’ve pulled court documents and interviewed relatives of homicide victims and dying children. I’ve combed through 10Ks and dissected proxy statements. I’ve walked the floors at trade shows and grilled CEOs. I know how to write a basic news story in the inverted pyramid style. I can write an essay, a feature, a Q&A, an op-ed, a column. I can write headlines, cutlines and pull quotes, charticles and “at a glance” fact boxes. I blog. I tweet. I can do simple HTML coding, add keyword tags and know the basics of SEO (sort of). I can take pictures, though I’ve yet to tackle video or podcasts.

So content aggregators hold no appeal.

But writing online, that’s attractive. At one point, I freelanced for some of the biggest newspapers in the country, the biggest tech magazines and the largest financial wire service in the world.

Today, 90 percent of my stories show up online right away and 100 percent eventually.  And I’m well paid for the work – in fact, extremely very well paid.

If that makes me a Web content writer, so be it. Because in another year or two, even more news stories, essays, columns, blog posts and charticles from established media companies and publishers yet to be born will go directly online.

I’ll be ready.

Today Suzy Welch is a sought-after management consultant, speaker and coauthor with her husband, retired GE CEO Jack Welch, of a business bestseller and weekly business column. But 13 years ago, the journalist turned MBA turned Harvard Business Review editor was juggling a demanding job, four kids and a first marriage headed for divorce. She hit bottom on an especially disastrous business trip, from which blossomed a formula for making critical decisions she used to turn around her life and career.

In the ensuing years, Welch divorced and later began a much publicized relationship with Jack Welch that led to their 2004 marriage and current writing partnership. During the same time, she started sharing her decision-making formula, which is based on considering the immediate, near future and long-term consequences of decisions, something she shortened to 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years, or “10-10-10.” After writing and lecturing about the process, Welch chronicles it in her new book, 10-10-10: 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years, A Life-Transforming Idea.

I interviewed Welch recently for this Q&A on making career and life decisions that’s just been posted on CBS’ new personal finance and career Website, MoneyWatch.com.

Sometimes despite careful planning, assignments get backed up, editors ask for work early or you get sick and miss a few days of work. Maybe you just spent all day on Twitter instead of finishing a story that’s due.

Whatever the reason, you’re behind and close to hitting the panic button.

That’s me right now. Too many non-work obligations have chewed into my work time during the past month. Now I’m staring down a week filled with deadlines I’m figuring out how to meet.

Over the years I’ve known some writers and PR people who live in a constant state of crisis. I’m not one of them. I’m already a worrier, and there’s too much else in work and life to be concerned with – like where the next assignment is coming from, for example – to make myself freak out over things that I can control.

So here’s my recipe for avoiding panic mode. I kept it short in case you’re like me and reading it on borrowed time:

1. Cut out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Random Web browsing and hourly updates of my status on Twitter – ain’t gonna happen this week.

2. Make a to-do list. Dump everything you need to do out of your head and onto a piece of paper, your Microsoft Outlook Task manager or whatever you use to keep track of work. Break projects done bit by bit and cross them off as you finish each part. It feels great and gives you an idea of how much you’ve accomplished and what still needs to be done.

3. Do one thing at a time. Rather than work on each project a little bit at a time, plow through one, get it done and move onto the next.

4. Write fast. Set a timer and don’t let yourself be distracted until you hear the buzzer. If you can, create a story outline before your research and interviews are finished to help you zero in on what you need to ask. Write during your “up” time of day to maximize productivity.

4. Save marketing for next week. I know this goes against other freelance writing bloggers who say you have to market day in and day out no matter what. But honestly, it can wait. If editors don’t see my stories when they’re due, they aren’t going to want to read my pitches.

5. Ask for help. Need to turn in file art for story? Email the PR department at the company, agency or government office you’re interviewing and ask if they can send something directly to your editor. Use Twitter, LinkedIn or HARO to round up sources. And if you really don’t think you’ll make it, email or call your editor and ask for an extra day or two – just don’t make it a habit.

6. Keep a can-do mindset. There’s a fine line between feeling overwhelmed and feeling on top of things. Sometimes just telling yourself you’re in control of the situation is the only different. So stay positive.

What’s your secret for not hitting the panic button?

My first newspaper job was selling classified ads over the phone for The Valley Times in Beaverton, Oregon, the summer after my freshman year in college. I’d started writing for my college paper and was thrilled to have a job – any job – in the newspaper business, even if it meant inputting ads for garage sales and used cars at a small suburban weekly.

My second newspaper job was at another community newspaper publisher, this one a chain of Los Angeles neighborhood weeklies that seemed to specialize in grocery store ads – at least that’s how it felt to me, as one of the paste up artists putting the ads together.

Those stints gave me an appreciation for community papers, one I was happy to revisit when I reported on the health of small daily and weekly newspapers here in Oregon for a story in the February 2009 issue of Oregon Business magazine. My conclusion: although times are tough for newspapers of all sizes, small papers are in a better position to survive the current economic downturn and changes in the newspaper industry than the big metro dailies.

You can read the entire story here: The Smalltown News.

Hello 2009! New Year’s Day marked WordCount’s first anniversary.  Last year was good for both of us and I’m can’t wait to see what happens in 2009.

Before then, here’s a look back at the top WordCount posts of 2008, based on the total number of page views.

Some interesting things about the most popular posts: a few of them got lots of traffic because Google searches caught the images I’d included, such as the post on Tina Brown launching The Daily Beast and a post on my trip to New York City to visit editors that I paired with an image of the Manhattan skyline.

Other popular blog posts covered areas near and dear to freelancers figuring out how they need to change their businesses or skills to keep up with the times. Here’s a baker’s dozen of the best:

Best blogs for writers – Far and away my most popular blog post ever. Stay tuned for an update in February.

Tina Brown to head ONA September conference – When it comes to page views, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

I’m in a New York State of mind – Another popular picture.

Asking the hard question – top 10 interview tips – A version of this post appeared in The New Writer’s Handbook 2008, published by Scarletta Press in August.

What freelancers should know about SEO – A lot, as it turns out.

10 ways to promote your freelance writing – List posts are always popular, and this one was no exception.

Promote yourself through your email signature – Some writers have turned the humble email sig into an art form.

Freelancers’ strategies for prospering in bad times – Good advise from writers of all backgrounds.

Paging Dr. Sawaya, Milton is hip again – I’d like to think this paean to a favorite college professor was popular because it was so well written but I think the traffic had more to do with the picture of an old copy of “Paradise Lost” I included.

Guest post: Going freelance in a down economy – The Urban Muse blogger Susan Johnston weighs in on what led to her decision to leave a full-time job and why she’s never been happier.

10 top Web tools for freelancers – Google News Alerts, Delicious and a whole lot more.

Avoiding data disasters – Links to a story I wrote with a great photo of a really old mainframe computer.

How writers can use LinkedIn, Part 1 – LinkedIn transformed my business and this helps explain why.