The June 2008 issue of Writer’s Digest features the magazine’s annual listing of 101 best Websites for writers. It’s interesting reading, as much for what it doesn’t include as for what it does. The listing is broken into research and reference Websites such as Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary and Wikipedia, resources on publishers, agents and the […]
Read All About It: Best Blogs on the Media Biz
These days freelance writers have to keep up with the times – the New York Times, that is, and the LA Times, the Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor. Why? The fortunes of newspapers are changing and it’s changing what they want – or don’t want – from freelancers. Shrinking newspapers advertising means shrinking […]
Mediabistro.com Portland Writers Party Recap
Last night I went to my first media party hosted by mediabistro.com, the New York company that provides classes, job listings and networking events for freelancers. About 30 of us sipped wine and shared business cards at Vino Paradiso in the Pearl District. Some highlights: Stacey Wilson, associate editor at Portland Monthly and mediabistro’s Portland […]
Writing Blog Posts: Plotted Out or On the Fly?
I write blog posts a couple different ways. Some days it’s the spur of the moment, when an idea strikes or I’m inspired by the day’s news. Other times I hatch an idea, dash something off in a hurry, then let it simmer half-written for days or weeks before finishing it off. Or I’ll have […]
WordCount Blog: 2008 Q1 Report
I’m taking a cue from public companies and issuing a quarterly report on this blog. I started WordCount as a New Year’s resolution, so the end of March marked the end of my first quarter as a blogger. Here are some highlights: Readership – More people are discovering the blog. Page views grew exponentially over […]
Why I'm Proud to Call Myself a Reporter
I’d planned to write about something else today, but it can wait. The 2008 Pulitzer Prizes came out yesterday, the newspaper industry’s highest honors. The Washington Post won six, a record for the paper, including the esteemed Public Service award for its reports on sub-par treatment of war veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. The paper […]