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Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The debris on my desk

Whenever I print something that seems important enough to hang on to yet not urgent to read, it lands on top of my scanner/printer. I don't want to file immediately without having read it because it may be something about which I can write or enter or be inspired or pitch.

But the stack is getting precariously high and off balance just enough to go fluttering into the black hole behind my desk. Sorting through two months of stuff I find:

An offer from Cingular to upgrade my cell phone at no charge.

Article: 10 ways for journalists to use LinkedIn

Photo shot list, draft deadline and revised themes for my small schools story (draft due next Friday)

Direction to tomorrow's lacrosse game in Medina

Religion reporting at JCU last Friday (missed that one)

Rules for Writer's Digest annual competition (deadline: May 15, yeah, that's not likely)

Forum on border detentions this Sunday (I need to go to this for story I'm working on, but it's Michael's First Communion on Sunday)

April meeting of Thomas Merton Society (oops, that was last night)

The Maternal is Political submission guidelines from Seal Press (deadline: June 1, hmmm, possible, I'll hang on to that one)

"'In the Pain Cave': Award-winning journos on long-form writing" by Greg Lindsay on mediabistro

Rejection e-mail from Mother Jones (need to file that in my expansive rejection file)

Excel list of teachers participating in an online discussion about working in urban schools for story for KnowledgeWorks (THAT'S where I put the list!).

Market info on kids, travel and essays for Washington Post and Christian Science Monitor (I have the start of three essays in an electronic file and should really try to work on at least one).

BookExpo America/Writer's Digest Book Writer's Conference (seriously unlikely--talk about wishful thinking!).

Market info on selling reprints

Medical study on hearing loss (I see a note about pitching FOB of Health, which I recently discovered is in management turmoil. Hmmm, maybe Prevention?)

Medical study about religion and alcoholic recovery (lost opportunity with Beliefnet)

Cleveland Clinic Sports Health spring newsletter (wanted to do something on lacrosse and preventing injury)

Possible pitch on Cleveland woman doing medical work in Central America

Journalism.org's State of the News Media Overview

Okay, now, back to work.

2 comments:

Jill said...

Would it make you feel better if I published my "still to do" list for the bar mitzvah? :)

I'm telling you Wendy - we should get a batch of writers' names in a hat, each pick one out and then go to that person's desk area and clean it out for them. It would be a blast - desk swap or something.

Wendy A. Hoke said...

I cannot even imagine! Michael is making his First Communion on Sunday and we still don't have his outfit.

We attempted to shop yesterday but while in Dillard's he pitched a fit because I wouldn't buy him a blue Cavs jersey. He already has three Cavs jerseys. Ugh!

So we left -- empty-handed.