Monday Musings

Oy, I've been remiss in posting. So much going on and so I've been Twittering instead of posting because I can't seem to find the time to write something more thoughtful. I've started two posts on the economy and I get too depressed and I'm too reluctant to share my own story publicly. So instead, those posts sit in my drafts folder with a collection of quotes, links and thoughts that I'll probably never complete here.

But there is news to report today. First off, a gigantic congratulations to Jennifer Boresz who e-mailed last night to tell me that she and her long-time boyfriend Brian got engaged this past weekend. Jen is moving back to the Cleveland area from Toledo later this month and I'm looking forward to catching up with her when she returns. After a lot of soul-searching, she has decided to leave her television job to return to freelancing for print and broadcast.

Speaking of freelancing, I'll be speaking to a class at Lorain County Community College next Tuesday about freelancing. And again to a John Carroll University magazine journalism class later in November.

Congratulations to Catalyst Ohio magazine editor, Charlise Lyles, who released an updated version of her memoir, "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? From the Projects to Prep School," published by Gray & Co. She was featured on Dee Perry's "Around Noon" program today on WCPN. Listen here.

Questions of Sen. John McCain's character are the subject of a scathing story in Rolling Stone. In short, the article describes McCain's long history of suffering from Napoleon's disease, misogyny, drinking, gambling, cavorting and essentially reveling in mediocrity. The reporting makes me feel sorry for any woman who has ever been part of McCain's life. To wit:

During his 1992 campaign, at the end of a long day, McCain's wife, Cindy, mussed his receding hair and needled him playfully that he was "getting a little thin up there." McCain reportedly blew his top, cutting his wife down with the kind of language that had gotten him hauled into court as a high schooler: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." Even though the incident was witnessed by three reporters, the McCain campaign denies it took place.

It's a long read, but takes the notion of McCain's always putting country first to the test.

The fork in the road

It's been a while since I've posted with any regularity here at Creative Ink. Humble apologies to any regular readers I might have. My creative and productive energies have been diverted elsewhere for the past few months into some very important and meaningful personal projects that required my full attention.

As a result, I've had little brain activity leftover to share meaningful thoughts here. I'll try to do better as life starts to settle into the normal workday/school day routine. Part of what I've done this summer is explore where I want to take my career moving forward. I have possible paths, but certainly nothing definitive. I am at the proverbial fork in the road.

I've spent four and a half years working full-time as an independent journalist from home. It's been great in so many ways. Here are some professional highlights:

• Started Creative Ink in March 2004 and through that writing began reconnecting with the dreams of my younger self.

• Traveled to New York City for the first time twice in 2004 and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Big Apple on my own.

• Got my passport and my first passport stamps when I traveled to Seoul, South Korea in 2004. I was one of the only female speakers at East Asia Journalists Forum, which obligated me to perform many toasts during our meals.

• Had my first PD feature published in May 2004; lead to weekly book reviews in PD for 18 months before burnout set in and freelance budgets were slashed.

• Traveled to New York City and Las Vegas in 2005, both times with awesome traveling companion Jill Zimon. 

• While in Las Vegas in 2005, had exclusive interview with former New York Times reporter Judith Miller upon her release from prison.

• Discovered the beauty and soulfulness of Thomas Merton; wrote article in 2005 on his influence on modern-day Catholics that started a three-year working relationship with Catholic Universe Bulletin. Oh, and that story also won first place in religion coverage in 2006 Ohio SPJ Awards.

• Traveled to Chicago in August 2006, but I'm disappointed to say that I saw little of the city other than the conference hotel and the Billy Goat Tavern. I hope to return soon.

• Had first article published in Continental Magazine in October 2006.

• Applied for and was accepted as a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors in February 2007

• Traveled to Anniston, Alabama, in April 2007 where I met Gay Talese and Rick Bragg among a host of other wonderful southern storytellers who continue to inspire me.

• Risked much professionally, personally and financially by calling out national SPJ leadership on a bad decision that ultimately was reversed in August 2007. Still a painful memory, but something I would do again in a heartbeat because it was the right thing to do.

• Started my third year of writing about small schools transformation at Cleveland Heights High School in August 2007 and discovered a passion for urban education that may dictate my future professional plans.

• Began consulting editor relationship with Catalyst Ohio magazine in November 2007 that continues to this day.

• Applied for Peter Jennings Fellowship for Journalism and the Constitution, was accepted and traveled to Philadelphia, Penn., in March 2008. Among my colleagues there was Atlantic national correspondent and author Mark Bowden, who has been very kind and generous in providing direction and assistance when asked.

• Had my first feature published in the Christian Science Monitor in April 2008, with subsequent stories in May and July.

• Was shocked, confused and then honored to be named Cleveland SPJ Distinguished Service Award winner in May 2008.

• Won first place in feature writing for article about group of St. Ignatius High School pallbearers from the Catholic Press Association in June 2008.

Over the summer I reached a few conclusions that will alter my writing future. First, is the financial reality that with my oldest son heading to college in three years, I need a more stable and consistent form of income. Second, is that I'm exhausted—I mean could sleep for a week straight exhausted—by the nonstop hustle of getting work and trying to get paid in something resembling a timely manner. Third, is that I realize my writing has reached a point of stagnation. Stagnation is akin to death for a writer. I need new creative challenges to push me forward. Fourth is that I'm tired of working in isolation. I'd like to be a part of a more collaborative working environment that allows me to brainstorm, share and learn from others.

So where do I see myself in the next few months? I honestly don't know. I'd like to continue being a journalist, though frankly the opportunities to do so and remain in Cleveland are extraordinarily limited. I check the job boards daily and there's little in Ohio, let alone in Cleveland. I've reached out to some colleagues, but the news is always dire about cutbacks rather than hiring. I'm not about to close off any path. I do have some potential opportunities in the works that could fall into any of the following categories:

1) Find a great job at an existing media outlet that allows me to explore narrative and new media journalism either as a writer and/or editor.

2) Get some funding and start my own new media venture that allows me to lead a team of professional, citizen and student journalists toward development and launch of a dynamic multimedia site.

3) Go to graduate school to study history and begin work on becoming a history professor.

4) Find another avenue for using my writing and editing skills outside of journalism. 

5) What every writer aspires to do: write a book. 

My path is not clear, but I hope it will be illuminated soon.  

Where to begin...

Apologies for the dearth of any meaningful posts here of late. I could say I've been too busy, because I have. It's been quite a frenzied month of story assignments, project beginnings, projects ending, projects hopefully getting underway. It's all good and I feel very blessed, indeed. But there's a good amount of hard work involved.

In addition to my regular features for the Catholic Universe Bulletin, I've also just completed work as part of a team of copy editors on the Kovel's Antiques & Collectibles Price List 2009, published by Black Dog & Leventhal. The massive guide will be published later this year.

Yesterday morning, I finalized a 10,000-word narrative on my three years of reporting and observing the small school transformation at Cleveland Heights High School. This year's work was particularly rich since I spent the year following the principal of one small school. Latching on to great characters makes the work highly enjoyable. But cutting and crafting the words is always a challenge. That work will be published by KnowledgeWorks Foundation in September.

You may have noticed the new publication RiseUp, which debuted as a magazine insert in newspapers across the country on Sunday (though not here in Cleveland). I wrote a feature story for that publication (I believe it will be in Sunday's issue. I'll link to it here.) and as a result have five more assignments that will keep me busy for most of the rest of the summer.

I'm working on my third feature for the Christian Science Monitor (running in mid-July). I especially enjoy the multimedia approach to this publication, which is always a great experience.

A market report I wrote for ASJA Monthly magazine was just published (sorry, I can't share publicly, members only). And my favorite pal and I are anxiously awaiting news on a grant that could lead to some very exciting work.

I'm also doing a different kind of writing (search engine optimization) for the Web and have completed work on one site (very fun and launching soon) and will begin work on another next week. This writing style is a nice break from the heavily reported pieces I've been working on.

So if I've been remiss in writing, I hope you'll understand. Gotta strike while the iron's hot. Look here for links to published work in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I'll try to do better with my posting.

Happy Summer!

Latest Monitor story: 'Foreclosure tourism' is a ticket to opportunity

Here's a link to my latest story and audio in today's Christian Science Monitor, which provides an unusual look at the foreclosure crisis.

UPDATE: My SPJ/DSA speech from today

The Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored me today with the chapter's Distinguished Service Award. I was proud to receive the award today at the City Club along with fellow honoree David Marburger. We also honored this year's SPJ scholarship winner, Melissa Kory, from North Ridgeville High School. I was so happy to have my good friend and fellow writer Jill Miller Zimon as presenter. Here's her speech, which was so incredible in that she sought out the input of so many friends. Thank you, friend.

Thank you, Jill, my dear friend and number-one traveling companion. You’ve been an important part of my professional growth. I’m glad to have you beside me.

Thank you to Betty Clapp and Steve FitzGerald and the rest of the Cleveland board for this great honor. I have one question: Didn’t anyone bother to consult Jerry Masek’s travel schedule before setting this date?

I want to congratulate my fellow honoree, David Marburger. Even though I could never afford to have you defend me in a lawsuit, I am grateful to know that you are working on behalf of journalists in Ohio. Well done, David.

And to Melissa Kory, whom I’ve just had the pleasure of meeting. Congratulations on earning your scholarship. Cleveland SPJ is proud of the ranks of young journalists it has supported over the years. As anyone who has ever served on the scholarship committee will tell you, it’s the best work we do. May you find the pursuit of journalism as rich, fulfilling, challenging, frustrating, inspiring and hopeful as I have.

This event marks the first time in my nearly 20 years as a journalist that my family life has crossed paths with my professional life. My parents, Chuck and Nancy Lewis, are here as is my husband, Dan, who frankly bears the brunt of all my professional frustrations. I’m so thankful for their love and support and patience when I am off on my crusades. Even though they are not here, I am profoundly inspired daily and hourly by my three boys—Ryan, Patrick and Michael. They represent the very best part of me.

***

I once heard someone describe journalists as frustrated idealists. I think that’s a fitting description of me and certainly of my work with SPJ.

I never really paused long enough to reflect on the work I was doing. I was so busy “doing.” My efforts with SPJ and leadership were always centered on inclusion. That’s why I joined in the first place. SPJ gave me a sense of belonging to my chosen profession.

From the very beginning of my professional involvement, however, I was challenging an organization that I felt was not inclusive or lacked strong communication. I counted myself fortunate, because for most of my off and on 22 years in SPJ, leaders listened when I questioned.

In January 1993, I was coming off of my first maternity leave. I was a weekly reporter for The Sun Press and frustrated because I wanted to become a better journalist and there were so few opportunities to learn. I was incensed when I learned that SPJ had held its national convention in Cleveland in the fall of 1992 and I, working at one of the city’s major news organizations, had no knowledge of that event happening.

I went to my first Cleveland chapter board meeting when my now 6’2” son was only eight weeks old with the intent of giving them a piece of my mind. Instead, I found myself volunteering at the tender age of 25 to chair the 1996 regional convention in Cleveland. It was three years away—plenty of time to get my SPJ sea legs.

And so I did, learning from the elder statesmen of the Cleveland chapter, especially Faye Sholiton, Tony Kozlowski, Jerry Masek, Lee Bailey, Stan Bullard, Bob Tayek and so many others who were all important to my development as an SPJ leader.

We join professional organizations out of the belief that it will somehow translate into work, preferably paying work. While that was never my primary motivator, my work with SPJ did lead to a job as assistant editor at a city magazine on the recommendation of Faye Sholiton, who was impressed by my management of the 1996 Regional. Just a few weeks ago I had my first story published in the Christian Science Monitor based on contact I had with the editor through the SPJ National Freelance Committee. A follow-up story will be in next week's Monitor.

No question I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities through SPJ. I’ve traveled to Texas, New York City, Tampa, Chicago and Las Vegas. I was one of the only female speakers at the East Asia Journalist Conference in Seoul, South Korea, where I also gave toasts, sang karaoke and drank boilermakers with journalists from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. I’ve fetched coffee for Gay Talese at an SPJ narrative workshop in Alabama (a service only previously rendered for my dad) and conducted an exclusive interview in Las Vegas with New York Times reporter Judith Miller just after her release from prison. I introduced William Zinsser, a journalistic hero of mine before an audience of hundreds in New York City in 2004.

I’ve written columns urging professionalism in freelancing, listening in leadership and caution in legislating press freedoms. I’ve interviewed some of journalism’s greatest practitioners, including Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest and New Orleans Times-Picayune Editor Jim Amoss.

I’ve spoken about my work and encouraged good friends and colleagues to do the same. I’ve planned national conference panels and facilitated at the Ted Scripps Leadership Retreat. In fact, this June marks the first time in five years that I won’t be in Indianapolis for the annual leadership retreat.

And I’ve tried—through my articles, panels, e-mails and conversations—to demonstrate that the way we traditionally view journalism is limiting and that if SPJ was to survive into the future, it needed to broaden its concept of journalists. And that good, timely communication is a key component of that effort.

Just because we don’t work in a newsroom doesn’t mean we are not serious journalists. I’ve talked with freelance investigative journalists exposing medical malpractice on a broad scale, backpack journalists who travel the globe collecting vibrant video images in addition to words and storytellers whose gift for narrative through written and spoken word speaks to the humanity in us all.

This is all very exciting, but it isn’t necessarily happening in newsrooms.

Independent journalists, in order to survive, are naturally more entrepreneurial and experimental, which is why I pushed so hard for the freelance committee. How journalism is done is changing and I felt that for independent journalists offered depth and innovative thinking to SPJ’s ranks that it sorely lacked.

I talk a lot about making connections and bringing people together. That’s how I view leadership—sharing a vision in which people naturally feel a stake and are willing to get involved to make that vision a reality.

A good leader understands that HOW you say something is as important as WHAT you say.

When I questioned SPJ’s national leadership on a decision made last summer, I was told that if freelancers wanted to be involved in the many decisions SPJ leadership must make in short order, they could feel free to run for leadership.

Well, I was encouraged to run for SPJ’s national leadership ladder. But I had three very important reminders named Ryan, Patrick and Michael—of why my involvement with SPJ should rightly be limited.

During their preschool and early elementary years, I stayed away from SPJ, working out of my house to be near my three boys, something I continue to this day. But by 2001, I was getting calls from Jerry Masek to rejoin the board. If you know Jerry, you know how persistent he can be.

After a bit of a leadership shakeup I found myself as president of the chapter a year ahead of my term—and chair of the 2003 regional convention.

I was so grateful to have such terrific partners on the board, especially Jay Miller who was always supportive and helped me to see things that may have been obscured by my enthusiasm or lack of experience. He and the rest of the board tolerated my energy and agreed in 2002 to send me to my first national convention in Fort Worth, Texas.

It was not a good first national experience. I was so turned off by the old-boys-club that upon my return I fired off a series of e-mails to the national leadership challenging them on their openness. I touched a nerve with one who recognized that if the organization were viewed as closed and cliquish, it would not be very successful in attracting new and diverse members.

As a result of our e-mail exchanges, I learned about and accepted an invitation to attend my first Ted Scripps Leadership Retreat. There—while the national leaders stood in front of us one evening giving us a state of the society address—I pointed out the obvious contrast between the existing leadership and the future leaders in the audience. How could we be an organization committed to diversity when there was no one who looked like us or worked like us standing in front of the group?

To their great credit, the leaders of the time listened and recognized what I saying about the society’s public face and its goal to achieve diversity. The conversation that night turned to a frank discussion of the challenges and opportunities of serving nationally.

That would be my role. Nurturer for the ideals of SPJ on the one hand, critic when I felt the Society wasn’t living up to its mission to improve and protect journalism for all.

What makes me most proud as a member of SPJ is the work I did on behalf of freelance journalists. Up until I left last August, I was still pushing the society to get away from its newsroom culture and focus instead on individual journalists, however and wherever they did their work.

At the 2003 national convention in Tampa, I was struck by the number of freelancers in attendance, who had paid their own way hoping to become better journalists. We were milling around the halls of the convention because so much of the programming had little value unless you worked in a newsroom.

We talked over drinks and it was suggested that I attend the committee chairs meeting and inquire about starting a new national committee for freelancers to make sure our views were represented. By January 2004, we were up and running, fielding a number of inquiries from freelancers who had thought they would have to leave SPJ because they no longer worked in a newsroom.

I took the part-time position as membership manager for SPJ a few years later because I thought I could extend my work with freelancers and the Cleveland chapter to the rest of the organization.

It didn’t make sense to me that taking a paid position would suddenly alter the credibility of my input. But a paycheck effectively canceled out my ability to weigh in on matters affecting the national organization, something I had always felt comfortable doing.

My success, if indeed I had any in that position, was in implementing the early work of the freelance committee—a plastic membership card that could function as a press pass, and a searchable database of freelancers to help editors find qualified writers.

A year ago, when the database launched, freelancers were the largest growing segment of SPJ’s membership and their numbers were well over 500. That I was responsible in any way for making that happen made me incredibly proud.

I don’t want to go into the ugly details that caused my rift with SPJ national leadership. I’m sure it’s long forgotten. Suffice it to say that I felt the executive committee did not give due diligence to a legal matter, broke from its longstanding policy of not weighing in on labor/management issues because it has members of both, violated the hard-earned trust and support of a growing portion of its membership and willfully ignored the persistent and legitimate questions of two dedicated, long-time volunteers of the organization.

Under pressure from members, the board eventually reversed its decision. But the damage had been done. I had promised freelancers that SPJ cares about them just as surely as it cares about the many newsroom staffers in its ranks. I had sold members on inclusion.

Aside from reflecting a fundamental misunderstanding of the challenges and opportunities of working as an independent journalist, the leadership’s decision drew a line in the sand—the Society’s priority was protecting staffer jobs, even if that decision threw non-staffers under the bus. I had no choice but to resign.

Sometimes you have to rock the boat. Hell, sometimes you have to be willing to tip it over. You can’t be a journalist today and not recognize that it has never been more important to question even in the face of great adversity and accusations. And that demands courage and leadership—two things not always present in journalists.

But if you had 9,000 like-minded journalists, no matter where or how they worked, working equally hard and standing beside you then you could press forward in the face of pressure and subpoenas and threats of prison. THAT was the promise of SPJ.

I’ve tried to live that promise, to create a sense of fellowship—first here in Cleveland and later nationally—that we are united in our common purpose to improve and protect journalism.

My determination toward that end sometimes makes people uncomfortable. My husband says it gives him heartburn and honey, truly, I’m sorry about that. But I like to think that some of that fire is also what makes me a good journalist.

I confess that I was conflicted about receiving this award. I have not renewed my membership because I felt I needed some distance and perspective. My input was no longer valued. It was time to walk away and let others lead.

Aside from that, my achievements seem so micro in a profession that demands change on a macro level. I just wanted to make sure that the nation’s largest organization for journalists included ALL journalists, no matter how or where they work.

But as I stand here today, I realize that maybe change really IS made on the micro level, by bringing people along one by one. People like Jill, whom I first met four and a half years ago in an e-mail correspondence about the value of SPJ.

Or people like Jen Boresz, whom I first got to know in 2002 when she was Cleveland State’s student chapter president.

Or Amy Green, a freelancer in Orlando, Florida, who called a few weeks ago for my advice about becoming the next SPJ freelance chair. And the countless others I have met along the way.

It’s work I continue without my SPJ hat because I still believe you have to send the elevator back down. Countless people have taken the time to help or share information with me along my journey and I wouldn’t be standing here before you if they hadn’t bothered.

Being an SPJ leader for me has always been an ongoing struggle to balance the idealist with the realist. The Society will celebrate its centennial beginning next May. What will SPJ look like in the next 100 years? I will be watching to see which way the pendulum swings.

Thank you SPJ Cleveland for considering me worthy of the chapter’s highest honor.

Getting a taste of the writer's challenge

Last night I printed off a draft of a story I'm working on for my husband to read. It was 2,000 words and needed to be shaved down to about 1,200. He balked at first. "I'm not a journalist, what would I know about what needs to be cut?"

"Just give it a read and see where there are places that don't move the story forward," I told him, with pleading eyes.

I've never asked this of him before, but this story is for a new (to me) national market and I really needed someone to give me another perspective. I know he's very interested in the subject, so I felt he was the perfect first reader. Well, there's that and the fact that I've threatened on occasion to leave him out of my book acknowledgments (when I eventually write a book) because he never reads what I write.

He was a captive audience and I took advantage. I'll hand you your dinner when you read my draft.

Immediately he started in and noticed a missing word or two. I handed him a red pen and the power that comes whence. He kept shaking his head and I'll admit I was worried. When he finished he said, "I don't know how you're going to cut this. Everything flows and it all seems to be so important to the story."

Welcome to my world, to the journalist's world. Where half is the most we are permitted sometimes.

He was good at identifying main themes in the story and really good and picking up those missed words (a, is, in, etc.), the ones we tend to lose when our fingers and brains move too quickly.

I was glad to have his comments. But I still needed to make cuts. So I slept on the story and ripped into it again today. It was tough, but there's a point in rewriting when you're less sympathetic to your own writing, but only a tiny bit and only because you eventually want to be finished with the story.

When he called I was just finishing the final touches. I read it to him over the phone. "What did you cut? It sounds like you didn't lose anything?"

That, my dear, is the point.

Word of the day
riposte: a retaliatory verbal sally

And one more today on writers v. editors

Couldn't resist sharing this gem by Michael Kinsley in Time.

When I was an editor, I reasoned like an editor. But these days I am a full-time writer, and I have put away the editorial mind-set. Now I say, before you criticize writers, you should write a piece in their shoes.

Did you say paranoid? Is it paranoid to wonder why an editor hasn't returned your calls for two weeks, even though she has been sitting on your piece for four? Did you say egomaniacal? What self-respecting egomaniac would put up with the enraging powerlessness of the freelance writer, totally dependent on the whims of half-literate editors for a pathetic drip-drip-drip of income. Oh, for a regular paycheck and health care, so you wouldn't have to suck up to some jerk of an editor for the next mortgage payment. ("Yes, I see. You want it to be iambic pentameter with internal rhymes. I've never read an analysis of the political situation in Pakistan done that way before. What a good idea!")

So this is an apology to any writers I may have treated callously over my years as an editor. If I didn't answer your e-mail, I'm sorry. If the check was late or the amount less than agreed on, please forgive me. If I shut my office door, turned off the lights and hid under the desk when I heard you coming, I deeply regret such childish behavior.

On the Internet, they don't have editors. Or they don't have many. Writers rule, and a thought can go straight from your head onto the Net. That used to sound hellish. Now it sounds like heaven.

Happy Tax Day!

I realize, of course, that the title of this post is an oxymoron, particularly for the self-employed. But, as luck would have it, somehow my hubby and I have managed to survive another tax season relatively intact. Of course, we have the benefit of a wonderful accountant who every year my husband says, "Whatever we're paying her it's not enough." Or, "That's the best money we spend."

And so it is with all good humor that I share this post from Salon freelance writer Catherine Price. Enjoy the chuckle. As for me, I am showered and heading to the coffee shop to finish writing a story.

Swamped and loving it

When work is in the toilet and you're an independent, it's standard practice to start throwing stuff out to see what sticks. After about six months of not trying very hard to get new projects, I found myself in dire need of a kick in the ass.

I got one in the form of my taxable income for 2007. Tax time can be an eye-opener. Over the past six weeks, however, I've launched an all-out marketing assault. For the next few weeks, I may have limited posts here because so much has come in over the transom. Some of it I sought, others sought me.

I'm amazed at how certain organizational tools—marketing sheet, budget, revenue projections, invoice tracking—led to a stronger sense of purpose in the kinds of work I want to pursue. All pistons are firing (but I better not say that too loudly or I might jinx myself).

The next two months are going to require more time than usual to get it all done, but it's such delicious stuff. Here's a little taste of what I'm working on:

Five stories for the Universe Bulletin:
• Our Lady of Lourdes 150th anniversary
• Profile of pioneer in Catholic Servant Leadership
• Feature on high school student senior project
• Vatican Splendors exhibition at WRHS
• St. John's Bible at John Carroll University

Mini-profiles for the 2008 Judson Smart Living award-winners

Final editing for April/May Catalyst Ohio magazine

Copy editing for Kovel Antiques & Collectibles Price List 2009, published by Black Dog & Leventhal

Final KnowledgeWorks narrative (about 12,000 words)

Feature for new national Sunday newspaper insert

Feature for Christian Science Monitor

Market report for ASJA newsletter

Ideas beget more ideas and my pitching cup runneth over so I'm sure this list will continue to grow. Enough mini-celebrating; it's back to work. I'll be posting and linking to finished work here in the next few weeks. Don't mind if I give myself a little, "Woo Hoo!"

Word of the day
prolific: marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity

Check out my new marketing page

Successful independent writers make regular time in their week or month to do some marketing. I've been remiss of late. Negligent is the better word.

No more, my friends. Tonight, I've finally pulled together a capabilities page that outlines my work in three categories—journalism, long-form narrative and editing. I've been gathering testimonials from people with whom I've worked for some time and I've been more thoughtful about the kind of work I'd like to do. All of this has taken time and delayed the effort, but I think it's been time well spent.

The final product is here. You'll notice a link to this page is now included in the blog description at the top of Creative Ink. Feel free to share with others. And let me know what you think.

Latest marketing efforts

Perhaps you noticed I've added a button on my Web log that will link you directly to my LinkedIn page. I've been gently nudged by several valued colleagues both locally and nationally to take advantage of this networking site and so I've finally taken the time to complete my profile and reach out to my contacts.

I'm interested in growing my network so feel free to buzz me if you want to get connected.

Since Creative Ink serves as a my professional Web site, I'm always adding new links to the work areas to the right. Hope you get the chance to browse some of my work highlighted there. The latest addition is the February/March 2008 issue of Catalyst-Ohio magazine, which I edited.

After a year, I've finally ordered my new business cards. If you have an old business card of mine, feel free to chuck it and next time I see you I'll give you a new one. The only thing that hasn't changed on my old card is my name and address. Phone and e-mail are different and I've added Creative Ink to the new card.

Finally, I want to thank Steve FitzGerald, president of the Cleveland Chapter of SPJ, for mentioning my fellowship in his president's letter in last Friday's Writer's Week newsletter. Thanks, Steve!

So many conferences, so little time and money

Spring 2008 is ripe with some great writing conferences. I have planned all along to attend the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference in NYC in April, especially since I'll be able to take advantage of the member-only opportunities for the first time.

But there's also the Nieman Narrative Conference at Harvard, which takes place in Boston in March. This event used to take place in the fall, but with a change of directors it was pushed off until spring.

NYC or Boston? Hmmmm. Tough decisions. I've been to NYC three times in the past three years, but never to Boston. Though honestly, can you ever get enough of New York?

Given the expense of the cities involved, attending both is out of the question.

So do I go for the business of freelancing or the soul of writing?

My head tells me to go for the business, my heart wants the soulful stuff.

Do I want to network with people doing the kind of writing I most enjoy (narrative) or the people engaged in the kind of business model I most enjoy (freelance)?

I've been to ASJA before so I know generally what to expect from that experience. The work I got as a result of contacts made there in 2005 carries on today. I've heard mixed reviews about Nieman in the recent years, but it's also under new management this year.

I've also applied for a fellowship with the Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution, run by the National Constitution Center. Given that I'm a freelancer without a beat I doubt I'll get the fellowship, but if I do that involves a trip to Philly in early March.

What to do, what to do...

Harlan Ellison -- Pay the Writer

Warning, this film snippet contains foul language.

Ellison really brings home the argument of how amateur writers undercut professionals.

Helllloooo....

...is anybody out there?

Ever get the feeling your e-mails are being blocked by some cyber Big Brother? E-mail traffic has been very light the past week and it gives me the creeps. I know my e-mail is working because I've chatted with a few friends and my assortment of daily news updates arrives on schedule. Work wise...it's been eerily quiet.

I went so far as to call AT&T tech support on Friday to make sure my e-mail settings were correct. Interestingly, I learned that AT&T is primarily a home service and so it automatically blocks things from some major domains that send out mass quantities of e-mails. If I could list the domains where I receive e-mail they could check to see that those are not blocked from my account. Could take a while. Ah, gee, thanks, but no.

Instead, I'm using my gmail account for work correspondence: wendyhoke(at)gmail(dot)com. Feel free to drop me a line to let me know it still works.

I should probably enjoy the momentary peace, but alas peace translates into no new assignments, which means no new paychecks. Writers are nothing if they are not needy and paranoid.

No long-lasting love for newspaper Web sites

Freelancer Erik Sherman offers a bit of business advice for freelancers who had hoped to turn what used to be their steady newspaper print writing into steady newspaper Web writing. His advice? Forget it. Find another market for your work. His primary source is this study by Nielson/Net Ratings (PDF) and released by the Newspaper Association of America.

What that tells you is forget doing long stories for newspaper web sites. No one is reading them, because no one is spending enough time to do so. In fact, forget these as markets. When the New York Times web site is getting under 14,000 unique visitors a month, something is definitely going wrong. Even if it's getting five times that number, this is bad news.

The top five newspapers and their page views and average time per visit for the six-month period between March and August 2007 are:

Site / # Page Views Per Month / Average Time Per Visit Per Month

1. New York Times / 13,857 / 20 min. 20 sec.

2. Washington Post / 11,682 / 14 min. 14 sec.

3. USA Today / 9,186 / 10 min. 57 sec.

4. Wall Street Journal / 8,337 / 9 min. 55 sec.

5. Los Angeles Times / 4,992 / 12 min. 34 sec.

32. The Plain Dealer / 989 / 10 min. 55 sec.

Does parental pressure hurt teen athletes?

While cleaning out my pitches file, I found this story that I tried and nearly placed at several magazines. I'd still like to do this piece because it's an important topic for teens and parents of teens. If you have any feedback on the topic or suggestions on where to take this, feel free to comment. I've added a little more from my notes than what was included in the original pitch.

One-dimensional athletes
How pressure to succeed from parents, coaches and themselves may be hurting our kids
By Wendy A. Hoke
Fourteen-year-old Joe excels at basketball and football and loves playing both. But his parents are discouraging him from going out for the football team, not because of the time it consumes, but because they think he has a better shot of getting a college scholarship in basketball. So in addition to his school team, Joe also plays AAU basketball in the off-season and takes private instruction from a local basketball instructor and former pro.

Great planning on the parents’ part? Not necessarily, say many experts, who believe grown-ups should resist the urge to push kids into sports specialization. They aren't the only ones tempering the idea.

At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in February, panelists sounded the alarm of rising overuse injuries in children as young as age 4. In the care of adolescents and pre-adolescents, orthopedics are seeing injuries that stem from year-round participation wearing on young bones. “They never get a chance to rest,” says Thomas Clanton, team doctor for the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

Dr. Michael Connor, a California State University Psychology Professor who has counseled male and female athletes at the high school, club, collegiate and professional level for more than 15 years, agrees. “Athletics as a nice way to round kids out seems to be lost,” says Dr. Connor. Indeed, specialization may set both parents and children up for disappointment and dilute interest in recreational exercise.

“As parents do we want to develop healthy lifelong habits of movement and enjoyment of physical activity?” asks Dr. John McCarthy, Director of the Institute for Athletic Coach Education at Boston University, or are we raising little super-athletes. “Unfortunately society is pushing sport into a professional level.”

What's driving that pressure? Connor believes the motivation is often financial, translating into hopes for a college scholarship. However, some parents will spend more money in help and training to gear up their child for that college scholarship than they would for college tuition.

The push toward specialization is also clouded by the rose-colored glasses parents often wear.

“Parents often see their kids as more talented than they are,” Dr. Connor says. Most parents have no sense of how unlikely it is that there kid will ever play college or pro sports, he says.

When teens make the decision to specialize in one sport exclusively, he says, the pressures are coming primarily from parents. He also notes that overly enthusiastic parents may not properly gauge their child’s interest in a particular sport: "Kids may be saying that this is what they want, but I'm not convinced that they are making an informed decision. Often, they've been coached into believing this by their parents.”

Specialization isn't always what colleges are after. As a former recruiter for college teams, Dr. McCarthy says he would look for athletes who could play multiple sports because of their growth potential. Those who specialized early may not be able to adapt to suit a college team's needs.

Still, focusing on one sport may not always be harmful. A whole generation of kids have yet to grow up and show us whether or not such activity is good for their overall health in the long run, says Dr. Susan Joy, head of women's sports medicine at The Cleveland Clinic. But that impact may be presenting itself now as the orthopedics convening earlier this year in San Diego discussed.

So how do you ensure that sports specialization is right for your children and how to do you encourage your child to do it safely?

Steady As She Goes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children who engage in one sporting activity exclusively for nine months of the year should take the remaining three months to rest or engage in another activity. Experts also say that children need one day off per week. “They need that time off to allow their muscles to regenerate and recuperate,” Dr. Joy says.

Spread Out Success. Kids who excel at a sport at a young age do not necessarily mature into that sport. “Make sure your child doesn't hinge his or her self-worth on success in a fifth-grade sport,” says Dr. Joy.

Recognize Your Child's Limitations. “Hopefully your kids will get the best of your genes. But if you and your spouse are not athletic, most likely your kids will not be athletic,” says Joy. And even if you were a sports star, it doesn’t mean your child will be—or wants to be. Whether he’s injury-prone, unfocused or competing with too many other top achievers, your child may not live up to expectations.

It’s About Timing. Some sports—football, basketball and swimming—require the release of pubertal hormones before children can mature and develop in those sports. Others—namely gymnastics and figure skating—have such a narrow window for success that you have to decide at a young age to go full tilt.

Follow Your Child’s Heart. Encourage your child to explain what she does and doesn’t like about a sport so you can ensure she has a complete picture.

Keep It Real. Encourage them to try another sport in a less-competitive, more recreational environment to balance the competition with a little fun.

Keep It Balanced. Encourage your child to weigh what he is giving up to specialize. What is he crossing off the list in order to devote so much time to one activity?

Defining success leads to new focus

A recent post on a freelance forum I belong to posed the question, "How do you define success?" The answers are as illuminating and varied as you'd expect. But if there's a common thread it's that success is not typically defined monetarily for writers and that what constitutes success evolves over time.

Making money has never been a motivating factor for me. Neither has the pursuit of fame. I view being a journalist altruistically. That moment hit home for me as I sat in an interview recently talking with three people involved with helping undocumented Hispanic immigrants assimilate to American culture.

With little to no resources, these three individuals are trying to change people's minds—both Americans and Latinos—about each other. It's a monumental undertaking and yet they are convinced that this is what is needed to solve the immigration crisis in our country—for groups of people to get to know one another.

It's so simple and yet so complex because you are dealing with so many obstacles—namely fear and prejudice—on the part of both groups. But I realized sitting there, understanding far more Spanish then I thought I would, that this is the kind of work that is meaningful to me—writing about people who are quietly going about changing our country.

My great-grandparents came to America from the Ukraine. (As the family archivist, I have their papers and photos.) I tried to imagine what they fled and what they confronted once here. What courage it takes to leave all you know behind and come to another country. And yet the dream of America and the reality are often so far apart today.

Likewise, I don't think there's any place more misunderstood among Americans than public schools. Even as parents, I don't think we really know what happens there during the day. Of course it's a mixed bag of successes and challenges. But how teachers, students and administrators deal with so many changes is fascinating.

As I begin my third year inside Cleveland Heights High School, covering the reform movement there, I've decided to expand my knowledge on education reform. I'd also like to explore how curriculum materials are chosen, how teachers conform or don't conform to teaching mandates, how scripted or unscripted the day is, how NCLB affects everything from what gets taught when and how to the breadth of educational experiences available. Of course I'll also be closely watching the debate over reauthorization of NCLB in Congress.

How faith plays out in our lives, work, art, music and literature continues to interest me greatly. Regardless of our spiritual background, I believe that faith of some kind, whether it's belief in a higher power or in some organized religion, inspires us daily. We may be aware of that inspiration or we may have never considered its quiet impact on our lives until someone asked.

Books continue to be a huge part of my life. I've done a good deal of reviewing for publication, but that's also something that doesn't pay much. Instead of spending time pitching reviews for publication and since so many newspapers have scaled back on book sections, I've decided to keep writing my reviews here. I'm going to write about what I'm reading here anyway, so this way I can indulge my inner book critic without having to chase down assignments for so little money.

Great stories to me will always feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I'm very fond of interviewing people and writing profiles. It's not often that I'll take credit for any journalistic skills, but I do think my ability to get beyond the surface of a profile is one of my strengths. So I'll continue to seek out and write those stories.

Multimedia storytelling is an exciting development in journalism. I'd like to experiment with audio in storytelling and, eventually, video. There are so many ways to tell a story and multimedia so enriches the experience. Hopefully, you'll bear with me here as I used this site as my testing ground for those experiments.

Greater Cleveland needs a good media criticism/commentary site. I'm willing to convene a group of talented people who would be interested in discussing how a site devoted to independent reporting and informed commentary could be built. My model for such a site here would be LA Observed: An Online Journal of Los Angeles Media, News and Sense of Place.

The Cleveland site will feature all the things I'd love to see in a good print magazine such as politics, business, economic development, education, culture, books, sports, history, profiles, travel, architecture, style, urban culture, media, the environment.... This site would be a mix of independent, in-depth reporting and intelligent, informed commentary. And it would be a mix of professional journalists and the best citizen journalists.

Does that sound interesting? Doable? Something you'd like to contribute to? Something you'd like to fund? If so, let me know (wendyhoke(at)gmail(dot)com).

I have a few stories I'm interested in selling, actually more than a few but those are all in various stages of pitching. One is an interview with syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer, one of the female pioneers in foreign correspondence. I had interviewed her for an article for Quill magazine in mid-summer, but I'm obviously not contributing to that publication in light of my having left SPJ. She was a wonderful interview and filled with amazing stories from a lifetime of writing about world leaders, revolutions, guerrilla warfare and more.

Linda Perlstein wrote the new book, "Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade," about how one Maryland elementary school works to improve test scores. It's an amazing story that I was first interested in because of the way she immersed herself in the school, much as I do for KnowledgeWorks Foundation. My original intent was to see how such reporting translated into book form.

But after interviewing her and learning more about the origins of the education reform movement, I've decided that this is a story worth telling on a bigger scale. The timing is exquisite given that the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind will probably be one of the first items tackled by Congress after Labor Day. Perlstein is incredibly knowledgeable having spent years as an education reporter for The Washington Post.

So I've sharpened my focus to education reform, social justice issues, religion and people. I'm grateful for the gift of time and freedom that the past month has given me.

Getting it in writing

My good friend TJ Sullivan has done a fantastic job of getting to the heart of freelancer issues in his Native Intelligence column on LA Observed.

TJ writes:

What's really going on here is the logical progression of media budget battles from the newsrooms of publication companies to the dining rooms of freelance writers and photographers.

With his own host of contract horror stories, including one that broke at the same time as the SPJ/NGS saga, resulting in his walking away from a paying gig, TJ writes poignantly about how the struggle for rights is a David and Goliath scenario. Certainly it's nothing new to independents:

It doesn't take long to imagine the logistical nightmare large publications would face if they allowed each and every independent writer or photographer to negotiate their own contract terms. For that reason, the one-size-fits-all agreement has been used, and verbally abused, by independents for years. But now, with more and more highly trained journalists being cut out of newsrooms and thrown on the freelancer woodpile, there might just be enough friction to light a fire. Already, many former full-timers have realized what their independent colleagues have known for years, that out here the rules are different.

(Bold is mine.)

He writes eloquently about the shift in trust that naturally occurs when you move from staffer to independent, an unwelcome change for most writers and, I suspect, many editors. He writes of the exhaustive time it takes to negotiate contracts and make even the simplest of changes, and he ponders how thousands of independents can effect meaningful change. Any suggestions?