This week I continued to share and comment on my journal entries from my first year as a freelancer, showing the move from independent contractor to newspaper reporter.
I abandoned my attempts to post each entry on the anniversary of the original date. Instead I’ll continue to make these entries chronological and try to catch up, but we’re still behind the cycle by nearly a month.
Back-posting the newest entries to match the dates on the journal meant they did not rise to the top of the home page. Worse, they were practically invisible in WordPress Reader, through which about half the visitors find this site. I experimented with this for about a week. Despite a sticky post at the top of the page and several other hints, readers still weren’t finding the newest stories. They are now.
I’ll continue to work on these posts over the coming weeks in an attempt to catch up. Blog posts are quick turnaround projects that I can do in an hour or so.
In contrast, working on larger projects like a book requires concentration. I am continuing on the bubble wrap history, but I ran into a part where I appear to be covering the same material twice. I need to step away from the project for a bit so I can figure out where I am. Fortunately, it will be a couple of weeks before I can dedicate whole days to this project. By then I should be ready.
In case you missed it …
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In Other Words … Season 2, Episode 19
Reading Time: 2 minutes Many people don’t even have the time or focus for an entire book. The culture of short videos and podcasts has taken over, to our detriment.
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Top-of-the-head inventory, 1979
Reading Time: 2 minutes “Items in Stock” was, in truth, a misnomer. Some were complete, or ready for a final draft or a rewrite. Others were ideas or characters in search of a plot.
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Award-winning coverage? (1979)
Reading Time: 3 minutes Newspapers have associations, which sponsor competitions. But it’s a long trip from “thinking of sending it” to actually receiving an award.
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A dead-end job? (1979)
Reading Time: 2 minutes Now, Howard. Listen carefully. It’s important to be honest with a potential employer. But there’s such a thing as being TOO honest.