Sometimes in life, you can’t help but feel beaten down. It seems that anything and everything can go wrong all at once. This week has been one of those for me as a homeowner. My dishwasher is dead, my refrigerator’s motor went caput, my carport started leaking, the check engine light on my car popped… Continue reading Trudging Through ‘Maintain’ Mode
Category: Writing
The Snow-Covered Editor-Writer Relationship
This weekend, my mom got on me about not shoveling the snow off my driveway after the Midwest was pummeled with 12 inches of winter wonderland-ness. My response? “We have 4-wheel drive. Why do we need to shovel?” I’ll spare you with the ‘you should think of others’ lecture I received after she tried to… Continue reading The Snow-Covered Editor-Writer Relationship
Productivity: One Wet Dog at a Time
For the past few days, I’ve had the house to myself. It sounds like a wonderful thing – time to complete all of those tasks that I’ve been putting off, time to sit back, relax and catch up on TV shows, and time to do all of those things I’ve wanted to do, yet I’ve been too busy to accomplish. Wrong. It is a horrible thing, especially for productivity. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
How Writing is Like Dancing
I’ve never been much of a dancer. Besides a few wedding receptions, 20-something bachelorette parties and a teen party, I don’t usually show off my dancing moves for all to see.. That doesn’t mean that I don’t try to pop, lock and drop it for the sake of embarrassing my kids, but I’m not an expert by any means. My daughter, though, is an avid dancer and has performed in recitals for the past five years. I sit in awe each recital weekend, amazed at the determination these dancers have and the grace they exhibit with each number. When I watch my daughter dance with her peers, I’m reminded of how dancing is such a beautiful art of expression – just like writing.
I’m a Scaredy Cat Writer
It may sound incredibly ironic for me to admit, as a teacher of writing and an active freelance writer, that I am deathly afraid of writing. With every project I begin, fear consumes me and I initially panic. I doubt myself and sadly, procrastinate. And then, I breathe and realize that I’m human.
Inspiring Summer Reading Program
When I was younger, I loved to read – everything from each book in the Sweet Valley High series to magazines and newspapers. This love of reading inspired my love of writing. I would read books and articles and try to mimic the style, the action and the flow that engaged me for hours on end. Over the years, time has not been kind to my love of reading. Between preparing for my classes, running kids to soccer games and dance lessons and maintaining somewhat of a clean house, the hours turned to minutes (and often these minutes consisted of keeping up with my RSS feeds on my mobile phone). My children, though, have found the time to read and they read hours on end, especially when the cable is out or their Nintendo DS games need to be charged. [More...] Since my schedule allows me to spend the summers at home (for the most part), I’ve always wanted to launch a summer reading program with them. My initial idea was to make it a game or a contest, with prizes for thousand and million word readers. But, ultimately, I’ve been hesitant because I don’t want reading to become a chore, like homework … This summer, though, they launched it for me. In fact, my daughter was most inspired on the last day of her parish school religion class last week. Our parish priest challenged each child to read a gospel from the Bible before the fall semester. She pushed aside her Babysitter’s Club books and the Twilight series and cracked open the big book. Each day, I have been inspired watching my daughter pick up her Bible and read a few passages, eager to accomplish this goal. I was touched that she was taking her faith seriously and inspired that she was seeking information to guide her on a daily basis. As we were sitting outside today, soaking up some sun – my daughter with her Bible and hand and me on my MacBook – I leaned over and asked her which gospel she chose to read. She smiled, giggled a little, and said, “Mark. Father Joe told me it was the shortest.” I may have jumped the gun with my awe of her dedication, but I’m still quite inspired by her clever thinking. Happy Summer Reading! - Shannon Philpott Blog Entry: May 28, 2010 © Shannon Philpott, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Shannon Philpott and shannonphilpott.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Editors Fix. Coaches Build.
In almost every newsroom – student or professional – the animosity between copy editors and writers is often strained. Copy editors profess about commas and fragments passionately. Writers hold onto their text as if someone is trying to rob every ounce of their being. Both parties have legitimate concerns. However, when treacherous debates occur, honestly, they defeat the purpose of what both parties are trying to accomplish – producing better copy. Suggestions are misconstrued as personal attacks. Personal attacks question each person’s character, strain efforts and diminish talents. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Story Sources are E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E
One common complaint that I field in my journalism classes is that students have difficulty finding sources for stories. “So-and-so won’t talk to me because I’m not a ‘real’ reporter” or “I sent three e-mails, but I never heard back” is what I typically hear. My first response: You ARE a real reporter, so act as if. My second response: Pick up the phone. Don’t rely on e-mail. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Meaty Story or Milky Mess?
I’ve never been one to rush out the night before a “predicted” snow storm and buy up all the milk and bread on the shelves. In fact, I often refuse to go anywhere near the stores when a storm is brewing, especially since I don’t even like milk very much. But, nevertheless, the rush of a “predicted” storm sends people into panic mode. They break out the survival skills and fill the fridge with necessities as if they will be snowed in for days. Snow day panic mode is very similar to a journalist’s or writer’s looming deadline. We know it’s coming sometimes days or weeks before and we know what needs to be done, yet we don’t break out our survival skills until 10 minutes before closing time. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Proud to Sweat the Small Stuff
If you know me well, you know how I fret over the little things. It irritates me when wet towels are left on the floor, when dishes are in the sink and my counters are cluttered. It irritates me when my newspaper students don’t even the text off at the end of each story or leave half-empty soda cans next to brand new Macs in the newsroom. It irritates me when periods are outside of quotation marks, when story leads don’t have a hook and when text is bold or italics within an article. I sound neurotic already, but in my mind, the little things really do matter, no matter how much I get irritated. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 