Having some fun

Just realized I had not posted anything in almost a month. One reason is probably the same as everybody elses - way too busy. One reason I've been busy is I've been writing - and getting paid a little for it! But more importantly it forces me to write on deadlines. I'm writing for a small regional ag paper called Ozarks Farm and Neighbor. So far two articles - one on some sheep farmers in Ozark and one on a dairy farmer in Mt. Vernon - for anyone reading this outside southwest Missouri, both those towns are near Springfield.

What I have found so far is that I really enjoy this. I like to talk to people and ask them questions. I may have missed my calling. I like the interview process.

What is hard is going back home and taking all my hastily scribbled notes and my recording (I still use a decade-or-more old Olympus PearlCorder) and trying to make sense of all of it.

What I also find hard is editing. On my sheep story I was told to write 700 words. My first draft - before I had even listened to my tape - was about 2,000 words. I edited. Listened to the tape. Edited some more and ended up with about 1,000 words. I told the editor I just couldn't cut anymore. She was fine with that and promptly took out the extra 300 words. The story reads fine but of course as a writer I like ALL my words - not just some of them.

On my second story I was only slightly better. Started with 1,400 words and got down to 700 for a 600 word assignment. I haven't seen how she will cut it down - the pub date is mid-June. (Maybe she gave me a 600 word limit knowing I'd never make it but might get close.)

I have permission to post them in other places but right now our farm website is not up and running. Need some time and design help to make that a reality.

One side-benefit of this little writing deal - my wife and I get to work together. The publication needs pictures and I am lousy with a digital camera - something about moving the camera before the shutter closes or something. All my pictures are blurry. My wife has a steady hand and can take pretty decent pictures. I've just given her a few pointers on things like head-room, framing, backgrounds etc. a but she's doing pretty good.

I/we spend way too much time on each assignment. On a per hour basis for the first story I/we made about $2-3/ hours after expenses for gas, batteries, blank CDs etc. On the second one we should do slightly better but not too much.

But that's OK. I take a 1/2 day off my day-job, we spend some time together driving to locations, she enjoys talking to people too, and then we spend some time editing the photos.

Ozarks Farm and Neighbor's web-site is a little behind - the April 30 edition is still up. Once the May 21st is up, I'll update this link to it so you can read the articles.