1. Adopt multiple mentors. Build a support and feedback team (They help you fight all the self-confidence trashing forces!). Go to writer's conferences and conventions. Read books and magazines about writing of all kinds. Then using your best judgment without imposing limitations on yourself, try out as much as you can, and keep what works for you. As you grow, be willing to mentor others.
2. Be born an extravert or at least practice being one. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Join many different organizations related to writing, journalism, public relations, etc., especially those with local meetings (attend them), and keep your membership for at least a year until you determine if it's useful or not. If you can't afford membership dues, at least attend occasional meetings as a guest. Volunteer your time at the meetings and be willing to be an officer when the time comes. [Society of Professional Journalists: www.spj.org or www.spj.org/cleveland; National Writer's Union: www.nwu.org; American Society of Journalists & Authors: www.asja.org; Press Club of Cleveland: www.pressclubcleveland.com]
3. Remember that editors are not authoritarian figures, your Mom, your Dad, or your boss you never got along with. Treat them as partners in making the article the best it can be.
4. Use professional tools and methods: computer, email, anti-virus software, high quality printer, fax machine, 35 mm or digital camera, tape recorder, Dictaphone, dictionary, thesaurus, concise query letters, SASE, current Writer's Market, etc. Maintain paper/spreadsheet/database records to track the progress of your queries and articles. Be accessible: have high quality telephones (listed phone number), headset, and professional voice mail.
5. Have a business advisor or business manager to help with managing finances, progress reports, and all the picky details that keep you away from writing (or give you excuses to not write!).
6. Be respectful to interviewees, thank them for their time, notify them of the publication date, and provide them with a copy of the article if they don't have access to the publication. Whenever possible, send a thank you note in writing.
7. Do assignments when you receive them instead of waiting for the deadline. Editors appreciate early delivery, your time is free if there is a rush of assignments, and your stress level will drop. If this sounds boring, and you need the adrenaline rush, play a game with yourself to see how many days you can beat the deadline by.
8. Be accurate: Tape interviews and transcribe key quotes. Call and read quotes back to people if they request it, seem nervous about what you might write, have been misquoted in the past, or you are uncertain about what they meant.
9. Make friends with your library reference desk staff as resources, and read regularly and widely. Watch for writing you admire and try it out.
10. Follow a code of ethics (SPJ and ASJA both have one). Be conscious of the impact of your words on the lives of others. Work to improve the reputation of journalists.
11. Keep a 6-12 month view calendar with holidays marked on it immediately next to your computer so you can easily type the date in your notes when you are doing phone interviews, plan how long an assignment might take, and use it as a reference during goal setting.
12. Use an electronic calendar like Outlook that allows you to set an electronic reminder that an interview is coming up. This way, if you are deep in the middle of writing, you won't forget to either call the person or leave for the appointment. Setting a timer when you are cooking or doing laundry, so you don't forget what else is going on in your life, is also helpful!
13. Buy a used Dictaphone machine for listening to or transcribing parts of tapes from interviews. It automatically backspaces a few words and you can slow the tape down, helpful features not on tape recorders.
14. Keep your current project folders in a rack on your desk - one color for journalism stories and a different color for any other kind of writing project. When a project is submitted to a client or editor, put it in alphabetical order in separate section of a file drawer for pending files. Once you have received the final copy of the story or the client has signed off on the project, then project files go to their permanent location and journalism files go to theirs. This way, you won't lose track of obtaining the final published clips and payment for your work.
15. Use a scanner for making single copies of documents - much less time consuming than running to the library or copy center.
16. Ask your phone company to set up your phone with codes so you can track which calls go to which story or client. When your bill comes, all calls are separated out by code, making it very easy to invoice editors or clients for the charges associated with their project. Some phone companies only allow 20 different codes; others are set for about 100. Keep a log (make one in Excel or Word) of the call code, the story or project name, the publication, the start date for using the code, and a place to check off when you are no longer using that code and can use it for a different project. You can print the log sheet and mark on it by hand or maintain it electronically - whatever works easier for you.
17. If you do many telephone interviews, buying a good quality headset is a must to save strain on your neck and back while you write or type your notes as you listen. Radio Shack can also set you up with options to allow you to record your interviews in case you need to re-listen to a quote later.
18. Guard your physical well-being while you write and work at the computer. Magnetic wrist bands tend to help prevent carpal tunnel or keep it under control if you already have it. Use a wrist support. Raise your monitor up to eye level so you aren't bending your neck all day--an old phone book works. Invest in a good chair with lumbar support and sit up straight. Use a headset instead of scrunching your phone between your ear and shoulder. Have enough light so that you aren't straining and squinting to see. Arrange your desk so you aren't struggling to reach basic things like your stapler. Take nature breaks and go breathe the fresh air every once in awhile--shovel snow, rake leaves, repot a flower, water the garden, refill the birdbath, mow the lawn...or just sit and look at the trees or stars.
    

©Susanne M. Alexander, Western Reserve Writer's Mini-Conference, March 23, 2002