It’s been a season of change for me. Winter has turned out to be much more like spring for us this year in the U.P. – much warmer temperatures overall and much less snow than past years. While hubs and I are not native Yoopers, we have lived here in Marquette 14 years now. We’ve experienced quite a few winters.
This nearly snowless winter has delivered another change for me. I recently started working at the local daily newspaper as a reporter. This line of work isn’t new to me. I worked at newspapers for more than 20 years in Tennessee, mostly as a reporter. The opportunity for the reporter job here just kind of presented itself, and I realized I had missed the work. I started out as a cub reporter all those years ago young and green, sort of like Jimmy Olson. Much older now, I’m more akin to Lois Lane. Okay, so I may be closer in age to Editor Perry White.
And this go-round I had, and seized, the option to work part time, instead of some of the long crazy hours I worked in my twenties. Newswriting hasn’t changed much. Inverted pyramid, or starting with the most important information and writing down to the more parenthetical information, still works well for readers who often don’t read the whole story.
AP (Associated Press) style has changed a bit. I’m still getting up to speed with that. For example, in almost all cases we used to write “percent” Now the preferred usage is almost always “ %.” I attribute this change to the influence of textng. After just a few weeksI’m already falling into the rhythm of the newsroom again.
When we first moved to Marquette for my husband’s new job, I found myself retired from newspaper reporter and quickly found myself working on what would become my first published novel. I have five published novels on the shelf, but have been running low on ink on the pages of my most recent novel attempts. I hope that being back in the habit of writing news every day is going to prime the pump for my fiction writing. Wish me luck!
Is there a job or hobby you find hard to pick up again if you’ve gotten out of the habit? Writes: does writing go better for you if you write every day?
Chicks on the Case 
Vickie, congratulations! That’s so cool. I hope you share some of your stories with us. Honestly, I find everything hard to pick up if I’ve been away from it for a while. When I’m writing a manuscript, I write Monday through Friday, so I’m not always in manuscript head zone. It’s not fair to my family. But boy, is it tough to get back in the groove on Monday morning!
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You are a rock star, El! Just hope I can conjure up some of your writing mojo!
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Congratulations on the job, Vicki. Yes, please share.
Yes, it can be a little bit of a grind to get back in the groove after a day or so off. But being determined helps.
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My home keyboard may need a little WD-40 to get back up to speed on fiction!
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Best wishes to you on the reporting gig, Vickie! My routine is to write/revise 6 days a week. It’s important for me to give the writing brain a regular break. A couple of years ago, after getting through some intense deadlines, I took 6 weeks off from writing. When I got back to it, there were some fits and starts. But I eventually worked out the kinks.
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I’ve taken some time away from writing too, JC. Unlike you, however, I’m *still* not back at it. I keep telling myself that draft is really marinating and when I get back to the revision, I’ll know exactly what to do!
That’s interesting about your new gig, Vickie! Do you get to choose your own stories?
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Sometimes I have the idea and sometimes it’s the editor’s idea!
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Six days a week is very disciplined, J.C.!
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AND winter is back today, the 18th of March! This Alabama girl is freezing up here! Luckily its only for a little while. Congratulations in your job! A real newspaper is so nice to read.
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Winter is making at least a brief appearance here today, too!
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Vicki, amazing that you embrace the ‘yooper’ life. I’m a Michigan gal, more central of the mitten, and wondered occasionally upnorth. Marveled at the open space, scurried back to the middle…afraid winter would arrive too soon and there I’d be! But for the writer’s life..what a grand place to be. Congrats on digging back into reporting.
I’ve found that writing something every day is a must. I agonize if I don’t…even if I don’t meet my goal, my head is still better off with some writing accomplished. I’ve written more being away from people, activities that occurred in Mich. Had to escape the winters…I’m more isolated than I thought I’d ever be. Which goes to show you, I would have done just fine as a ‘yooper’….maybe would have been more successful, too! By the way, your story definitely fits above the fold…thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Wil
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Wila, you know that Yoopers refer to folks downstate as trolls— because you live below the bridge! Haha
All the top stories go above the fold! 😉
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Congratulations, Vickie!! That is so exciting. I’m glad you’re scratching that writing itch because I love your writing voice. ❤
I definitely feel Tin Man rusty if I haven’t written for a while. My fiction-writing muscles have atrophied!
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Don’t believe that atrophy thing for a second, Kathy!
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Thanks, Kathy! So far, I’m enjoying building up those reporter muscles.
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Yay on your new job, Vickie! What articles have you recently written?
I do miss working with older adults, but I love crafting stories. I write on the weekdays so I can reserve weekends for family time (and a brain break).
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Lately I’ve written several business stories, including one about a new indoor mini golf course where the player is abducted by space aliens and makes choices in an interactive story to escape the aliens!
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How cool is that, Vickie! You have to share the links to some of your stories! I was in the journalism class in 8th grade but clearly wasn’t much of a Jimmy Olsen, as not one of my stories got published in the school paper. But I sure loved when we got to take a field to see the workings of the “L.A. Times” newspaper!
The thing that’s hardest for me to pick up if I stop for more than a week or two is cycling–because boy, do I get saddle sore!
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Biking keeps your legs in shape, girl!
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And your butt, too, apparently!
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Vickie, congratulations!! How exciting! Can’t wait to hear (and read) your stories. I bet you won’t be able *stop* writing now, lol. Sounds like your new career in itself would be a great premise for a bestselling book series. And then a TV series and…
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Ha, don’t know about that, Lisa!
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