Go! Go! Go Shorty! I Nominate @PunditThis for a Shorty Award in #Government because people should count in politics, not stump speeches

Up for a Shorty Award? Don't let those Hanging Chads get you down--there's a workaround!

Vote for Pundit This... for a Shorty Award.

Is anyone else up for a Shorty Award?


My website, PunditThis.com is, in the 'government' category.  The voting period ends at midnight on Feb. 17, so this is the final push to let people know how they can vote--it's quick and easy. I also wanted to take a minute to thank those who have already voted and let everyone know why this year's awards are so important to me.

Pundit This began eight months ago, on the vague idea that we should be able to discuss political topics on a site that is dedicated to how these issues personally affect our daily lives. I didn't really have a firm vision then, but that just my own voice wasn't enough.

It needed to be a collaboration, and a balance between news and commentary, in order to be meaningful.

It's a continuous work in progress--and that's not a bad thing.

For those of you that have been following along in recent months, you may have noticed that other writers' voices have been added. Something we were extremely excited to see come to fruition. Winning a Shorty Award would bring even more traffic and therefor more paid writers and voices to the site.

 
Have Uncounted Votes?

Have you seen my D.A.R.E. Bear?

Throwback Thursday

This post was going to go one of two ways: 1) Reminiscing on the first writing award I can remember receiving or 2) The same thing, plus a tangent on how much of a return on our investment we expect from our writing. Well, 1 + 2 = I can't find my D.A.R.E. Bear.

Not that I expect to find the actual teddy bear 20 years after winning it--I really don't know if I have it and it's cold in the garage--but I did fully think that I would at least be able to find a picture of him online. (Yes, 'it' is a 'him.')

Minus one traumatizing exception--his head was stuffed into an ATM, so I couldn't make a

Goals, SOPA, Tricks, Pics and the Super Bowl

I posted a short list of my 2012 writing goals as a separate page on this blog earlier today. Instead of worrying about what I have or have not completed in January, I'll start checking things off starting the first of next month.

Look for a progress report at the end of every month and some helpful tips in between. Shaping up to be an amazing year! Remember: Experience, Love and Achieve are the buzzwords!

The Spirit of Writing Goals Trump Actionable Lists

The spirit of my goals are my 2012 writing goals.

I'm going to fly in the face of conventional wisdom for a moment and state that nebulous aspirations are just as--if not more--important to writing goals than yearly navigational checklists. (Gasp!)

That's right. 

Because I believe that you need to know what state of being you want to be in, or view your work from, before you know in which direction to head. And all that comes before envisioning all the little steps (or epic leaps) it's going to take to get you there.

The spirit of your writing and the manner you embark upon doing it should matter. That should be the way in which your proceed, the momentum that carries you towards your goals--be it successfully starting a new

Railin' & Writin': My newest mobile office

Ha! Finally got the pic and formatting to stick. Anyways,
pretty sweet set-up, huh?

From somewhere in Mississippi... 

Welcome to my newest office, the 59 City of New Orleans train.

I love the technology that finds me barrelling towards the Big Easy and not missing an iota of work. If anything I've logged some overtime on writing projects.

Client work for the week is done and I've written ahead on one of my sports beats. Daily deadlines can be submitted from the hotel--from a less shaky desk than I'm presently working.

I'm feeling uber global at the moment and writer-at-large-like. Of course, all the mobile tech doesn't work for long without a good old fashioned electrical outlet. I'll be catching up on news on Wednesday. Until then I plan on soaking up the city. It's a great day to be a freelance writer. If I hadn't been awoken by being smacked in the arm by an Amtrak hat in Memphis, it would be an amazing day overall.

Late Nights, QuarkXPress & Conquering Evil Macs: College newspapers are freelancing bootcamps

Huge boxing gloves + deadline = true story

Throwback Thursday

I know, I know. You're thinking writing for a college newspaper is an obvious way to prepare for a freelance writing career. Of course it is--but not in the ways you think. The skills you gain go beyond learning how to write a lede, interview sources or design a page. What is really going on is on-the-fly training that will help you learn to take only the work you want, what elements are important and how to handle difficult clients.

What do you really want to write?

Eagerness is the bane of many budding journalists. It's nothing to agree to cover a concert, interview the student body president and profile the basketball team's star player--all for the next issue. The problem is finding the time to cover everything and turn in a quality article.

The paper has to be put to bed, whether you've gotten any sleep or not. A deadline is a deadline. So those hours you spent at the student union watching jumbo boxing instead of

Creating Mobile Websites for Freelance Writers

I've gone mobile! Have you? 

Smartphones are so integrated into our lives and how we find services that not having a mobile version of my freelance writing website was bordering on bad business. I remedied that lapse the other night in about 20 minutes, while waiting on the kitchen paint to dry. If just one client discovers me on their cell phone then that will be time well spent.

Tips for writers considering going mobile:

• If you don't know how to build a mobile website from scratch, avoid headaches and use a site builder.
• Landing page should be a short menu of options.
• Be accessible: leave multiple avenues for contact.