Phew. I just wrapped up my July Campaigns & Elections column. It’s a surprisingly large amount of work to produce 425 words once a month. (Actually, there are just ten issues a year. I cannot even guess in which two months I’m not expected to produce a column.) I can toss out a 425 word blog entry without thinking twice, but a column for a magazine is so much more real. I feel a bit stupid even writing that — real? It’s no less real. But those of y’all who read this blog know me, either in person or by virtue of following my blog. If I write something really stupid, you understand that not everything that I write is really stupid. In C&E, I only get ten opportunities each year — perhaps ever — to demonstrate that I’m not a drooling moron.
Anyhow, column’s done. It’s about lesser-known national political blogs that I really like. You can read it in print in July or, failing that, in September when I can blog it.
The great thing about blogs is that if you mess up you can just edit it. Once something’s in print, it might as well be in stone.
Isn’t that the truth! Just like the “undo” button on my computer programs, I have found that “edit” is another great friend.
Although having once put a woman on the “pubic” relations committee, I try to be a lot better at my writing of and checking for stupid stuff. Both my proofreading partner at school and I missed that one and have never forgotten how mortified we were, let alone how that lady felt when it was brought up later jokingly at an open meeting.
Once burned…