The nice thing about writing a pre determined multi day series is you know exactly when and hopefully what you are going to pen.
Thus a bit about short form story telling.
The precursor to blog, column or for that matter IMO writing occurred at a Poynter Institute seminar in Portland.
Dave Johnson, a reporter for the Lewiston, Id Tribune had published a soft cover book with his best columns entitled Everybody Has a story.
While the idea stuck the ideas fell by the wayside until I decided to research his column idea which amounted to calling names in the phone book until you foundf someone that would allow an interview instead of feeling an imposition.
Invariably he said you find someone in the first two or three calls.
So I tried it and indeed discovered that most people live a routine life but indeed everybody does have a story. You just need to convince them to tell it with you.
With a couple of such columns in hand I marched into the editors office and pitched the idea for the B cover of the Monday newspaper.
At the time it was called the Neighbors page and alas I wrote in that particular vein for some time before inner-office took away the opportunity and I continued to now write mostly for the business pages.
But after leaving the paper the advertising later to be editor pitched me to write a daily blog and to be paid by the day which appealed to me. And I don’t think I ever missed writing more than 500 stories many of whicvh along the lines of Everybody.
And along came the editor of the Flathead Beacon who suggested I write a column. I ws unsure of my column per se abilities and initi
Initiallyally I balked but eventually I relented and wrote for the paper’s back page.
So you see pitching the radio station In my Opinmion rally was just an extension of that book so many moons ago.
Yet when I tell people they have a compelling story hidden deep in their soul or somewhere, the answer usually is negative.
Yet most relent with the notion what can it hurt – well maybe uncle fred.
And it also doesn’t hurt to be a people watcher and places like the Trade Fair are amazing fodder that attracts my attention
What is it that paul havey, who started his career at KGV O said
Just sayin’
