Archive for February, 2008
The New York Times plans to cut 100 newsroom jobs. Yikes.
If you are interested in a journalism career, you’ll definitely want to listen to Part Two of my interview with Jim, and hear his thoughts on why and why not to go into that field right now.
In fact, this is such a huge issue that he and I are thinking of recording another show over the phone. Or Skype. Or Talkshoe. Some sort of newfangled long-distance talky-machine.
February 15th, 2008
Jim Geluso covers the city beat at the Bakersfield Californian.
- 0:45 - The Writing For Pay account on del.icio.us is no more. If you want to share a cool writing link, just tag your bookmark “writingforpay”.
- 1:02 - Wade is sick, but still he must write for pay.
- 2:39 - Wade sits down with Jim Geluso, a real live newspaper reporter.
- 2:50 - Journalism might be a type of writing that gets you laid, which disqualifies it from this podcast. Is this interview already over?
- 4:05 - The types of writing that Jim does for the paper.
- 6:45 - People want hard news from Washington D.C. and happy feature stories from their local area. Why?
- 7:58 - How Jim got started in writing - a passion for news and politics.
- 9:22 - Jim’s first paid writing job.
- 10:21 - The day to day challenges of journalism.
Jim’s City Beat blog at the Californian: http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/citybeat
Music by Morgansorange
February 13th, 2008
Wade interviews Jim Geluso, two-fisted news reporter for the Bakersfield Californian. In Part One, Jim discusses the difference between writing hard news and features, how the public’s reading habits are shaped by editorial decisions, his first paid writing job, and the day to day challenges that a reporter faces.
Show notes at www.writingforpay.org
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February 13th, 2008
Author John Scalzi offers some profoundly useful guidance to writers about money, correctly diagnosing most of us having as much financial sense “as chimps on crack.”
It’s a long essay, and I recommend you absorb every word of it. Here are his top points:
1. You’re a writer. Prepared to be broke.
2. Don’t quit your day job.
3. Marry (or otherwise shack up with) someone sensible with money, who has a real job.
4. Your income is half of what you think it is.
5. Pay off your credit cards NOW and then use them like cash later.
6. Don’t have the cash for it? You can’t have it.
7. When you do buy something, buy the best you can afford — and then run it into the ground.
8. Unless you have a truly compelling reason to be there, get the hell out of New York/LA/San Francisco.
9. Know the entire writing market and place value on your own work.
10. Writing is a business. Act like it.
Hilariously, in my marriage I’m the one with the real job. My wife is a full time self-employed artist. I’m a writer, but a salaried one.
February 13th, 2008
