Eating Write: Brain Food for Writers

Walt Whitman fancied oysters and steak for breakfast. F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed apples and canned meat helped him concentrate. Truman Capote survived on mint tea and martinis when deep into his work. Three of the greatest writers in the entire world, and no thank you…I think I’ll stick to chewing gum and drinking coffee.

All Out

A Lesson in Growth

The following is something I'm not so proud of, but it is something that brought me to where I am now. A lesson in growth.

Is Harmony and Balance Possible?

How can you tell if there is true harmony and balance in your life? I used to ask that of myself often. I wondered how I would know if I had reached the zenith of balance and harmony in my life. I began to realize there is no zenith. It's a constant struggle to keep things balanced, so where is the harmony. The simple fact is that it is what we make it to be. What is for us may not be for others. So there is no real answer anyone can give but to themselves.

My life, as lived by Kutcher's Law—By: Melissa Van Hoorne

I awake every morning and repeat Audrey Hepburn's quote as a quiet mantra: “Nothing is impossible: the word itself says I'm possible!”, otherwise, my day isn't quite the same. I created my magazine, This Freelancer Life (Shameless plug – thisfreelancerlife.com), because it is a life full of possibilities and, to my surprise, expressing these possibilities has become very popular with other freelancers! I can't say I'm surprised at the success due to the lack of content in the marketplace relating to the everyday freelancer, but I remain humbled by it nonetheless. I never, ever take anything for granted.

Criticism: The Door to Self-Improvement

Most people hate criticism. We feel personally attacked if someone gives us an honest opinion and it's not the opinion we hoped for. We have done our absolute best at something and want recognition for our accomplishments. We are hurt if anyone finds fault or points out something from a different perspective. Even if somewhere inside us we secretly agree, it is instinct to protect our hard work and so we puff up our egos to sow disdain in their criticism. "Who are they to judge us?" we ask ourselves; when we probably asked for their opinion is the first place. They veered from the script we had intended to hear from them, and we are not amused.

Motivated Against My Will

Sometimes motivation is expected of us, before being asked if we want to be motivated in the first place. People assume we will be over the moon about something, when we haven't had the time to contemplate any possible interest. Other times there are tasks we need to tackle that makes burning at the stake seem more attractive. Such is life, full of surprise and mystery and the mundane. Who really wants to clean out the rain gutters on a sunny, Saturday afternoon...not me, but it might be the only free time I have to get it done, so I do it. I try to think of what enjoyable activity I may have to look forward to later.

Working From Home: Julia's Story

 

What follows is a fictional account based on interviews and comments submitted by actual people who were, or are currently working from home. Any similarities between the character, Julia, and any other living person are strictly accidental. Julia is a composite created to observe a hypothetical, work from home, scenario.

Julia is thirty-two. She graduated high school then attended a local community college. Julia finished college in 1998, with an AA in psychology, fully intending to follow a career in social work. However, finding the entry-level job market slim in her community, Julia winds up waiting tables at a local pub for tips, where she meets her current husband. After dating a few years, they are married in 2003. In early 2005, she gives birth to their first child. Julia waited tables up until three weeks of her due date before taking maternity leave. Money was tight for the growing family; dreams of being a social worker seemed to be slipping away from her.

Journalists Code Of Ethics

Seek Truth and
Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

— Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
— Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
— Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
— Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
— Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
— Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
— Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
— Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
— Never plagiarize.
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
— Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
— Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
— Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
— Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
— Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
— Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
— Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.