โ€˜Itโ€™s a Privilege To Be a Professional Writerโ€™

Roger ShirleyBlog, Insights, Inspiration

Like a lot of great writers, The Tennesseanโ€™s David Plazas developed a love for writing as a child. โ€œI was a very introverted, shy kid. At the time, writing was an outlet for me, and I loved creative writing.โ€ Still, Plazas โ€“ the Opinion and Engagement director for the USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee and The Tennessean, where he serves as editorial writer, opinion columnist, Op-Ed editor and an editorial board member โ€“ never considered journalism for a career when he was younger. The U.S.-born son of Colombian and Cuban immigrants was being guided by his parents to pick one of …

Best News โ€˜Ledeโ€™ Ever?

Roger ShirleyBlog, Insights

July 21, 1969, was a big day for me. It was my 14th birthday, and 14 seemed so much cooler, so much older than 13. I was ready to leave the teen-age apprenticeship year behind and get on with it. I was also heading to Huntsville to play with the Fort Payne, Ala., Little League All-Star team in a regional baseball tournament. I was pumped about making the team, but even more so for the chance to go on a road trip with my buddies that would include a couple of nights in a motel. (It had a pool!) As …

Writerโ€™s Block: Clear Your Garbled Mind and Push On

Roger ShirleyBlog 5 Comments

โ€œKeep typing until it turns into writing.โ€ โ€“ David Carr (RIP), New York Times When I think of writerโ€™s block, I mostly envision some great mid-20th century literary figure chain smoking Lucky Strikes, drinking shots of cheap bourbon and staring blankly at a Royal manual typewriter. But itโ€™s an equal opportunity affliction that on occasion can strike anyone, from veteran communications professionals to engineers, to people writing a note on their Christmas cards. (Lawyers seem to be immune.) Fortunately or not, I learned to write as a reporter working for a morning daily newspaper. There was no such thing as …

Blog on Writerโ€™s Block Progressing Slowly, But in the Meantime โ€ฆ

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After a two-year hiatus, Iโ€™ve decided to start posting the #RogerThat blog again on a regular basis. Sort of. Iโ€™m actually going to link to another blog to buy time while I continue working on a piece about overcoming writerโ€™s block. Iโ€™ve been working on it now for 18 months, and I just canโ€™t get past the first two paragraphs, which I have rewritten 37 times. So stay tuned. In the meantime, hereโ€™s a blog from my new friend Joe Diorio, a former journalist and PR pro who is now a โ€œsemiretiredโ€ writer and editor in Nashville. Thanks, Joe. http://conta.cc/2yKYJml