Keep it simple

Had one of those days where I feel like a rabbit that ran very fast on a treadmill and went nowhere.

The work day started well enough:I had a strong lead for a story could turn into a potential lead for the publication I write for.

Unfortunately, I got bogged down with the details during the writing process. This made the story seem more complicated and the writing process took longer than it should have.

I also lost the essence of it all, and ended up with a mishmash of facts that had no context. This annoyed my chief sub-ed no end - she had a deadline to meet too.

So I cut, trimmed, rewrote, reviewed the finished tale and wrote again until I was sick of it all. I wanted the day to end so I could go home and hide under the covers.

Now that part of my day is over, it occurs to me that I should have used the very same skills that are required when writing for children on my journalistic story: Keep it simple.

It would have saved me a lot of stress.