Go for the gold: better one great column and some undistinguished ones than constant mediocrity.
I grew up in an environment of jokes and sarcasm and puns. I talk that way, so I write that way.
Don't commit to being a columnist unless you're willing to do it right. Report your behind off, so you have something original and useful to say. Say it in a way that will interest someone other than you, your family and your sources.
When I started writing a business column 15 years ago, I knew I'd found the perfect job for myself. As a columnist I could pick my own topic, do my own analysis, say what I wanted to say and attribute it to myself. Best of all, I could write in my own voice.
Teamwork is better than isolation, especially for a columnist.
Report, report, report. Dig, dig, dig. Think, think, think. Don't stop being a reporter because you've become a columnist.
I've spent my career trying to help people without connections understand what's going on so that they have a chance of getting a fair shake from the connected and the powerful.
I don't tolerate whining, I look at people & say 'you're a victim, it's not your fault' figure our how to survive!
