Recent Comments

To comment on any posting, click on the word 'Comments' at the end of the item.

« Desktop for a rainy day | Main | Wordy tattoo; Mp3s: Faces (early Rod Stewart); Gardening yet? »

March 22, 2007

Vonnegut's 8 rules for writing fiction; Edwards' bad news: News sites break it first but wrong; Gisele denies pregnancy

Not bad at writing rules, either: Kurt Vonnegut, Eight rules for writing fiction.

Readers will especially appreciate the first:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

This one's fresh:

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Worth the click.

The Internet made me do it: Some are blaming the Internet for Politico.com's rushing out with a one-source wrong story that John Edwards would suspend his presidential campaign because his wife Elizabeth would again be treated for cancer.

This is like blaming the telephone.

How Politico Got It Wrong by Ben Smith of Politico.com.
Source: "someone who speaks to Edwards."

When I first landed in this newsroom, way before we'd heard of the Internet, the old timers told me about an old slogan, "UPI gets it first, AP gets it right." This may still be true. Google News shows this:

Report: Edwards suspending campaign
United Press International - 10 hours ago
CHAPEL HILL, NC, March 22 (UPI) -- Politico.com reports Democrat John Edwards will suspend his campaign for the presidential nomination because of a ...

AP didn't run with it.

Many Get Edwards 'Scoop' Wrong -- Based on Single Source at Editor & Publisher. Reuters ran with a single source, too.

p.s.:
MSNBC: Brady's model girlfriend says she's not pregnant: Bundchen finally issues denial of earlier report she was having baby
Source: MSNBC News Services

Boston Globe: Bundchen bumps Brady baby rumors
Source: "a translation posted on the Brazilian website glamurama.com.br." -- which reported the pregnancy in the first place.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 11:11 PM | Permalink


my passport photo
blogging since 2002
garden blogs
archived headlines



Sheila Lennon
is features & interactive producer of projo.com, the Web site of
The Providence (R.I.) Journal

Rhode Island
Library Lookup:

Updated
See a book on Amazon,
reserve it at the library!
PPL

Drag the 'PPL' link above to your browser's personal toolbar folder or links toolbar; click PPL from a book's page at Amazon, etc., to search the library catalog and request the book

Subterranean Homepage News:
May « Jun 2008        
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          

Active projo blogs

7 to 7 News Blog
Politics Blog
Subterranean Homepage News
Sports Blog
Hoops Blog
PatsBlog
RunningBlog
SoxBlog
High School Sports
Bruins Blog
CarsBlog
Off Beat
Fishing: HotBytes
Garden Blog
Fantasy Sports Blog
Biz Blog

Guest blog
Sailing

Blogroll

Indexes & Group blogs

Greater R.I. Blogs
Providence Geeks
Unmediated
CyberJournalist: News Weblogs
BoingBoing
Ms. Magazine blogroll
What She Said!
Southern New England bloggers (Gone, but here are its links)
blogdex
Metafilter
Slashdot
Slashdot Politics
Blog Sisters
Shell Extension City
Daypop Top 40 Links
Lost Remote
Mirror project
I Want Media
Blogcritics
Microcontent News
E-Media Tidbits
Through the Viewfinder
Daily Rotation
news we can use
Popdex
Blog Search Engine

Bloggers
Jim Romenesko
Shelley Powers
Doc Searls
JD Lasica
Tom Mangan
Tom Matrullo
Tom Shugart
Kevin Moore
Rebecca Blood
Cory Doctorow
David Weinberger
Lou Josephs
Dan Gillmor
Making Light
Jeneane Sessum
Liz Donovan
Robot Wisdom
Grow-a-brain
J-Walk
Dave Winer
"Salam Pax"
Baghdad Burning
Ft. Boise
Henry Gould
Wayne Robins
FollowMe Here
kalilily time
Judy Watt
Obscure Store
plep
wood s lot
The Shifted Librarian

NASA image links
Multimedia gallery
Image exchange (search)
JSC Digital Image