Gymnastic Classes

Stories B, C, and D would have to wait patiently in the wings until the star of the show, story A, had been thoroughly researched, absorbed, written, polished, and turned in to the editor. Only then could story B move to center stage. It was a tidy, organized approach to writing — giving my all to every project, one project at a time - and, for many years, it worked flawlessly. That was back when all I did was write. I had no other job responsibilities, which made it a perfect arrangement. My pattern was so ingrained and accepted by everyone that, when I was ready to write, I was permitted to do it at home. This was unheard of in the context of the magazine for which I worked. At first, my editor was aghast. “Haven’t you ever worked for a newspaper?” he would bark. “Good reporters can write in the middle of a three-ring circus.” “No,” I would reply. “I have never worked for a newspaper, and I can’t write in the middle of a three-ring circus.” Of course, writing in one room, while eve …

Stories B, C, and D would have to wait patiently in the wings until the star of the show, story A, had been thoroughly researched, absorbed, written, polished, and turned in to the editor. Only then could story B move to center stage. It was a tidy, organized approach to writing — giving my all to every project, one project at a time - and, for many years, it worked flawlessly. That was back when all I did was write. I had no other job responsibilities, which made it a perfect arrangement. My pattern was so ingrained and accepted by everyone that, when I was ready to write, I was permitted to do it at home. This was unheard of in the context of the magazine for which I worked. At first, my editor was aghast. “Haven’t you ever worked for a newspaper?” he would bark. “Good reporters can write in the middle of a three-ring circus.” “No,” I would reply. “I have never worked for a newspaper, and I can’t write in the middle of a three-ring circus.” Of course, writing in one room, while eve …