Am I Nuts?

My writing and editing background is diverse, shall we say: Christian book publishers, independent book co-publishers, automotive magazines, how-to e-content. Now, I seem to have added mommy blogging to the list, rather unintentionally.

I love cloth diapering my baby girl, and am always looking for ways to save even more money on the super-cute modern kind of cloth diapers. I happened to comment on a cloth diaper blog post about how I’d love to see a post on the subject of saving money, because so many cloth diapering moms spend loads of money on their fluff habits.

They asked me to write it! I did write it… they didn’t want the post after all because it promoted so many sites other than theirs (they are associated with a cloth diaper shop). So, I gave it to another cloth diaper blog not associated with a shop, and she happily posted the info so it wouldn’t go to waste.

Anyway, the question is this: am I nuts? Not about diapers; that’s rather obvious, but about further diversifying the already wide range of subjects I work with? Sure, I enjoy writing practically anything, but is this spreading myself too thin? Failing to brand my skills properly? Or, is this the kind of ability (do anything! do it yesterday!) that is necessary in this economy? It’s bugging me, even though I’m super-excited to see more of my stuff in print. (My latest article in Automobile Quarterly is coming out next issue, too, lol. Car collections and diapers… like I said, kind of weird, but I love it all!) What do you think?

The Way Forward?

Caernarfon One Way Sign

Do you know anyone who is getting creative in their job hunt because of the economy? My dad just volunteered to work as an engineer for a local biomedical start-up in order to get biomedical on his resume: I think he’s pretty tired of the instability of the auto industry. I also recently heard of a media executive in New York volunteering for a blog in order to get some new media skills while she looked for a new job. Slim pickings in that industry as well. (Yes, I work in the cross-section of automotive AND media. Brilliant.) Obviously no one wants to work for free, but with the job market as stagnant as it is, it seems like a good idea to get some new experience and skills while job hunting. Do you know anyone who is getting creative in their search for a way forward into a new job or industry? Anyone who is starting or funding a new company in a creative way? Please let me know in comments. I can’t wait to see all the innovation that will come out of these hard times.

Drunk Uncle Industries

Wow, over two months since I posted last! Our beautiful daughter was born in late May, and I haven’t had a chance to write more than an email since. It’s funny to me that after following GM’s decline for years, I had to hear they went into bankruptcy from my husband’s grandmother, because I hadn’t been listening to the news while recovering from childbirth. What a crazy few months it has been for everyone.

Now I hear that GM is being allowed to put all its viable parts in a “new GM,” while getting rid of the “old GM” and all its liabilities. What a deal! Can I get the same arrangement? Do you think the government, now that it is a majority stakeholder, realizes this is the only way to make GM profitable again? What about the consequences of promising the moon to the unions for so many years, or of building shoddy cars or not thinking long-term about consumer demand? Companies who behaved like this used to fail, and that was a good and fair thing–painful but better for everyone in the long run.

The bailouts of Wall Street and the auto industry have served a purpose–to keep the world from sliding into a Depression as a result of America’s greed–but it’s all starting to look a lot like that family you know who enables their drunk uncle to continue his bad behavior so he won’t embarrass the family or have to face his inner pain. I am acutely aware of the consequences a failed auto industry would have for Michigan and the country, but I’m starting to worry that if the government keeps using magic tricks to avoid the consequences of deregulation and excess, we are going to have a much bigger price to pay down the road… or my daughter will.

On GM Management

Photo © GM Corp.

Rick Wagoner is stepping down. Chrysler is trying to merge with Fiat. Ford is laying low and putting on a brave face. My friends and family working at GM are on edge. It’s tough to watch this unfold when you know so many people who could be devastated by the likely outcome (hmm, including myself I suppose). I’m not looking to make any big preachy statements on the situation. I just find myself thinking again today about management problems. GM’s still got ‘em, big-time.

The company has had bloated management ranks for years, and when a company is tasked with laying off a certain number of workers, it’s simply not common for the dud manager in charge of making cuts to lay himself off. So, even if Dudley the manager makes good decisions about which employees under him to let go, the company is still stuck with Dudley. Dudley has kids to feed and no job prospects, and he’s not going anywhere.

I know, Dudley has a manager who can decide to lay him off, but in a crisis, Dudley’s manager is not going to remove the person taking care of the next layer of people below her. Someone’s got to manage the department and keep track of the projects in progress. Dudley stays. Dudley’s employees who had job prospects left several years ago when they saw the oncoming train. Everyone else is too stressed to do their work properly. Anyone know how to fix this? GM would like to hear from you. Please call the Renaissance Center, and ask to speak with Dudley’s manager’s manager’s manager’s manager.

Mad Libs

Introducing the 2010 Toyota Prius, part of this complete eco-friendly experience.

As an editor, do you ever see the same darn copy coming across your desk, with a few nouns and verbs changed out? As a writer, do you ever get stuck in a formula for writing a certain type of article or story?

My local newspaper’s website, Mlive.com, just posted this lovely piece of copy to their homepage, (sorry, Mlive):

“Heading to Detroit this weekend for the North American International Auto Show? MLive.com has you covered with what you’ll need to know and everything you’ll want to see. With dozens of electric and hybrid vehicles taking center stage, be ready for an eco-friendly experience.”

Nothing really wrong with writing a little blurb like this on deadline, right? But I swear I’ve seen this exact copy, with a tweak here and there, on my desk about 100 times, AND on MSNBC, AND on pretty much any other news site with a “weekend guide.” Is this the weekend guide formula? Let’s break this down into a mad lib and see how hard this little piece of copy can be made to work:

“_VERB_ing to _NOUN_ this weekend for the _ADJECTIVE_ _NOUN_? We have you covered with what you’ll need to _VERB_ and everything you’ll want to _VERB_. With dozens of _PL NOUN_ taking center stage, be ready for a(n) _ADJECTIVE_ experience.”

What can you make of this?

Heading to Neiman Marcus this weekend for the oh-so-hot Reem Acra trunk show? (The girls love Reem!) We have you covered with what you need to wear and everything you’ll want to snatch up to make your day a dream. With dozens of new designs taking center stage, be ready for a bridal smackdown shopping experience. (Hint: Bring your brass knuckles.)

Well, that’s a few extra words, but you see what I mean? Automotive copy reads like this, Access Hollywood talks like this, and on and on. My fix? Rather than hang myself by my press pass, I tend to rearrange the sentence structures. And again, there may be nothing wrong with what you’ve got–unless last month’s copy looked a lot like it, and the month before that…. Here’s a quick “blender” fix for your copy:

The North American International Auto Show is on this weekend, with dozens of the latest hybrids, electrics, and futuristic concepts taking center stage. It’s a lot to take in, but we’ve got you covered. Check out our guide for everything you’ll want to see and do at this year’s show.

Or whatever. It won’t win a Pulitzer, but it may save your editor’s life.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

It’s hard to ignore the continual bad news in the media industry: layoffs, mergers, bankruptcies. It seems to me that the first casualties, at least in new media businesses supported exclusively by advertising revenues, are the full-time editors and freelance writers. “More quantity, less quality” seems to be the only way for some businesses with paper-thin profit margins to make it, but it also sets them up for future collapse by undercutting their investment in interesting content…and content is king.

How is your employer weathering the economic storm? Have you had to make any difficult decisions about what or whom to cut lately? And on a more upbeat note, has the current economy had any positive effect on your company’s transition to the new media reality? We all know print is changing (read: dying a slow death), so maybe these massive layoffs will produce some new ventures (provided some capital can be scared up) and ideas to move the industry forward. My current plan is to continue to seek out work with publishers who need freelance help, begin to blog and look for opportunities to gain experience in new media, and write creatively on the side. Fortunately, I love variety in my work.

It’s an odd and sometimes tiring thing to be part of both the media and auto industries. Both seem locked in a tailspin. But video killed the radio star, not media altogether, and cars replaced horses, but transportation continued. What do you think these industries will look like in 30 years, and in 50? How will you adapt to stay ahead of the curve?