Jill's Journal: At a loss for words – think again

Yesterday, while perusing one of the exchange newspapers we receive, I discovered that I’m not the only weekly newspaper editor who is sometimes at a loss for words.

It happened to my colleague, Jason Ferguson, editor of the Custer County Chronicle, who was just returning from a less-than-column-worthy vacation, although portions of his time off were weaved into his words.

Ironically so, this week, I found myself in the same situation: what to write about.

Nothing came to me as I was drifting off to sleep Monday night. Or in the shower on Tuesday morning.

And just before 10 a.m. Tuesday – an hour before the press rolls – the lightbulb came on: Write a column about having no idea of what to write about (Thanks, Jason). More or less, a column like an episode of Seinfeld.

Until that idea sparked, I stared at the blinking cursor as if it was personally judging me. Next, I found myself scrolling through Facebook, because obviously that’s where Pulitzer Prize-winning inspiration lives. Fifteen minutes later, I know who got a new puppy, who made banana bread, who is upset about the price of hamburger and who thinks roundabouts are a problem, not a solution.

People assume newspaper editors are overflowing with story ideas. Most weeks, that’s true. Community news isn’t hard to find. Someone is opening a business, winning a championship, celebrating an anniversary or trying to improve our community.

Columns, however, are a different beast. News stories come with interviews, facts and deadlines. Columns come with one terrifying question: What to write about?

I considered writing about the weather, but that’s dangerous in South Dakota. By the time the paper lands in your mailbox, whatever I wrote is probably wrong. We could have sunshine, thunderstorms, hail, 40-mile-per-hour winds and three seasons before lunch.

I thought about writing about getting older. But I fear my body has become too reliable as column material. Every mysterious ache can’t become another installment of “Things That Used to Work.”

Then I considered writing about my lack of ideas, which, as it turns out, is an idea. I’m not sure whether that’s creativity at its finest or the looming press deadline.

There are all kinds of tricks when inspiration disappears, like taking a walk, checking email, referencing previous columns. At this point of my career, I’ve got plenty of life experience to write about. And, there are times when readers offer suggestions: Parking. Construction. Drivers who don’t use turn signals. Mosquitoes. People who talk on speakerphone in public.

Trust me, they’re all on the list, right below “The mystery of disappearing socks” and “Why do weeds grow but grass dies in a drought?”

The funny thing is, the best columns usually happen when I’m not trying so hard. They start with something ordinary – a T-ball game, a trip to the grocery store, an overheard conversation or one of life’s little inconveniences that somehow reminds us that we’re not alone.

Life in a small town doesn’t have to be dramatic to be interesting. Sometimes it’s just wonderfully ordinary.

So if you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’ve just read an entire column about not having a column topic. And somehow, against all odds, my deadline is met once again.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to start thinking about next week’s topic.