Ink-stained scribe goes blogging

It’s blogging time for this old ink-stained scribe who thinks there’s no sweeter sound than the clickety-clack of a room full of old loyal Royal manual typewriters. The smokier the thoughts got, the harder you could pound on that sturdy keyboard. The keys even talked back to you if you listened hard enough.
But what do manual typewriters and the results of the 2007 S. C. Press Association contests have to do with each other?
Nothing except for the thought that goes into crafting stories.
Long story short: I didn’t win anything this year. Didn’t even score a second or third.
That’s the way it’s been for most of the 30-plus years I’ve been in the trenches of print journalism. I don’t write stories with the idea of submitting them for SCPA awards.
I write them on local people, most of the time on people who don’t think they have any kind of story to tell.
And the highest compliments I receive are from the readers of this paper. I would much rather know that the Morning News readers enjoy my writing than some judge from an out-of-state press association who doesn’t know squat about the gems in the Pee Dee area.
Am I disappointed I didn’t even scratch this year?
Yes, to a miniscule degree.
But I’m not going to dwell on something I have no control over. There are too many more stories out there. If the Pee Dee is rich in anything, it’s rich in characters.
That’s why I like doing what I do. I don’t need an armored car to haul all the money I make to the bank every two weeks. After all, it probably costs the company more to make the direct deposit than goes into my barren account.
But I enjoy coming to work each day. And that’s something money can’t buy - manual typewriter and all.

Posted by on 02/19 at 06:19 PM

Amen, Dwight. This is a great first blog, and I couldn’t agree more.

Posted by  on  02/19  at  07:21 PM

I agree with Chuck. I can’t wait to read more of your blogs, Dwight!

Posted by  on  02/19  at  08:37 PM

And you go on about manual typewriters. I’ve worked on Royals and an Underwood my grandfather used to create the family geneology back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. My heart was stolen by the IBM Selectrics. Those things made typing so much fun, I didn’t even mind all the mistakes I made because I couldn’t keep up with that little ball.
You just kept your finger on a key and that ball would fire off like an Uzi. Didn’t write anything meaningful, but it sure was fun to see it go across the paper.

Posted by  on  02/19  at  11:28 PM

Thank goodness there are still journalists who are in it because they love what they do and they love telling stories about the individuals most people interact with for a minute and forget in a second...keep typing...Royal or Dell, doesn’t matter because we love your stories.

Posted by  on  02/20  at  12:32 AM

We are so lucky to have you with us at the Morning News. There is nothing better than hearing about what new character you have found us. I amazes me on a daily basis how wonderful people are and, if we just ask, people are willing to share their stories with us. Keep at it Dwight, awards or none the way you feel at the end of the day matters far more than any plaque on a wall.

Posted by  on  02/20  at  07:46 AM

Loved your first blog, Dwight! You really have a way of evoking feelings in people with the words you write. See, blogging didn’t hurt so much… : )

Posted by  on  02/20  at  06:22 PM

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