Mild into wild

NASCAR IS GOING TO LET its drivers drive with more abandon this year, and it wasn't easy to write a headline for the newspaper story. Because of the subject, I didn't want to go too strong on the headline -- I'm working on the sports rim at the local newspaper -- and I didn't want to go too soft. Kind of like the commercial with the guy shooting blue paint.

So I came up with this: NASCAR turning mild into wild for fans. I like getting wild and mild in the same headline.

As usual, I'm doing the men's and women's college-basketball roundups, and I need to pick an NFL story (we don't have room for both AFC and NFC). And I'll edit stories as needed.

I found this in a recruiting story: All three can signing binding letters-of-intent Feb. 3, at the start of the NCAA signing period for football. I changed signing to sign.

I struggled with the Colts-Jets headline, and it wound up: Jets’ ‘D’ can be a big roadblock for Colts’ offense.

I had to go to several web sites to find game results for the basketball roundup (we merged the men's and women's roundups together and led with the women). I just sent the basketball roundup, so that's a load off my mind.

We have a little over an hour before deadline.
 
It's still more than 45 minutes before deadline, but proofs have been read. We're done.

><

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing