Walk me through a day as a typical reporter

1:48 a.m.
At bar, drunk. Trying in vain to get head by 2:27 a.m.

 

4 o'clock: wallow in self-pity
4:30: stare into the abyss
7 o'clock: wrestle with my self-loathing
Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9 I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness.
[/grinchmovie]

 

It was not hard to see where this one was heading.

 

Slatter,

It depends on your job. On some prep beats, you may be working in an office with other staffers who work 9-5 hours and you may feel compelled to put in an appearance 9-5 Monday-Friday even though you are covering games on nights and weekends.

Some writers rarely go in the office and work from home.

Either way, expect to be on the phone early if you are working on stories quoting prep coaches because it often is difficult to get them at school and you need to start early.

You may be covering games in the afternoon in the spring and may work most days of the week covering live games.

A lot depends on the demands of the paper. If they want mostly game coverage, that's pretty easy. If you have to crank out features and cover games, that will keep you pretty busy.

The hardest times are often between seasons, when falls sports are winding down and winter sports are starting. You are in the playoffs in one and trying to slap together previews for the others. That can get hectic.

Most places you don't have any games on Sunday, though.

What I would always try to do is if I put in a 10-12 hour day one day, I'd try to work a 4-6 hour day another and sneak out to the golf course, casino or racetrack. Whatever you've got.

 

Most prep writers at my place follow this schedule - at least during football season:

Monday: Day off
Tuesday: Decide which game later in the week looks the most interesting
Wednesday: Have second thoughts about that game; look at another interesting match-up
Thursday: Get directions to the school
Friday: Go cover the game, pound out 12 inches, go home
Saturday: Read paper in the morning, see what happens
Sunday: Watch local NFL team

 

After reading jgmacg's entry, I think I need to add "wallow in self-pity" to my routine.

- Get book idea, realize I'll never have a chance to publish it. Return in despair to the dregs that is a prep phone shift. Wallow in self pity between gymnastics calls.

Rinse, wash, repeat.

:'( :'( :'( :'(