Advice from Our Mentors, Part Four

ACN members lean into wise words from their learning years.

By Bill Spiegel, ACN President

This is a continuation of Bill’s advice he gathered from ACN members. If you have advice you want to share too, email me at: [email protected]. Catch up on part one here, part two here, and part three here. There is so much more to add, however.

Mike Wilson was a mentor to Holly Spangler early in her career at Prairie Farmer, which she now edits. He offered her this advice: “Everyone has a perfect time of day for writing when the words just flow. Find yours.

“Early in my career, Mike Wilson shared that idea, with further encouragement: ‘After you figure out what time of day that is for you, try to write something every day at that time. Even if it’s just an email or a note to someone. Write something.’ It’s proven true for me and I learned pretty quickly that the words flow well in the late afternoon. It’s not always been convenient, especially with small children or after-school activities, so I had to adapt. But someday I hope to get back to that writing schedule,” Holly writes.

ACN Hall of Farmer Larry Dreiling, longtime executive editor at High Plains Journal, suggests taking mental breaks.

“One thing I learned was, ‘always go to lunch.’ That was given to me at a leadership seminar from Alan Abelson, the late editor of Money Magazine.

“Give yourself a break, no matter what. It works.”

Final Advice

And finally, parting words from Gregg Hillyer, editor-in-chief at Progressive Farmer:

“You’re only as good as your last story.

“These words of wisdom given to me early in my career have served as a guiding principle throughout my career. They are a reminder-a motivator-to do my very best every time my byline appears. The words are also a reminder that no matter how good you think a story is, there’s always room for improvement. Once a story is published, I critique it one final time because somehow it always reads differently on the printed page or screen. This review process has helped me to become a better writer, but I still have room to grow.”

Thank you to everyone who responded to my query. If you have any advice, please let me know at [email protected]