This post is part of #the100dayproject that encourages creatives to do an action every day for 100 days. I've chosen to write an article or blog post every day. Previous posts for this project can be found here.
One thing that inspired me to do this 100 day project was Lane DeGregory's podcast WriteLane. DeGregory won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing for her story, “The Girl at the window,” about a seven-year-old feral child who was adopted by a new family. She is also known for not only finding story ideas from doing something as simple as riding a bus or buying groceries, but also for writing in a way that gives you all the feels.
Lane DeGregory chatting with us during the Poytner College Fellowship in 2011.
I first met DeGregory during my Poynter College Fellowship in 2011. Out of all the things I learned during those two weeks of journalism boot camp, her session was the most memorable.
Someone asked me recently why I pursue journalism. I didn't hesitate to respond that I love sharing people's stories. I love discovering a story idea, gathering all the facts and details before I take on the challenge of writing the story that reveals them just right.
DeGregory shared her tips on how she finds her ideas during the fellowship, and her podcast is an extension of that. Her enthusiasm in what what she does is infectious. I find myself ready to write and take on the world after every episode.
Before the podcast came into my life, I had been phoning it in for quite a while. I left my weekly newspaper job of over three years because I was burned out. I took a year sabbatical to give my brain have a break. Now that I have, I'm trying to remind myself why I love this job in the first place. I'm trying to find that motivation again.
DeGregory's podcast was one of the first things that made me feel that spark again. I get excited for a new episode because I know it means I'll be inspired.
And I always am.