Something went right today. Well, mostly at least. My article re the 2gb. iPod nano came out, (http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=1&story_id=57430), and it came out almost exactly the way I wanted it too.
“Huh?” you say? I know that seems weird, but truth be told, it’s a struggle to get exactly those things lined up and happening exactly the way you want it to.
Firstly, as I mentioned before the articles are part of a write up bonanza for a promo between Digital Exchange (Glorietta 3 Ayala) and PDI’s Lifestyle section, so the two parties have to coordinate (mostly via moi), to a.) collect the items (their job), b.) send them over to me (partly theirs, partly mine), c.) review them (my job), and d.) write about them in a timely and appropriate fashion (mine mine mine).
Challenges have come every step. I’d get the items just a day before I’d need to send in a review. Sometimes the deadline day itself would be moved up, so even if I get it early I’d need to submit pronto. Then coordinating to get them over to me had to be worked out, as neither they nor I really wanted to entrust these to anyone other than ourselves, given their total value (probably in the hundred thousands. I really dont wanna think about it :).
Then the writing part, and lately I’ve been asked to write a little more about the stores as well, which means more work as that’d need interviews. So there’ll be a change in writing style for the following weeks.
I know it may sound weird to be bitching about being allowed to play with such expensive toys, but really it’s mostly w-o-r-k. The stressful part is being careful. While I have a free hand in using them anyway I want of course, it’d still be very embarrassing to have a breakage on my watch. And besides the items are to be given away after my review, via a contest where people email the reason they think they should win it and not anyone else. Some of the entries are terrific, I’ll write about them in another post.
So anyway, I get these things brand new and still hrink-wrapped. Everytime I open one I feel guilty about taking that special feeling away from it’s eventual owner, so I care for it to the point of obsession.
The writing part however is always enjoyable to me. Most of the time I’m using it, I’m writing the article in my head, both for this blog and the published version too. Most writers do that it turns out.
The second part that’s hard is, like any kind of difficult activity such as cooking a dish or playing a sport, the secret is in the preparation. The gadgets have to be here. I have to have time to test them. If there’s an interview involved I have to prepare in advance. I have to have time to test them even more, even as I do my normal work. The stars have to align, etc. etc.
Believe me, I do not enjoy the feeling of discovering something worthwhile to report after sending in a review. I really do loose sleep over that.
At any rate, today the article came out well, given I sent two versions and the one I like better came out. Again it was edited a bit, but that’s ok, too. And besides like I said before, there’s really nothing I can do about that, so it’s useless to bitch.
However it’s still not perfect. There’s no pic. I forgot to attach one when I sent my second version. Argh.