Back when I was at the Associated Press, it was always a thrill to see where pieces I wrote ended up. Seeing them on CNN or the Los Angeles Times' website was amazing. I was always charmed when an editor at some small paper would actually mail me a clip of one of my pieces that I could keep in a manila envelope in my desk. Those guys were part of the club. They knew: you're only as good as your clips. And you need every single one.
I love watching how things I write for LearnVest are shared. Tweets and Facebook likes are one level of excitement, but seeing other outlets pick up a story makes me burst with fruit flavor.
This week Business Insider and Fast Company picked up my story about 8 interview red flags to watch out for, and it got lots of shares and, more importantly, constructive comments. Not bad a for a story idea that randomly came up during a quickie lunch with my editor.
Fifteen years into the writing game, the thrill, most definitely, is not gone. Being able to track how a story is doing in real time satisfies some deep, OCD-level craving I didn't realize that I had. It's not the worst way to be ruled by ego.
