My "Field Notes" column, that appears bi-weekly in the newspaper and on the work blog, is nominated for an Atlantic Community Newspapers Award in the Best Specialty Column category.
When the list of finalists was released last week, I thought -- assumed -- it was the "In Conversation With..." column because that's the one I submitted as a Specialty Column. I can only figure -- and this is surprisingly generous and unexpected -- that the judges decided that because it's not a straight opinion/editorial column, it should be moved out of the General Interest category and into Specialty.
Ultimately, it's likely better for Field Notes to be nominated than ICW because it's the personal column, which counts more when you are trying to get a book published. Problem with that is, it counts more -- and now I really want to win!

Later, having read over Saturday's post...
It's starting to sink in: Field Notes was nominated for an award. That's huge. That's a big help in getting a book published. To have a "personal" column nominated (as opposed to the column that is a profile of someone) is a giant step forward. That's starting to sink in.
I guess this Field Notes nomination kind of tells me that I'm doing the right thing. It confirms what I know but always lose track of: Follow your heart. Be true to yourself. Do what comes naturally.
If I try to be something I'm not -- really opinionated or pithily funny -- my writing will fall flat. But if I write from the heart, it will be true and real and appreciated.
Ha ha ha