Commentary: Wanted: Daily Record readers to work as Daily Record

Wanted: Book reviews and reviewers. Pay: $0.

OK, so the pay's not so good. Now you know what it's truly like to be a journalist. But based on conversations I've had with people throughout Maryland, I believe there are a number of you out there willing to do this gratis as a labor of love.

Just so you know, I do this gratis, too. I read and write books reviews on my own time - usually between 4:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Now you know why I usually look as if I've been up half the night - I have been, just not the fun half.

Actually, the quiet early-morning hours I spend reading and thinking and writing are invariably among my favorites every week. I wish there were more time to spend with books, but there just isn't, not with a job, and a family, and fun friends, and a belly that wants to grow if I don't exercise.

I know I'm not alone. And that's where these book reviews come in. We need to make the most of every hour we do have. Knowledge is key, for it can help us make better decisions about what to read.

I think Daily Record readers are a particularly valuable source for book recommendations. You are as eclectic, educated and intellectually engaged as they come, so the suggestions you make are sure to be wide-ranging and deeply informed.

Many of you will remember that former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke promoted Baltimore as the city that reads. To borrow and modify his line, we can help one another become the state that reads, discerningly. I like the pretentious ring to it.

I'm kidding. In fact, I propose that we keep this simple. Here's what I have in mind.

Reviews should be no longer than 500 words, and they should demonstrate an utter lack of self-consciousness. I'm going to share the most important lesson I learned while earning a grotesquely expensive master's degree in journalism from the nation's premier Ivy League institution, Columbia University (there's that pretentious ring again).

Get your pencils ready. You won't want to miss and lose this invaluable piece of sagacity.

When writing a story, tell it as if you're talking to a close friend while perched on a barstool having a few frosty cocktails. Your friend asks: Working on any interesting stories? You are, of course. The next three things you are likely to communicate are what we journalists call the nut graph, the lead and the body. You'll share the heart of the story (the nut) and then give the most interesting anecdote (the lead). After this, you'll flesh in the story a bit (the body).

That's it. If any of you would like a low-paying career, you're now equipped to commit journalism.

In all seriousness, just tell the kind of story you like to read and hear. Share what's interesting and important to you about the book. In other words, trust your gut - if you're reading this newspaper, your gut obviously has served you well in the past.

What books? Anything. Fiction, nonfiction, new books, old ones, whatever. Just be sure to include the entire name of the book and the author so the rest of us know how to get it if we're so inclined.

Ultimately, I don't know what kind of response we'll get. There's usually a chasm between what people say they'll do and what they actually do. To make matters worse, writing isn't easy, despite my boozy instructions.

But the reward is great. I really mean that. And it's not just seeing your name in print (although it has never lost its magic for me in more than a dozen years). One of my favorite literary critics, Malcolm Cowley, said he wrote not to declare his opinions, but to discover what they were. So true, and there's nothing better than to understand important things better than we used to.

Hopefully, you all saw my review of Michael Dirda's Bound to Please: An Extraordinary One-Volume Literary Education on Feb. 19. I'll follow that up with a review next week of Saul Bellow's Humboldt's Gift.

The more you write, the less I'll have to (and the less I'll bore you). So get to work. After all, I don't know what I'm going to read next.

HOW TO

Send book reviews of no more than 500 words to Mark Cheshire; The Daily Record; 11 E. Saratoga St.; Baltimore, MD 21202. Or, if you're some sort of technical wizard, you can employ what's known as e- mail. I'm told that my address is mark.cheshire@mddailyrecord.com. Please include a name and contact information in case we have any questions.

Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.