W. Bruce Cameron - Step-by-Step Instructions for Writing a Column

Want to know my secret for having written this newspaper column for 612 weeks in a row? Well, so do I. I never thought of myself as having any particular method or system for writing (and neither has my editor). I decided this week to make a detailed record of my process, so that we’ll all know how I have done it, all these years.

Step one: My column is due by noon Tuesday. Like any professional, I want to make sure I give myself plenty of time to write, so at 11:30 I send an e-mail to my editor telling her that due to unique and extraordinary circumstances beyond my control, my column may be...