“Pulitzer!” by Michael Ransom

Pages: 228, Printing: Amazon Kindle Direct, Editing: Marjorie Toensing

Good writing is hard work. Whenever I finish a story, I ask myself if I have done the best I possibly could. I began writing for Charter House—a Rochester, Minnesota, senior living community—in 2002. I worked closely with Charter House’s administrator, Dick Edwards, an outstanding leader and an excellent communicator. When he reviewed my work, for things that he felt were especially good, he would exclaim, “Pulitzer!” That praise from him always meant much to me, so I chose it as the title of this collection of articles.

The Generations of Today magazine is owned by Paulette Hanson, published monthly, and reaches thousands of readers in Minnesota. Since October 2003, Paulette has published more than thirty of my articles. (Ten were selected to be cover stories.) I’ve taken great pains to make each one letter perfect. Most articles involve my interviewing, writing a first draft, rewriting several times, and then proofing for any stop-the-presses corrections. Only after these steps do I feel comfort-able sending the article to Today. Yes, good writing is hard work, and these stories represent the best that I can do.