What's the hardest part to divorce yourself of, in terms of that idealistic, persnickety attitude?

JMS: The hardest part is standing up for what I want to say and not compromising on certain principles. For instance, while I was in college, I began to write also for the Los Angeles Times, San Diego bureau. I became one of their key entertainment writers.

One story I did about a group in San Diego called The Lambs Players, I found out that this religious theater group was getting state funding which, of course, you're not supposed to do, and I included that in my article. The editor said, "This has to come out, because this is news and you're writing an entertainment feature." I said, "But that's integral to the entire story.

This is something that has to be included in the article." He said, "Well, then it has to come from a news reporter. You can't do it."

I refused to take it out, and he refused to run it with it, and that standoff basically ended my time with the LA Times. I wouldn't buckle on principle. PLUME: It was a principle worth fighting for... JMS: Yeah, it was.

Over ... more.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.