How do you write these things? A bus ride proves anyone can write one of these columns.

• Author: Wiesner, Pat
• Position: Column

"HOW DO YOU THINK UP ALL THIS STUFF TO WRITE ABOUT?"

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

That was the guy's question. We were sitting on a bus full of business types on our way to a meeting. We were talking about ColoradoBiz magazine and the conversation shifted to my editorials. He said a couple of nice things about the magazine, probably to soften me up to talk about what was on his mind. But a little flattery always works with me. I was game, and besides it was going to be a long ride to our destination.

How did I think of things to write about was his question and then how did I turn it into a column?

Well, it's not much of a secret. It starts with an idea. I asked him for an idea, an issue or something from his business that he and I could sort of write an article about right there on the bus. It would have to be something that he personally had a stake in.

He suggested writing an article on terrorism. I said no, I didn't want to write on terrorism. Try something closer to everyday in his business life. He thought for a minute and suggested we write (actually talk out) an article on advice for people who think they are stuck in their jobs.

OK, that's more my speed. First, let's think of three or four characteristics that we couldn't stand in people we had known, either managers or workers. After some discussion we came up with a) people who can't get to work on time; b) people who can't admit a mistake; and c) people who manage from a cloud somewhere.

The rest is simple. Talk about your own personal feelings and experience with these ideas and then draw some conclusions.

Here's what we came up with on the bus:

Can't get to work on time. He recalled his first job. He got to work every day on time until he realized that he was the only one in his department until about quarter to 10. Everyone else was coming in at that time to just beat the boss who made his entry at 10 a.m. The first thing he felt go was his respect for the boss. The second thing was his respect for himself. After a couple of months he decided he didn't care who was watching, he was going to arrive in the office on time, ready for work for a...