Seven answers on 7Q (also known as the FAQs of life.)				Interviewed by Tom Mangan Debbie Farmer, mom, self-syndicated columnist Samples of her writing are here.		AUTHORS Michael Fuchs Elizabeth Hilts Paul Riddell Gary Rivlin Jim Motavalli Barbara Shafferman Jules Siegel Keith Snyder ARTISTS/POETS/ PHILOSOPHERS Jon C. Allen Will Baker Mike Leung Jon Sarkin COOL SITE KEEPERS Mike Cash Scott O'Neal Colf Godfrey Daniels Cliff Davis, DDS Tammy Hocking Wes Modes Frank Rogan DIARISTS Ralph Becker J. D. Bruns Linda DeVault Mike Reed Moira Richardson Jessamyn West FILMMAKERS Ben Kufrin Dean Mermell JOURNALISTS Bernie Mary Cooley-Jones Lindsay Crysler Jamie Dupree M.O.A.T.M.A.I. David Moll Robert Niles John Orr Steven Ovadia Pierce Presley Mack Reed Rip Rense Curtis Ross Neal Ross John Scalzi Catherine Seipp David Sheets Dwight Silverman Matt Welch MOVIE MAVENS MaryAnn Johanson Brian Koller HUMORISTS Debbie Farmer Mike Jasper Madeleine Begun Kane Patrick Keller Bob Sassone Valerie Sprague Ken Swarmer Ian Wolff SOLDIERS Maj. Jon Anderson, USAF TEACHERS John Warner TECHIES Chris Adamson Mike Gunderloy Michael Ivey Greg Knauss Floyd Maxwell Ellen McDonough Mike Pingleton Wayne Thume John Worth TEENS Gary Baum Marty Beckerman UNDECLARED Bev Gibbs Beth Reid WEBLOGGERS Jason Kottke Jish Mukerji
ONE				What words of wisdom would you issue to anyone who thinks: "My kids crack me up, I should write columns about how funny they are." What words of wisdom would you issue to anyone who thinks: "My kids crack me up, I should write columns about how funny they are." I'm not sure since I've never really thought this myself. Even though I write my column in first person, it isn't really about my children. I aim to write about universal middle-class parenting situations. If you notice I never name my children in any article because I want readers to see themselves and their families reflected in whatever situation I'm writing about. So I guess my answer would be to try to write about broad topics that relate to your readers lives as much as possible.
TWO				I'm thinking of the column you wrote about taking a gaggle of screaming kindergartners to the zoo. How do you know you're experiencing a column-worthy moment? Any universal experience is column worthy. The trick is to take that mundane experience and give it some kind of a humorous slant that your readers can relate to.
THREE				What are some of the keys to making a go of it as a self-syndicated writer? A wealthy spouse, a flexible day job, and lots of publishing contacts in high places. Uh, I mean, persistence, thick skin, tenacity, email, and a good telephone voice. But a big trust fund couldn't hurt.
FOUR				How many publications do you have to have in your stable before it starts bringing in a reasonable income? HEHEHAHHAHAHA. Oh, excuse me. Did you say "reasonable"? I have around 20 papers in my stable now and, let me put it this way, if I had to live off only what I make writing for newspapers I'd be living in a nice roomy refrigerator box under a freeway overpass in a third world country. Lately, I've gotten a few high-paying national magazine gigs. so I could feasibly upgrade to a big screen TV box.
FIVE				Most moms have their hands full keeping their kids from stuffing the cat down the toilet and so forth. How do you find time to write? I use caffeine. Lots and lots of it. And for all you Child Protective Services workers out there, I write mostly at night when the children are asleep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
SIX				Do you ever find it limited writing about your family? Or to put it another way, what topics do you wish you could write about but don't fit within the realm of your column? No, I don't really feel limited because I'm not really just writing about my family. I'm taking universal parenting experiences and presenting them in an entertaining way. I'm very active in the parenting community where I live and a new situation or topic seems to come up every week. OK, to tell you the truth my other love is writing "Twilight Zone stories" -- ones with a good surprise twist at the end. But the only person who would pay me for that type of story is my mother.
SEVEN				What kind of stuff do you consider out of bounds for column consideration? Anything that would hurt anyone's feelings. Like Erma Bombeck said, you can really only get away with making fun of two people: yourself and Hitler. And sometimes I include my husband -- luckily he's a good sport.
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