Writers, especially when beginning in the business, are told repeatedly to write "what you know." And while that adage has its perks, I've discovered that it's not always what I know, but WHO I know.
Think about it. More than likely, you have a lot of friends and those friends have friends. At work, you see colleagues daily. They undoubtedly have lives beyond the office, and I bet if you ponder for just a moment, you'll think about a work associate who would make a great feature subject. Plus, you have family, and somewhere in that cast of colorful characters, a story is waiting to take shape.
Think about the possible story ideas begging to be investigated!
I've made a fair amount of money penning feature stories for local, regional, and even national publications. And many of these stories featured people I know. For example,
- Our neighbor's teenage son wrote a rap song and entered a contest. He won! His story made the front page of the local newspaper.
- An 80-year old woman rounded up a group of friends, and together, they send care packages to our troops overseas. She just happened to be a friend of my in-laws. Story printed in a regional newspaper.
- One day while eating lunch in a local cafe, the owner (friend of mine) let me know about a lady who designed and made the Homecoming crowns for the king and queen every year. The story ran in the local paper, a regional publication, and went out on the AP wire.
- Another friend's daughter conducted a major fundraiser to keep the town's swimming pool afloat. You guessed it! Another sale.
And don't forget to count yourself as an expert. Need an example or two?
- A few years ago, I contracted a severe case of food poisoning - salmonella - that required a hospital stay (three days before my daughter's high school graduation). I told my story to a statewide magazine and received a hefty paycheck.
- When a regional magazine solicited a Christmas story via Twitter, I jumped at the chance. They were looking for Christmas cooking traditions. I parlayed my family tradition into a double page spread that included multiple photos and three original recipes.
Think about the people you know, their hobbies, offbeat travel destinations, volunteer experiences.
By writing WHO you know, you'll have a plethora of story ideas.
And that means money in the bank.
Mark Twain quipped, "Whenever you give an interviewer a fact give him another fact that will contradict it. Then he'll go away with a jumble he can't use at all."
Twain's humorous take on interview skills leaves freelancers wondering about the craft of conferencing. Do unwritten rules exist about securing an expert interview prior to sending a query? What if an interviewee demands to read - and edit - your piece prior to publication?
Check out these interview scenarios and learn how to avoid interview pitfalls.
The scenario: You devise a brilliant idea for an article and now, you're stuck. Is it best to find an expert first or submit the query and then look for a source?
The advice: In my experience, it depends on the story and the publication I'm pitching. But, I have found that if I approach an expert source and explain that the article is in the query stage, they're more than willing to give me enough information so the pitch stands out. Then, if I need additional information once the query gets the green light, I conduct an in depth interview.
The scenario: What's the best way to conduct the interview? Take notes? Type on my mini laptop? Audio record? Videotape?
The advice: It depends. If I'm on a phone interview and at my desk, I'll transcribe throughout the interview. A digital audio recorder works great, but double check battery levels before beginning. I'll never forget the one time I started an interview and the batteries died within 15 minutes. No backups. A three hour interview. With the increase in multimedia in journalism, a video of the interview can be useful, too. Find what works best for you in each situation, and always get permission to audio or video record.
The scenario: You're on a deadline and want to conduct a phone or live interview. Your source wants you to send an email list of questions and will respond "at her earliest convenience."
The advice: This is a tough one because it depends on the window before the clock strikes deadline and you turn in a late assignment. (Remember what happened in school when you handed in late homework?) If I have most of the legwork completed and just need to plug in quotes, I would go ahead and send the email. Try to accommodate your source. But, if I know time is of the essence, I'll explain my position to the interviewee and try to reach a compromise. If the source wants her name included in the article, she usually finds a way to make the process work in her best interest.
The scenario: You locate a wonderful source and she offers a wealth of insight and fantastic quotes. But, she has a new book/magazine article/TV appearance/radio interview coming out that's not on topic and she's hinting at a free publicity plug in your article.
The advice: Tricky situation. What if I need to contact the source again and I haven't mentioned her work? Or, should I risk my professional integrity by promoting a piece of work or appearance unrelated to the topic? Again, the variables dictate the choice, but I focus on work that relates to my subject. (And I haven't lost a source yet!)
I am packing again - this time for a trip to New York City for the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents. These are the conferences organized and attended by the best of the best English/Language Arts/Literature/Reading teachers *** in the country. They are the smart ones - the passionate ones, the ones who get to school early and stay wicked late to help their students. I love them.
*** note: some of the best of the best can't make it to this critically important professional development conference because their school districts won't pay for it. Some folks pay out-of-pocket (on a teacher's salary!) because that's how important this conference is.
Will any of youse guys be there? Here is where you will find me:
Thursday, November 15th
Spending the day in comfort riding the train and writing instead of suffering the hassles of the airport.
Dinner with a group of teachers.
Friday, November 16th
9:30–10:45 a.m. Panel: “Adolescent Literacy at the Crossroads: Redefining Sex and Sexuality in YA Fiction”. Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street (at 11th Avenue) | Room TBA
This panel has a YA killer line-up: me, Brent Hartinger, E. Lockhart, Laura Ruby, Tanya Lee Stone & Lara Zeises, and will be chaired by She Who Knows Most Everything, Teri Lesesne. You really, really, really want to come to this one. I imagine the conversation will continue in the hall long after the session is over.
2:00–3:00 p.m. Book signing at Penguin Young Readers Group, Booth #202, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street (at 11th Avenue) | Hall C, Level 1
3:00–4:00 p.m. Book signing at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Booth #442, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street (at 11th Avenue) | Hall C, Level 1
Dinner with a group of teachers.
Saturday, November 17th
9:00–10:00 a.m. Book signing at Anderson’s Bookshop, Booth #479, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street (at 11th Avenue) | Hall C, Level 1
10:00–11:30 a.m. Book signing at PermaBound, Booth #357, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street (at 11th Avenue) | Hall C, Level 1
12:30–2:15 p.m. Books for Children Luncheon at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, 1535 Broadway | Westside Ballroom Salon ½. Andrea & Brian Pinkney will be speaking - this should be awesome.
Afternoon - I might hang at the convention or I might run in Central Park (if the weather is decent). Anybody want to join me? I'll run 6-7 miles, probably at a 10-minute mile pace. You are welcome to join me for some or all of it. If you're interested, let me know in the comments section and I'll get more details to you.
Evening - I need to write.
Sunday, November 18th
Daytime - holed up in hotel, writing. Might sneak out to attend a few sessions. We'll see.
6:00–7:30 p.m. ALAN Reception, Marriott Marquis Times Square , 1535 Broadway (at 45th Street) | Astor Ballroom, 7th Floor - I think I am going to wear my new shoes, so I will be the one limping.
Dinner with my publishers.
Monday, November 19th
Breakfast with my agent.
Daytime - hanging out at ALAN and meeting with an editor
Evening - a party and dinner
Tuesday, November 20th
10:30–11:05 a.m. ALAN Program: “Brown-Bagging It with Mattie and Hank: What does Testing have to do with lunch?” Marriott Marquis Times Square, 1535 Broadway | West Side Ballroom, Salon 1, 5th Floor
This should be really interesting. Professor Denise Ousley will demonstrate a fascinating classroom technique - giving students brown paper bags that are filled with objects that relate to a historical novel, and allowing students to respond to the objects. L.M. Elliott will talk about how this technique works with her book, UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY. I will be talking about it in relation to FEVER 1793. I'll also be talking about the research for my new historical CHAINS (it will be published September, 2008). Please join us!
11:15–11:45 a.m. “Silent book” signing (as other authors will still be speaking) Marriot Marquis Times Square, 1535 Broadway | Room TK
Afternoon - fight the mid-town crowds trying to escape the city for Thanksgiving. If the Turkey God smiles on me, I will make my train and I will get a seat and I will trundle on home where our brood and all of their beloveds and the dog and my husband, who is the bestest Thanksgiving cook ever, will be waiting.
Thanks to everyone who ignored the gorgeous weather, the Bills game, and the Giants game to come out to the bookstore yesterday. The crowd was much bigger than I thought and I stayed for a very long time chatting and signing. I hope to have some photos to post soon.
I have already been working on my revision for a couple of hours. I should be able to ship off Part 1 this afternoon. I sure hope so - I am desperate to go to the gym.
In the breaking news category: FEVER 1793 will soon be translated into Korean, TWISTED has been nominated for The Heartland Award, and next month, a stage version of SPEAK will premiere at both Fayetteville-Manlius High School and Nottingham High School.
I leave you library lovers with a little game to play...
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Writers, especially when beginning in the business, are told repeatedly to write "what you know." And while that adage has its perks, I've discovered that it's not always what I know, but WHO I know.
This is my tried n' true technique as well. I've written about hiking with dogs, culling expertise from a local dog trainer; kayaking and finding spiritual peace, with great input from a local guide; and have an article pending about coaches and kids' sports citing an expert from a local college.
People love to be referenced or highlighted, and I know a lot of smart, interesting and creative people--takes considerable pressure off of me!
This is great advice, and I use this with you all the time, LuAnn! You are my go-to gal for interviewing. If we have a spot open in an issue, I always ask who you know--whether in real life or via social networks--that would make a good expert on a particular topic.
Ugh. Sorry to hear about your salmonella experience. =/ Hubby got it really bad for weeks years ago from eating buffet Chinese food and lost over 40 pounds!
Great ideas here, LuAnn!
Thanks, Angela! And everyone else who has commented also!
I just had an article published today in a regional newspaper about dairy prices - the milk cliff - if a farm bill isn't passed by Tuesday. Lucky I'm married to a dairy farmer. :) And he shared a lot of experts to contact, too.