Although everyone in the class still needs more practice with writing hard news leads and writing stories that follow the basic inverted pyramid structure, it's time to move towards other forms of journalistic writing, beginning with basic feature writing. Features rely more heavily on quotes and interviews, so we need to spend some time in and out of class considering and practicing what makes a good interview.
It's true that the best interviews are like good conversations. That is, in most cases the interview should be a comfortable give-and-take session where you and the person you interview talk with each other, not ateach other. Of course, if the interviewee is hostile or defensive, this may not be the case. But the three best things you can do to have a good interview are:
1) Prepare thoroughly by researching the topic and/or the person and list questions.
2) Take good notes and record the interview if possible.
3) Listen very attentively.
Being a good listener is the most important thing you can do. One of the biggest mistakes many inexperienced reporters make is worrying so much about what question to ask next, that they don't realize something important or unexpected that the interviewee has just said.
Here are a couple of short videos I would like you to watch. The first is some good advice about interviewing from former network anchor Katie Couric. The second is from National Public Radio's Scott Simon.
There's an old saying in journalism: "Less is more."
Forget about the times you wrote as much as you could about something in order to impress the teacher or give your reader the impression that you really know what you're talking about. In journalism brevity is key. Hard news stories must be concise or you'll confuse and lose the reader. While feature stories allow writers to be more descriptive and more creative, that doesn't mean you should necessarily start writing a lot more. Right now we're focusing on short profiles so that means first do thorough reporting and interviewing, then pick the very best information to write your story. Don't give the reader all of the information. While your words may be sacred to you, you have to be able to cut what's not necessary and edit wordy phrases.
Think of it as fat-free writing.
Click on the links below to see three more examples of 300-word stories by Brady Dennnis, then comment on which you like the best and why.
Looking for a laugh
One minute and $123 dollars
As time goes by
It's true that the best interviews are like good conversations. That is, in most cases the interview should be a comfortable give-and-take session where you and the person you interview talk with each other, not ateach other. Of course, if the interviewee is hostile or defensive, this may not be the case. But the three best things you can do to have a good interview are:
1) Prepare thoroughly by researching the topic and/or the person and list questions.
2) Take good notes and record the interview if possible.
3) Listen very attentively.
Being a good listener is the most important thing you can do. One of the biggest mistakes many inexperienced reporters make is worrying so much about what question to ask next, that they don't realize something important or unexpected that the interviewee has just said.
Here are a couple of short videos I would like you to watch. The first is some good advice about interviewing from former network anchor Katie Couric. The second is from National Public Radio's Scott Simon.
There's an old saying in journalism: "Less is more."
Forget about the times you wrote as much as you could about something in order to impress the teacher or give your reader the impression that you really know what you're talking about. In journalism brevity is key. Hard news stories must be concise or you'll confuse and lose the reader. While feature stories allow writers to be more descriptive and more creative, that doesn't mean you should necessarily start writing a lot more. Right now we're focusing on short profiles so that means first do thorough reporting and interviewing, then pick the very best information to write your story. Don't give the reader all of the information. While your words may be sacred to you, you have to be able to cut what's not necessary and edit wordy phrases.
Think of it as fat-free writing.
Click on the links below to see three more examples of 300-word stories by Brady Dennnis, then comment on which you like the best and why.
Looking for a laugh
One minute and $123 dollars
As time goes by
Personally, my favorite 300 word story was the 2nd one titled, "One minute and $123 dollars". I enjoyed how it showed me that a huge moment for one person maybe trivial and can go unnoticed by another. Take the couple that was getting married for example. This was one of the biggest days of their lives, getting married to the love of their life, but to Mary Rosa, it was just another day at the office and just another ceremony that she would soon forget about. I also really appreciate how the author takes two regular people and turns their lives into attention catching stories.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite story was Looking for a Laugh because it was amazing to see the contrast of how we completely laugh off a bad comedian and the fact that they are normal people. It's a complex that we don't think of usually, and we actually don't really think about how people are and what they are dealing with. I feel like I was brought into the comedian's world of disappointment and discouragement when I heard his life story and his little luck with comedy. The story was completely underrated and so are people who are hiding a complete life behind their main job. We sometimes to forget to think of those people and I feel like Dennis gives every person a reason to be thought and about and loved despite their past struggles.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite story was the first one about the comedian. It made me sad listening to his past and all that he had been through, such as love and loss. In the end, he might have blown his performance that day, but it was sweet that he could go home to a loving fiance. It was extremely well-written and I thought his story was moving and interesting. I liked that he used his talents to make others feel better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brooklyn and Juliet! My favorite story was "Looking for a Laugh." Reading about all of the hardships he has gone through and the journey he has had, made me sympathetic towards him. Death, heartbreaks, and our history all shape the way we act and behave. My favorite thing about the story was the reason why Nigel Davis wanted to try stand up comedy. He didn't want to do it for the fame or the money- he wanted to do it to make people laugh. He simply wanted to do it to bring joy and happiness to the audience. I felt bad that he had blown his performance, but it made me happy that he had someone who loved him waiting for him back at home. This story we well written and I think that Brady Davis is an extremely good writer. In this short story, I felt and impact and I also felt a sense of hope. I felt hope because I realized that we all have bad days, but something good is always waiting for us in the future.
ReplyDeleteI liked the third story, "As time goes by," because it is interesting for me to see the way other people's lives are. This guy has been doing the same thing for so long, sitting in his chair selling produce. And he does it alone, which would be hard for me, but he spends hours alone every day. He looks at the same view the whole time and it seems like that would be boring but he loves it, probably because it is a familiar place to him and it makes him feel safe and at home and relaxed there. It would be extremely sad if a storm or something ever took out his little spot. He probably would feel like he lost a part of himself. I hope that never happens to him. The detail in the story was also great, like the part about "flies dancing around his head." And I liked how he said he was near everything that mattered to him. And that's what's important in life. Being surrounded by love.
ReplyDeleteI too, like Molly, Juliet and Brooklyn, think the "Looking for a Laugh" story was great! I think the story stood out to me because it was more like a peek into someone else's life. As readers, you got to see one mans hardships and determination in a simple way. I think it was very creative of the writer to end the story the way he did. It makes the reader want to more, like the Scott Simon video discussed. Reading these articles really gave me incite into the different styles of journalism and how each writer is a storyteller of some sort.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI liked "Looking For A Laugh" the best because I've heard a lot of accounts of comedians with less than fairytale lives i.e Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, ect. That kind of a story always intrigues me because people would think that comedians would have happy and fun lives rather than hardships and obstacles. For some reason I have always sympathized with comedians and wanted them to get people to laugh and it would break my heart if nobody did. What I liked about this particular story was that it shed some light on how performers are people too, and they have problems and complications in their lives as well as any other person. I thought the reporter gave it a nice angle, and wrote a very good story that captured people's attention (proven by the overwhelming support for the story above).
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite was the first story, "Looking for a Laugh," because the story made you feel as though you were standing right next to him outside the comedy club. I think it was clever the way the author gave snippets of Nigel Davis' life, even the fact that he hated singing "happy birthday" to customers at a Mexican restaurant, because it made you feel that you knew him more personally. His history is very sad, but many people can relate to his story of love and loss. I think it's interesting that Davis was interviewed by Brady because he failed to make others laugh on amateur night. There were about 200 people in the audience that night, yet only Dennis Brady knew his story. It goes to show that everyone has a unique story behind them.
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in "One minute and $123 dollars". It was was very brief and straight forward. I felt it had the factor any and every features story needs. Every story needs to have the sweet simplicity of grabbing the reader and getting to the point. I feel when a story is being written, the reader's interest is the most important factor that needs to be put into consideration and every word written should stun and attract the reader. It is absolutely crucial that the interest of every person reading is captivated and held; not too long or the interest will wiggle and escape out of the hold of the story. The reporter of "One minute and $123 dollars" did a stellar job of finding a story, analyzing the information, and carrying out the value that "less is more" to make is story entertaining, short and straight to the point.
ReplyDelete