Pop Survey Says...

On Thursday I asked the class for some feedback on what we'd covered so far, what else you'd like to have covered, and whether you find reading and analyzing articles in class helpful. Here are the results (out of 9 students present):

Out of the items on the “Building Blocks of Stories” handout (please grab it if you missed class—I've uploaded it to the course page FILES section), there are votes to review:

Nut graphs (1)

emotional connection (1)

Quotes/interviewing (1)

leads & conclusions (1)

anecdotes (1)

scenes (1)

research/facts (2)

There's interest in the business of freelance journalism and using social media to increase readership of your blogs. We are going to spend next week on the business side and work on pitch letters. And this week we are going to get Twitterized. And I think we'll also spend some class time on research. (As for the rest, maybe the students who were absent can break the tie)

Eight out of nine of you enjoy reading features in class and would like to read more in the remaining class time. Several of you said that it allows you to read stories you wouldn't read otherwise, and to learn from the writing techniques. Others said you've enjoyed being introduced to a wide variety of web sites. One criticism was that it's too easy to get off topic. Thus, we will be reading a couple more articles together, but we'll try not to follow any tangents too far.

There's also some interest in having more “conference” time with me regarding your blogs. I am willing to meet with students before or after class so please e-mail me for an appointment if you'd like some additional feedback.

p.s. We also figured out that it IS possible for you to comment on the blogs, but for some reason you have to log out and log back in each time. So if those of you who were absent would like to weigh in publicly, go ahead an comment below. If not, you may write your feedback down and hand it in to me like the others did.

THANK YOU for filling out the "survey"!

Metallica & Lou Reed

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/10/lars-ulrich-metallica-lou-reed-question-answer

Stanley Tucci Q&A

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/10/q-a--stanley-tucci-on--i-margin-call--i---failing-algebra--and-w

Assignment: The Paragraph Profile

I'm quoting from Jacqui Banaszynski's "Profiles" essay in the book Telling True Stories:

Paragraph Profile
The shortest of profiles aren't really profiles at all but single paragraphs within larger stories. A paragraph profile transforms a fairly flat story into one with real characters. It helps your readers move through the story because names are no longer merely names. The paragraph profile reveals something about a person's character that is germane to the broader story.

While writing the most mundane beat stories, paragraph profiles allow you to push yourself to do the kind of reporting required for narrative writing. They force you to dig deeper and focus on what is truly relevant about the subject.

In class assignment: Look back over an article we've read in class (scan my blog for links if you need to) and find examples of paragraph profiles. HOMEWORK assignment: Write a paragraph profile of one of the people you've interviewed for your feature. If you need to, call or e-mail them with follow up questions. This is not for your blog; type it on paper.

The "Thing" Feature

In honor of Halloween, it's time to read a feature focused on a thing. We've done person, place (next is issue/idea). WIRED is a great magazine to go to for examples--because it is largely about things, tech things--though of course there are others. Today we read two stories. The first is about 2000 words, exactly the length you are going for in your feature, and it is about a web site called TaskRabbit. The second is shorter, about a computer program used to help Vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Use the in-class assignment sheet to analyze these two pieces.

A Web Feature ABOUT a Feature

This is so very cool: a few years ago, WIRED magazine published a web feature about the writing of a feature story. In other words, they broke down the process of a magazine feature, from idea to pitch to draft to interviews to fact-check to final proof. (It's the equivalent of the DVD extra "Behind the scenes") You, students of web writing working on your semester project/web feature, get a two for one: you can read a great feature story--a profile of film director Charlie Kaufman--AND get an inside look at how this process goes at a professional magazine. Take some time and have a look.

Q&A Interview Assignment: Due Thursday, 10/27

It's time to get out there an interview someone. From this point on, almost all of your assignments (aside from your weekly blog post--don't forget that!) will feed into your web feature/semester project.

The interview is the building block of feature writing and news reporting in general. But when you're interviewing for feature writing you're not just getting the facts; you're getting the story.

Your assignment is to choose one of your sources from your web feature worksheet and interview them in person (or on the phone if you must, but not over e-mail). Then, you are going to compose a 600 word "Q&A". There are many examples of this format in magazines both print and online. What this means is that you are going to pick and choose the best, most enlightening, most interesting questions and answers. The Q&A form is an edited interview. You will not actually post this on your blog: you will turn it in on paper.

My advice for interviewing:

1. Set your goals: What are you hoping to get from this interview? What kind of information? What stories/anecdotes? What are you hoping to learn about the person?
2. Make a list of questions: Write/type a list of questions, making sure you hit all of your reporting goals. Think about the order of the questions so the conversation unfolds easily. Don't ask hard questions first. Put those in the middle.
3. Be ready to go off-script: The ideal interview flows more like a conversation, and an answer may lead you to ask a different question, pursue different information. That's great. Don't be afraid!
4. Get/use/borrow a recording device: You won't regret it. Not having to furiously take notes will free up your brain to think and listen and come up with different questions if you need to. Take notes, sure, but record also.
5. GET PERMISSION: Journalists have enormous responsibility to their sources, since what they say becomes mass communication, read by many. You must be clear with your interviewee that you are interviewing them for a class in which you will post the article online. If they have any problem being quoted see if you can negotiate to use just their first name or initials. If that doesn't work, e-mail me.