Wow! I didn’t intend to be gone so long. For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to move. Yes, “trying” to move. The place I’m going is not ready yet. More of that later. Just thinking about it gives me a headache!

Ok, so I want to switch to the topic of writing for newspapers.  Writing is for masochists! If you can’t take pain then you’d be wise to find a safer career – like maybe  wrestling alligators or walking a tight rope.

Anyway, before you go out to cover a story you need to do your homework. Sometimes your editor will provide  the name or  names of contacts. Sometimes not.   Learn about the story before you  go out to cover it. You  will appear ignorant/disinterested as well as waste time by  being uninformed. 

If you must cover a story that you find boring, act “as if” you are interested. Nobody wants to waste their time with someone who is bored.  You want your subject to open up to you.   The more excited they are, the better! 

Make a list of the questions you will ask.  You will need to set up the  interview. Try to have a few options open since you never know when the interviewee will be busy.

Leave time to write the story as well as do follow-ups such as confirm  facts,  if necessary.  Be sure that the interviewee understands the date and time of  the  meeting.  It’s not your subject’s fault if you are angry with your immature sister. Forget about how complicated your life is for the  moment.  Use a polite tone. 

People don’t always like  media attention so chances are they are  doing you a favor.  Actually, you are doing your job. They are doing you a favor! Remember that you will go further if you do not act petty.  This is not the time to pick fights or be right.

Recently my editor gave me the assignment of covering an interesting  business in town.  I was surprised to learn that this person did not want the free advertising. Maybe he was burned by publicity in the past. Maybe he was paranoid in all areas of  his life.  Either way,  this was not my problem. I didn’t take it personally. 

I  moved on to the next assignment.   My editor  was keeping me hopping.  Guess who wanted to be interviewed three weeks later!   

I find that when I cover “timely” stories  as such events like  festivals or concerts, I  prefer to speak to someone before or after the event. Often  there is so much commotion  in a “live” event that it’s difficult to conduct interviews  on the spot.  They get called away in the middle of the interview. I might  get distracted with something going happening around me and lose my train of thought.  

Many reporters prefer  to write on spiral  notebooks with the coils at the top.  I used to like to small sized ones. But the pages are pretty small. Now I find that I like legal pads better.  Use  whichever notebooks  allow   you to  turn  pages quickly.  

I like to attach a notebook to a clip board.  You may not always be able to conduct interviews while seated. If  I am standing, I lay the board over one arm and write with my free hand.   

And as Natalie Goldberg says in “Writing Down the Bones” use a fast pen.  I started with sharp pencils but quickly moved to thin-tipped  black felt pens, the kind with the  visible ink in the tube. 

I’m glad that I’m able move back and forth with different supplies.  Being  very rigid in your methods doesn’t help  when it becomes  necessary to change those methods.  Besides, when someone’s talking to you, there’s no time to use an eraser.   

The day arrives. Of course it’s necessary to arrive on time or even early.  We don’t want to anger our subject or subjects. Maybe they made special arrangements to meet with you. Sometimes arriving early can reveal  interesting information.  

I had no idea I would have so  much to say on this topic.   Meet me back here tomorrow and I will finish it up.