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mary rosenblum
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Hello all.
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Lunchbox
Forum...on Wednesday this week instead of Tuesday.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Lunchbox Forum
with me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about original sources. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me. I
take questions out of order, so be patient. I'll get to yours. :
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about
nonfiction today, because so many novice writers give it a try and pass on
it
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mary rosenblum
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because they don't sell. When
actually it is an order of magnitude easier to get published in NF than in
fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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And it pays about ten times
better, too.
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classy1064
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How was your book signing mary?
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mary rosenblum
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It was great, thanks. :-) We
had quite a few people and it was a nice drive. Got to visit with Seattle writer
friends.
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mary rosenblum
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And I have an uncorrected
advance copy of Water Rites, my next book out. (February).
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mary rosenblum
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Always fun to hold the first
copy.
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mary rosenblum
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Nonfiction is a huge market
and editors need good copy to fill twelve issues...
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mary rosenblum
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or however many issues they
publish a year.
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mary rosenblum
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Once you do a good job for an
editor, they usuallly begin to assign you ariticles and you'll need to do
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mary rosenblum
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fewer and fewer 'on spec'
queries.
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mary rosenblum
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It's actually not that hard to
make those first sales
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mary rosenblum
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But a very common mistake by
novices is to propose a really good article....that is entirely researched
from secondary sources.
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mary rosenblum
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That means the internet and
books.
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mary rosenblum
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The editor will rarely if ever
buy this type of article because his readers can do the same research for
themselves.
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mary rosenblum
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That editor wants to offer information
to the readers that they can't get for themselves.
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mary rosenblum
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That means original sources.
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mary rosenblum
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An original source is 'the
horse's mouth'. That is, it's a person.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have to make the
entire piece an interview with this person, but a couple of quotes from
someone who is an expert on your topic
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mary rosenblum
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will make an editor take it
seriously.
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mary rosenblum
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And it's true no matter how
pro your reputation is.
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mary rosenblum
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A friend of mine not only
writes SF, he supports himself as a free lance science writer.
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mary rosenblum
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He attends the big national
and international science conferences along with a host of other science
writers.
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mary rosenblum
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They attend the panels and
report on the breaking news and interview everyone they can for future
quotes.
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onepozy
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Being non published, how hard is
it to get interviews with field experts?
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mary rosenblum
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Depends, one, and this is
where career strategy comes in.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Lunchbox Forum
with me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about original sources. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me. I
take questions out of order, so be patient. I'll get to yours. :
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mary rosenblum
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Will you be able to get an
interview with a senator in town for an article you haven't sold yet?
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mary rosenblum
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Probably not. He's busy, you don't
have a guaranteed publisher, he'd rather grant interview time to someone
who's writing for a big name magazine.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have a guaranteed spot,
maybe then. Say you're writing for a small circulation environmental mag
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mary rosenblum
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and this senator's interest is
carbon offsets and global warming. He might give you that fifteen minutes
even though the mag is small potatoes
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mary rosenblum
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because he wants to get the
word out on his pet topic, so even a small mag is worth it.
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mary rosenblum
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But ....here's where the
strategy comes in.
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mary rosenblum
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Think about who you could tap
for an interview.
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mary rosenblum
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Do you know a cop? A
zookeeper? The head of the school board?
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mary rosenblum
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You're pretty sure they'd
grant you a few minutes, or you ask them to be sure.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you figure out what
articles you could write using these experts as source material.
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mary rosenblum
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Now you pitch those articles, telling
the editors that you are using these original sources.
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mary rosenblum
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When you get the go-ahead, you
do the interview and write the article(s).
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mary rosenblum
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Now you have some nice clips.
That makes it easier next time, and as you work your way up the ladder,
you'll be more able to get expert interviews
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mary rosenblum
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because you can say 'I've
published in...' and that expert feels that he/she is not wasting his/her
time.
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mary rosenblum
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When you are unpublished,
start thinking about a pool of experts you know. Use your imagination.
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mary rosenblum
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What about your local dog
agility trainer? (articles on agility for dog magazines).
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mary rosenblum
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A volunteer at the local
humane society? (another article for the dog mags).
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mary rosenblum
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A local performance artist who
puts on performances in the public square?
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mary rosenblum
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A piece for arts and
entertainment magazines or your local paper.
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mary rosenblum
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The nonfiction market is lush
with opportunity. It's merely a matter of learning how to recognize the
opportunities all around you.
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mary rosenblum
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That's where creativity in NF
comes in!
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Lunchbox Forum
with me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about original sources. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me. I
take questions out of order, so be patient. I'll get to yours. :
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mary rosenblum
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And you don't need much.
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mary rosenblum
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For example, you might write a
piece about older dogs ending up at shelters when their owners go into
assisted living
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mary rosenblum
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You might interview an elderly
person you know who had to give up her dog or knows someone who did.
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mary rosenblum
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You might interview that
humane society volunteer about how well behaved these pets are
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mary rosenblum
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and get some adoption
statistics from the humane society shelter. You might only use three or
four sentences from the elderly woman and a couple from the volunteer and
quote the shelter numbers.
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mary rosenblum
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The rest will be your words.
But that's enough to see this end up in the magazine and enough to impress
the editor so that she asks for more.
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mary rosenblum
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If writing NF is a goal, then
keep that notebook with you and keep your wits about you.
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mary rosenblum
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Is a puppeteer doing a demo at
your local grade school?
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mary rosenblum
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Go watch the performance and
afterward, go talk to the pupeeteer. Tell him you want to write up an
article about puppeteering and chat a bit, get some quotes.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you have it (get contact
info in case you need more) and you can think up a good way to pitch it to
a magazine later!
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rat of nimm
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Mary is it useful to get
"professional opinions" on personal success stories. Specifically
regards thing like diet and nutrition?
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mary rosenblum
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Always. While you can do an
utterly personal 'I lost weight this way' and of course you're the expert
here, it will double the saleability of your piece if you
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mary rosenblum
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also quote a professional in
the weight loss world.
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janecj333
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Except for the puppeteer idea, a
lot of these topics could be exposes rather than off the cuff articles. How
do sources feel about the inclusion of their interviews in that type of
article?
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mary rosenblum
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Why would they be exposees?
They're only exposees if you write an exposee. And then you need to do your
homework VERY well. That's why investigative reporters tend to get paid
very very well.
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mary rosenblum
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Bad homework results in
successful libel suits.
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builder guy
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What if your source want's to
remain confidential? When submitting an article don't you have to reveal
all sources?
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mary rosenblum
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Well a couple of journalists
have gone to jail lately for not revealing their sources, builder.
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mary rosenblum
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But I"m not talking about
writing a piece about how the CEO of Citicorp is embezzling funds.
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mary rosenblum
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As long a the editor knows who
your source is, you're fine.
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sol
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I need some help/advice on how
to deal with my feelings that I'm just bothering people for
information/wasting their time when it's not certain anything they provide
will be used.
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mary rosenblum
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Sol, that's just your lack of
confidence.
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mary rosenblum
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You can't be diffident and
approach with an attitude of 'oh, gosh, I don't think this is ever going to
go anywhere...'
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mary rosenblum
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Why shouldn't the person
believe you if you come across that way? Goodness!
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mary rosenblum
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What does it cost someone to
answer questions for fifteen minutes?
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mary rosenblum
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Nearly everybody is thrilled
to think that their expertise is important. And if they're not...fine lots
of other people are. Go interview someone else.
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klutzy
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Do have any suggestions for
finding a good writing group?
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mary rosenblum
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You'll find some online ones
here among LR website regulars, klutzy. Just ask around. Try checking the
bulletin boards at branch libraries and independent bookstores.
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mary rosenblum
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Writers groups often advertise
for new members there.
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janecj333
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I'm thinking, an article about
how assisted living buildings refuse to let owners keep pets or charge an
exorbitant fee to do so; the arrival of hundreds of dogs too old for
adoption at Humane societies because of the same and etc.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, that shouldn't be any
problem, Jane, unless you approach a residence manager with a clearly
negative attitude.
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mary rosenblum
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If you go in saying, 'I"m
writing a piece about how places like yours make old people get rid of
their pets or charge exhorbitant fees to let them stay' that guy is going
to show you the door.
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mary rosenblum
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If you tell him you're writing
a piece about the problem of the elderly and their pets and you ask him
about
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mary rosenblum
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the problems with allowing
residents to keep pets on the facility and have a balanced attitude you'll
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mary rosenblum
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probably find out quite a bit
about what is going on.
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mary rosenblum
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How you slant the piece in the
end is up to you.
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mary rosenblum
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But for heaven's sake use some
common sense! Hi, I want to write about how bad a job you're doing.
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mary rosenblum
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What kind of answer do you
think you're going to get?
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mary rosenblum
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Go ask other people how bad a
job he's doing!
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mary rosenblum
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I must say, it is smart to try
and aquire a balanced array of facts, no matter how you intend to slant the
piece.
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mary rosenblum
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That keeps you from being
blindsided by facts you overlooked and make you (bad enough) and the
magazine (much worse!) look stupid.
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janecj333
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So, you get the interview , but
then the article is an expose and the interviewee doesn't approve of your
slant.
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mary rosenblum
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Too bad.
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mary rosenblum
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I bet none of the senators
exposed for bribery recently approved of the article.
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mary rosenblum
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As long a you are presenting
facts and not libeling the person you are fine.
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mary rosenblum
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That person won't ever let you
in the door again, but so what?
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mary rosenblum
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You are not required to get
the approval of the interviewee.
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mary rosenblum
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I think I've seen the text of
the final interview about twice, all the times I've been interviewed.
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mary rosenblum
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To be honest, I don't show
final copy to my interviewees. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I don't want someone to
cherrypick what stays in or gets left out just because he/she doesn't like
it.
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mary rosenblum
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I do show final copy to people
I've interviewed for novel verisimiltude because I don't want to get facts
wrong. :-)
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sol
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What if they ask for it?
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mary rosenblum
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I've had a couple of people
ask. I gave it to them. It wasn't a proglem.
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mary rosenblum
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If they ask, it would be
impolite to do it. But people rarely ask.
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mary rosenblum
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My last interview was with the
Christian Science Monitor reporter and we talked for over an hour.
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mary rosenblum
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I had NO idea what he was
going to use. I didn't ask, he didn't offer to show me.
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mary rosenblum
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I was quite happy.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Lunchbox Forum
with me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about original sources. If you're new here, remember that you need
to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me. I
take questions out of order, so be patient. I'll get to yours.
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mary rosenblum
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I have had an informant ask me
not to quote that person on something. And of course I respect that utterly.
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mary rosenblum
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But I'm not writing stuff that
may drag me into court and put me in a position of having to reveal that
source or get jail time for contempt of court.
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destiny8
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Did you say it's impolite for
the interviewee to ask to see
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mary rosenblum
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Not particularly.
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mary rosenblum
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Most people just don't is all.
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mary rosenblum
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Once in awhile someone has.
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mary rosenblum
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For example, I didn't ask the
CSM reporter because he's on deadline, he has to get copy in fast, that
would take time, and I was very happy to be quoted in the CSM at all.
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mary rosenblum
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I didn't say anything I didn't
want him to print. How he chose to select what to include was up to him.
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mary rosenblum
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Why should I lean over his
shoulder?
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sol
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What about the time factor with
interviews?
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sol
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You metioned a fifteen minute
time frame . . . then you had one for an hour.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I ask people if I can
have 15 minutes.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's all I take unless
the person is enjoying the conversation and we can continue.
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mary rosenblum
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I have my questions that I
need an answer to ready. Often, the conversation goes on for much longer...
most of the time, actually. (I'm a good interviewer if I do say so).
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mary rosenblum
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But sometimes the person is
simply giving me time and has a schedule and then it's fifteen minutes and
I'm done.
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mary rosenblum
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The CSM reported called to ask
about three questions but I was quite informed on his topic so he kept
asking questions and we kept chatting.
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mary rosenblum
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Fine by me!
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sol
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So we basically take the lead
from the interviewee.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes.
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mary rosenblum
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Succesful interviewing
combines several things.
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mary rosenblum
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ONe: Do your homework.
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mary rosenblum
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Nearly every professional I
know is HIGHLY annoyed when interviewed by someone who has not taken the
trouble
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mary rosenblum
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to find out what they can
learn about that job, career, whatever so that they can ask questions they
can't answer for themselves online or in a book.
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mary rosenblum
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Two: Listen.
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mary rosenblum
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If your subject is interested
in some aspect of the topic, follow up. Ask more questions.
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mary rosenblum
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Three: BE INTERESTED.
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mary rosenblum
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I get huge, lengthy interviews
because I am interested in what the subject is talking about even if I have
never thought of this topic before now.
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mary rosenblum
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If you recite a dry list of
prepared questions in a monotone that's about all you're going to
get...answers to those questions.
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johannahw
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What if you're shy and
approaching folks for interviews is scary? How do you overcome your fear
and still act professionally?
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mary rosenblum
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Of course you'll be scared! I
needed a really good deodorant the first few times I interviewed people!
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mary rosenblum
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I expected them to bite my
head off or send me packing!
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mary rosenblum
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But I quickly realized that
most people are highly flattered by a good interview.
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mary rosenblum
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And the better I do it the
more they enjoy it.
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mary rosenblum
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Interview your friends first,
Johann
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mary rosenblum
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Sorry...Johannah.
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mary rosenblum
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Bring notes so you know what
you really need answers to for this interview.
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mary rosenblum
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if you';re like me, your brain
will fry the first few times.
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mary rosenblum
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Then you realize that hey,
you're usually doing them a favor. :-)
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destiny8
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People blossom when talking
about their special interests!
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly! and you get WAY more
than you bargained for in terms of info that way.
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mary rosenblum
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Never be afraid to chuck your
original idea and follow whatever leads the interviewee offers.
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classy1064
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Have you ever had to backpedal
during an interview?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I've had some
uncomfortable interviews where I really did have to suck it up, be
polished, professional, ask my questions and get OUT of this person's hair!
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mary rosenblum
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And I"ve gotten some 'no
trespassing' cues that made me drop an original question or two.
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mary rosenblum
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But an interview is really all
about thinking on your feet.
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janecj333
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When an interviewee has
controversial ideas, say, a physicist whose cosmology doesn't agree with
any of his colleagues', how likely is the article idea to be well-received
if you don't plan to include interviews with his or her colleagues who have
opposing points of view?
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mary rosenblum
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If you're planning on writing
science articles, Jane, you really need to read the science mags so that
you know how they are written and what editors expect.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd read several months worth
of the weekly Science News and about a half year's worth of Scientific
American.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, when science writers
write up a controversial new theory (I read one yesterday, about bending in
short chain segments of DNA not requiring proteins)
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mary rosenblum
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And this is highly
controversional among scientists. The editor cited researchers whose
results contradicted the researcher whose work he was profiling.
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janecj333
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Science News is a lovely
magazine :) .
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good starting point and
provides a nice overview of what's going on. It's a bit behind cutting
edge, but you get a lot of info in digest form. :-)
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destiny8
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What about telephone interviews?
Any pointers?
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mary rosenblum
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They're easier if you're shy.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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But unlike email interviews,
which I really don't like to do, they allow you to listen to the subject's
voice and react to it.
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mary rosenblum
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When you hear enthusiasm ask
more.
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mary rosenblum
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If you realize you're making
your subject uncomfortable, back off.
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katnj
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Is it alright to back up notes
with a tape recorder? I swear I suffer from an audio dyslexia sometimes.
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mary rosenblum
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ALWAYS if your subject will
let you.
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mary rosenblum
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You would not believe how
cryptic those notes will look a week later!!!!
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mary rosenblum
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And even a tape shy person
tends to relax and forget it's there after a few moments.
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mary rosenblum
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Just get a recorder that can
record for an hour if you can.
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mary rosenblum
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When you change tapes, you
remind the person it's there and it's a break that allows them to end the
interview.
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mary rosenblum
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If you take only written
notes, go home and IMMEDIATELY type them up in a complete form and save
them.
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mary rosenblum
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You won't remember things well
later on.
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wendyinlibrary
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I like to wear a headset and
type directly into a word program on the computer, then back it up with two
tape recorders with the permission of person interviewed
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mary rosenblum
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Do you type while you're
interviewing? I have to say I would find that very offputting as a subject.
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mary rosenblum
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I find that eye contact and
personal interaction usually gets me LOTS more information.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why I prefer a
recorder.
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wendyinlibrary
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sometimes. I try different
things.
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mary rosenblum
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Whatever works.
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mary rosenblum
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If I can't use a recorder, I
take shorthand notes (my own shorthand not the clerical stuff) and type
them in full when I'm done.
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mary rosenblum
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I do write out specific quotes
verbatim.
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wendyinlibrary
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if accuracy is important to
subject, they work with me on getting the information
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mary rosenblum
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It depends on what you're
acquiring, too, wendy.
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mary rosenblum
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If I'm interviewing a pysicist
I want all the words spelled correctly, get the right numbers for the
engery shells, and what have you.
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mary rosenblum
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And I want that physicist to
look over what I have right then.
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mary rosenblum
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If I'm interviewing a deputy sheriff
about how he conducts a cold case investigation, that's another type of
interview.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I hope this encourages
you to try for that original source material next time you get an idea for
NF piece.
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mary rosenblum
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You might only include a few
sentences of direct quote, but that's enough to make an editor consider the
query seriously.
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mary rosenblum
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It's scary the first few times
you do it, but it's a lot of fun, most of the time.
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mary rosenblum
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You meed interesting people
and you learn a lot of interesting stuff. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts of
this forum in the usual place....Writing Craft Forum Transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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Our next Forum will be on
Friday, 2/2 From Idea to Story.
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mary rosenblum
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See you Friday morning for our
casual chat all!
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