Interviewing in the age of technology

Incase you don't already know, I teach a writing and reporting class at a local university. I learn a lot from these "kids" and I genuinely love teaching. My students are about 10-12 years younger than me and I am constantly amazed at how journalism has changed since I started studying it in 1996 -- mostly due to technology.

While technology is great it can cause problems when it comes to things like interviews. My students see no problem at all emailing their subjects a list of questions for them to answer instead of a phone interview or, gasp, actually meeting face to face. This has caused some problems.

My students had a first draft of a profile piece due on Tuesday. They had to write a feature length story on a person or group. We have talked all about how to write a profile and it's been on their syllabus and a topic of discussion in class for weeks. I get at least 5 emails from students over the weekend that their subject hasn't answered the questions they sent them via email and they don't know what to do!

Lets pretend that you are a busy business person, police officer, stock car driver, whatever, and an undergraduate student wants to interview you for a story that for a class that probably won't be published anywhere. Even though you are extremely busy at work and have 5 children at home and your husband has a broken leg, or whatever, you agree -- because you are a good person. Then you get an email from said student with 20 questions that you need to sit down, think about, and answer. You need to spell check because you are an adult and don't want to look foolish. You also have 97 other emails in your inbox from other people. Is this student's paper really high on your priority list? My hunch is that it's not.

If you are writing a story on a deadline DO NOT depend on email to get you anywhere. Pick up the phone. Make an appointment. Interview the person face to face. You will get candid, colorful answers that can't be captured in an email. You'll get to see what the person looks like, how they dress, what their voice sounds like. You can see if they have a messy office, if they have photos of their family on their desk, if they wear a suit or steel-toed boots. All things you can't find out over email.

Sure, an email interview might be easier for YOU -- you don't even have to look presentable or brush your teeth! But it's not a good idea. Unless, of course, you have to interview someone who lives in Australia or a place you can't get to or call easily.

The moral: don't use technology to cut corners when it comes to interviews. Do the legwork and you'll get a much more compelling story -- and you won't miss your deadline.

How to be a good writer

There are a couple of writer blogs out there that I like to check in on daily: The Urban Muse and The Renegade Writer. Both of them had a post today on how to be a successful writer.

The Urban Muse has a list for 5 Daily Practices for Successful Writing:

1. Read Every Day
2. Write Strictly for Yourself
3. Get Out
4. Connect With Others
5. Keep Working on Large Projects

I can't even begin to tell you how many of my intro level journalism students do not read the newspaper. It amazes me. They complain that I don't bring enough news story examples into class and I complain that they should be finding their own examples in the newspaper themselves. You cannot be a good writer if you are not a good reader.

The Renegade Writer poses the question of is a good writer born with their talent or do they develop it over time? This is what she came up with:

You don’t need innate talent to succeed at writing, but you do need plenty of ass-in-chair. You need to hone your grammar, read constantly (when you’re not writing, that is), study great writers, and write, write, write. If your grammar stinks, you need to study grammar. If your first draft is no good, you need to write a second draft — and a third, and a fourth.

And I agree. You don't find many journalists and novelists out there who don't love to write. If you love something it's easier to continuously work on it. This logic is why I am not a concert pianist, in the WNBA, or a scientist. I have always loved to write and, therefore, am a writer.

What do you think? Can you learn to be a good writer?

A book that all writers must keep on their shelves is William Zinsser's On Writing Well. I don't require it for my class (because I know most of my students won't read it) but I was required to read it for grad school and I'm so glad that I was. It's a great book filled with tons of great advice. I like to read it every other year or so just to remind myself of my goals. Get yourself a used copy and enjoy.