Over the years, I’ve written in many contexts. As a seven-year-old I received a notebook in my Easter basket, and that was my first journal. Subsequent notebooks were used for stories. I’ve typed school essays and hand written essays in blue books for exams. More recently, I’ve penned stories and poems to enter in the Fremont Cultural Arts Council’s Flash Fiction contest.
Now, I mostly write articles. Ironically, I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite form of writing or the one I’m most skilled in. However, I’ve grown to appreciate the technique required for writing quality news articles. Some of that is how an article takes shape on the page: catching the reader’s attention and guiding them through the twists and turns of the subject.
But what I value most is the work that happens before any words are typed. As with any art form, as your expertise grows, you start seeing not just the surface level of the finished product to layer upon layer of technique, appreciating the work as if you’re seeing into another dimension.
There are many ways you learn about a story: through a source or social media post, or just seeing something odd in your everyday routine and deciding to look deeper. Sometimes you go down the rabbit hole and return to the surface with a whole other story you didn’t know was lurking behind the original topic.
Then there is the physical side where you actually go places and experience your stories in person. I took on a treacherous climb at Dumbarton Campground to get a photo of the filled-in Dumbarton Quarry. For a grad school project, I got up at 6am to watch a ramen chef snap pork backbones for his broth.
My favorite part about writing articles is talking to people about their passions. How often do we get the chance in our busy lives to sit down and have in-depth conversations with people across professions and experiences? It’s amazing to me that this is actually part of my job that I’m getting paid for.
My secret to writing articles is that you don’t have to be that good of a writer if you’re a good interviewer. And you don’t have to be that good of an interviewer if you find interesting sources and let them talk.
You’ve done a good job writing an article when people tell you their favorite parts are all in the quotes. It may not be your words, but it is your work. Someone’s story is out in the world because of you. That’s the best feeling.
