EDITOR@WORK: writing styles

Showing posts with label writing styles. Show all posts

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The light approach

Years ago, I picked what sounded like a tough topic for a newspaper story. I wondered why people attended races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the big frontstretch stands prevent fans from seeing the whole track. Maybe half of it, not much more.

My boss didn't think that fans would talk to me about this, but I was determined to try. I was also covering the race for the paper, so I flew to Indianapolis and hooked up with a friend who was using his personal car. This was the day before racing would start, so I figured my tough topic would be my big story for the next day's paper.

I didn't walk right up and accuse people of stupidity, with this story or one about a court trial. It's not my personality, and, frankly, confrontation usually doesn't work well.

At Indy, I'd start a conversation with a fan and soon get around to asking where he/she was going to sit on race day. They'd say in turn one, turn two, the backstretch or wherever, and I'd ask what they could see. "Not much," they'd invariably say. Some would explain that, sitting in turn one, they could see the entire frontstretch, plus turns one and two. The stands would block everything else.

That would be my lead-in. "Why do you come to a track where you can't see much? Why spend so much money on it?" Again, I wasn't being accusatory, just curious.

I talked to at least 20 people, and all of them laughed good-naturedly when I asked. They'd say they came to the Brickyard because of the history, to be with their friends, to walk down Gasoline Alley, to play the par-three golf course inside and outside the track, to visit the museum. Some went simply because it was a race on the schedule and they could get tickets.

I wove together a 28-inch story with nearly 20 voices that was my best story that year. I'm not bragging, just making a point. You can ask tough questions; it's all in the approach. I did it this way for dozens of stories in the 1990s.

I'd get confrontational if I needed to, perhaps after a driver's death on the track. But I found that a smile and a friendly personality — plus a genuinely curious manner — go a long way for a reporter.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

Sunday, September 6, 2009

WRITING WiTH STYLE

Keep it simple: During a job interview years ago, a sports editor told me that I had the simplest writing style he'd seen. He didn't see tangled webs in my sentences, and I took that as a compliment.

Recently, one of the readers of this blog commented: "I like your no-nonsense writing style, and appreciate your generosity on this blog."

I can't compare myself to Ernest Hemingway, but I've always used his approach: "My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way," he said.

That said, my advice is to use your natural style; don't try to imitate an established writer. If you write like Hemingway, more power to you; just don't leave any guns lying around.