Journalism vs. Fiction
I appologize for being so absent on the blog lately. As I mentioned on the loop, I was commisioned by one of the papers I used to work on staff for to write three feature stories. It was time consuming, and ate up most of my writing/computer time. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I had a blast doing it.
I'd forgotten how much I missed that sort of writing. Not only the writing itself, but getting out, talking with people and hearing what they had to tell. With this assignment in particular, it drove home the point that everyone has a story.
My assignment was to ask three ordinary people what the most amazing or interesting aspect of their lives is, or has been, then write a 300-word story for each and take photos -- action shots, portraits, or both.
I talked to a funny little guy who always reads a book while ambling along the roads in my neighborhood. Turns out, the guy -- who I thought was in his 50s -- is 69 and has run in over 100 marathons, including the big ones in New York and Boston. His whole family hiked all over Oregon when his children were young, and now he is a volunteer track coach for long-distance runners at the local high school.
I wrote about a 92-year-old retired teacher whose biggest change in life was electricity. As a child, her family had no electricity. She and her five siblings had to milk a dozen cows by hand and separate the cream in a hand-cranked cream separator. When she grew up and taught, she had to carry wood in to heat the one-room schoolhouse. Now, she says people have become so dependant on electricity, when the power goes out, she has to leave home because she can't stay warm.
The last story is about a couple who just celebrated their 65th anniversary. For 3 years in the 70s, Continental Airlines offered a special deal to senior citizens. For a flat yearly fee of $1,100, once a week the couple could travel anywhere Continental flew. One year they took 35 trips to places like Hawaii, New York, Florida, Canada and Mexico. She moved to a retirement home seven months ago. Although he'd given her notes on Valentine's Day before, he'd never given her a gift. After 65 years, he finally gave her a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Who says romance is dead?
In the post from Melinda Ruckert, it said couples who stay married for 50 years is 6%. What do you suppose the percentage is for pairs who make it to the 65-year mark?
I finished the last two stories and emailed them off to the editor today, so now you'll have to put up with me hanging around the blog again.
So what sort of writing do the rest of you do besides fiction books? Do you write press releases, journalism, technical writing etc...? Are you paid for it? (I was fortunate enough to get paid for the features). What sort of writing did you used to do? Did you/do you love it or hate it? Miss it or not at all?
38 comments:
Years back, I wrote freelance human interest stories for the two local newspapers. I loved talking to the people and getting them to open up. And I had many say they loved the article.
As a 4-H program assistant part of the job was writing my portion of the monthly newsletter. It was pretty much telling about events, new information that was out, and such. Once in a while a story about an event that happen along with photos.
Now, I'm writing mostly promo stuff for my books. Nothing I get paid for. But needs to sound good to promote my books.
Oh, I did just write a letter to a car dealership! After we signed all the papers on my new car and I repeatedly told them to put my husband on the title, the registration showed up without my husband's name on it. So I sent them a letter stating the facts, showing I sent a check to the credit union holding the title to get him added to the title and asked to be reimbursed the additional money. It worked! They reimbursed. Must have been that last sentence- I wish I could say this had been a good experience. LOL
Oh, and glad you're back, Danita!
Missed your Ha!
Danita--Yea! She's back!
I loved your stories. Isn't it interesting what people's histories are and how they influence their futures? When we see an old guy we are really seeing a play in it's third act without benefit of the first two.
Paty, it was neat hearing about your former life as a newspaperwoman!
I have no such experiences. Silly plays when I was a kid, tortured poems as a teen, one lousy Smokey the Bear Boy-scout play as an adult and the rest is just fiction. I interview people, of course, for their stories so I can adapt them, but I've never written factual accounts.
All's right with the world, Danita (and her HA) are back.
Alice
Do you miss writing the features, Paty? I didn't realize how much I missed it. And not that I want to give up my fiction attempts, but I want to write more features. MORE I tell you, more!
I sold my flute when I was 14 and bought an electric typewriter with the money so I could pursue my dream of writing. I had several poems published in Waldport's weekly paper that year. That was my start in newspapers. When I was in my 20s I wrote a weekly garden column (for free) for the Brownsville paper and later an editorial column, also for Brownsville, also free gratis. That lead into the freelancing for pay, and writing for bigger papers, which led to getting hired as a fulltime crime reporter in Albany. The experiences were some I'll never forget, and great fodder for suspense stories... . Except nearly all violent crime in Linn County has direct ties to meth. That is some BAD news stuff. The crime beat kept me so busy writing about murders and fatal car crashes that there was no longer time to write human interest stories -- the features I most loved to write, which is a big part of why I left. So it's actually been some years since I wrote features.
Anyway, good for you on the promo stuff. You're doing such a great job with that. It's the sort of writing that's hardest for me.
I did writing on a political campaign (paid $50 per hour and our candidate won. Go Frank Morse!)and I've written press releases too. But like I said, it's hard writing for me. So dry and official.
And good job on the letter that got what you were after. Girl power! Ha!
Alice,
You've always been immersed in the fiction world, haven't you? That's why you're so good at it. Speaking of good, I finished Duplicate Daughter and loved it. I know it was the first book in the set that made the best seller's list (right?) and it was good, but I really enjoyed the second one more and thought it was better written too. It's like the idea of Alaska got you excited and raring to go or something... .
As for stuff you used to write, don't forget the comic strips on your kids' lunch sacks. I love that story.
Hope your trip was fun, warm and inspiring!
PS good to be back, Paty and Alice. Ha!
Danita, thanks for the kind words about Duplicate Daughter. Alaska was a challenge for me since I have never been there. When Paty mentioned enjoying the location because she'd just been up there helping her daughter, I was very relieved I'd apparently gotten some of it right!
Anyway, I just read a book by a fellow Intrigue writer/friend and loved seeing her humor and hearing her voice and now I am half way through Paty's book and am having a good time watching her characters and story develop and learning all about the old west, Oregon style. It's fun reading your friends' work, isn't it?
And thanks for bringing up the lunch bags. Probably my best work, but let's not forget the spud family was, alas, fictional. If it wasn't, I would never eat a potato chip again and banish that thought!
Alice
There are days when I think it would be fun to do some human interest stories. One because it is fun talking with people and hearing their stories. I kind of do that with my books. I visited an elderly gentleman who grew up in the early 1900's in the Snake river where one of my stories is set. He gave me great insight into the thoughts and feelings of the people who lived there. And then I called a school mate who lives there now and picked his brain about the flora and fauna there.
When I was researching MIP I visited with the local historian in Prairie City. She had several newspaper articles written about her life. It would make a great book - she and her husband packed supplies by horse into the gold town's in the blue Mountains in the early 1900's.
That's the good part about writing historical, you get to seek out people who can give you relevance to the time and place. :)
And the Spirit book, I've met several Nez Perce - one a direct descendant of Chief Joseph and gathered great information. So in a way I am researching like I'm doing a human interest story, only I take the information given and use it for fictional characters.
It is fun reading your friends' work, Alice. My favorite part is when I can hear their voice shine through. Like in your work, some of the phrases you use, I can hear you saying it with your own tongue and lips.
Speaking of tongue and lips and our friends' work...that might not have come out the way I meant it, but PIPER and KAREN, if you're reading this...I know it's against blog etiquette, if there is such a thing, but I thought I'd go backwards through the posts I missed and comment here. If I go back and comment on the old posts, the writers will probably never see my comments...
So, Karen -- inner conflict. Enjoyed the subject. Thank you. I did post a comment in your space late yesterday afternoon.
Piper -- smut or romance?
Like Alice, I admire your gutsiness in saying what you feel. This brings me to the tongue, lips, friends thing. (Bare with me here)
As a teen/early 20 something I read more erotica-type romance (Like my libido needed the added stimulation at that age...) and enjoyed it, although I was a closet reader, even hiding it from my first husband. I sort of mentally compared it to the Forum section in Penthouse all fiction too, I'm sure, although the people writing it claim it's true. Confessions, right, Alice? Did you mention that you used to write those? Well, not for Penthouse. At least I don't think so...but I'm digressing here) that I would sneakily read from my biological father's magazines that he thought were well hidden under the couch cushions.
Warning to parents everywhere: If you hide porn under your couch cushions your curious children will find it, and read it. At least the female children will read it. The male children, practicing to become men, will probably claim to read the articles, but will really only look at the pictures. End of warning.
So, where was I? Oh yes. Erotica. I have not read any since except that written by one of my friends and CPs. She was commisioned to write a couple erotica shorts for anthologies her small press produced. So I read them. They were paranormal erotica, no less, and I thought "Hoo boy. This is not my kind of thing at all." It wasn't really her thing either. She was sort of embarrassed to even type the letters n-i-p-p-l-e, so it was a stretch for her. But she did a great job, used some humor to go along with the nasty words and one of the stories turned into: A witch falls for a hunky guy,s so she cast a spell on him. It seems to work, he falls for her. They have plenty of graphic sex, but in the end, when she can't figure out why her cat won't quit rubbing against her ankles, she figures out the spell she meant for the man actually landed on her kitty. The hunky dude fell in love with her on his own accord.
It was an adorable story and I enjoyed it, although it would have been just as strong without such graphic sex scenes. So, I'm with Alice -- I don't choose to read it, but I don't care if others do. Unless they are underage. Then I have issues. So, I'm a little with Piper too. I don't think so much erotica is necessary, and I feel a little saddened that it is what people are choosing to read when there are so many other good books out there. With so many strip clubs and internet porn, and the violent and sex crimes which go along with the whole sex market, I don't think America needs any more porn: Visual; live; or written. And I don't think as a population we should encourage more. It's too easy for it to fall into the hands of children and teens not yet ready to deal with it. And I think I've mentioned this before, but I find it interesting that inspirational is as hot right now as erotica. Both ends of the spectrum. And me, with my middle-of-the-road tastes, stuck right in the middle.
Paty,
Nice to hear your interviewing skills are still coming in handy in book writing. I sure see how they would. With my first book I talked to several cops, detectives and a Senior Deputy District Attorney. Also interviewed a hot-air balloon pilot. All very interesting, and since I'd done it earlier in my career, it wasn't out of my comfort zone.
As for your last blog and promoting your book or yourself, I think promoting yourself is a grand idea and makes a lot of sense. Wearing the western clothes, writing similar books and getting known as a NW historical writer is branding yourself. Maybe you should get a brand tattoo. That would really stick in people's minds. Ha!
Sorry I don't have any gems of wisdom to add to your promotional ideas. Except the brand. Don't put it on your butt though, unless you want to wear chaps without pants underneath...hey, now that would really stick in people's heads, wouldn't it? The crazy chaps, bar double M lady writer. Could work. Ha!
Hi Danita - my you all are such a chatty bunch - how fun!!
As you know, my background is in technical writing and after getting burned out, I took the opportunity to finally pursue fiction - my first love. The funny thing is, I do miss tech writing sometimes and take on projects from time to time. And the money helps me continue to focus on my fiction.
I also do other writing without pay to promote my nonfiction and it pays off, which I'm hoping to use to promote my fiction in the future.
Kathy--Good to see you on the blog!
Alice
And yeah, we do go on. Always good to have a new voice...
ROFLMTO!!(Rolling on floor laughing my tattoo off!)
Oh Danita! I love the brand and chaps idea! But I don't think my husband will go for it. Unless it is just for him! ;) Or maybe if I wrote erotica! LOL
But yeah, I think I'll try the western thing and see if I can stick in people's minds.
I'm going to be at the Rose City Luncheon and I got the date at the Enterprise Book store set for May 12th. They have a Chocolate Walk that day in the town for Mother's day weekend! Should be fun!
Kathy,
How fun that you popped over and commented. Hope you don't mind if I introduce you to my other friends here:
Kathy is from my monthtowrite group (which is a spin off from RWA chicklit online chapter). She's an active blog writer for a newspaper, and on her own sites -- drunk writer talk (right?) women over 40, and fatherless daughters. She self published a book on the latter subject, and I was honored when she used a quote by me in the book. She is also a woman's fiction author and just got a request for a full after some revisions.
Hop on in and add more if you want, Kathy. We're thrilled to have you join our chit-chat. We have a lot of fun here.
It is nice to get the occasional paycheck for writing while waiting for publication to happen, isn't it?
Paty -- so glad you got the bookstore to change their date. The chocolate walk sounds like a perfect day for a book signing, because of course you'll have chocolates...shaped like sheriff's stars or horseshoes or steer heads...you might have to make your own with candy molds. Since you aren't willing to use my other promotional idea -- the tattoo brand, maybe you'll listen to me on this. Ha!
You are my promotion hero, girl. Please write all this stuff down so you can remind me of all the things I can do too when I get to your place in my career. I guess I should be writing it down myself...
I personally heartily endorse Danita's open chap/butt tattoo as a means of sticking in people's minds (and perhaps securing a shot on some sleazy TV show.) It's unique! It's catchy! It's bound to be chilly in the winter!
Alice
Thank you for your support, Alice.
I have the number for the Montel Williams Show. Maybe we should give them a call and see if a butt tattoo/open chaps author is someone they'd spotlight.
Someone from the show called me when I wrote for the paper about an 11-year-old Albany girl who was pregnant, thanks to a mother who prostituted her out. I didn't return the show's phone call. The girl had been through enough. The whole thing was so sad and sick.
But Paty's butt brand, now that just smacks of class....
Okay, Elisabeth, if you're reading here's comment on your last post about loop-de-loop and conference waffling...
Great points were made both pro and con to your going.
Personally, I agree with Karen. I found Emerald City to be much more intimate and useful than Reno. For me, Reno was a bust. Probably because I was focused more on family, a new relationship, a baby on the way, etc...and not so much on my writing at that time. Also because the book I'd written was already with an editor and I really didn't have anything else to pitch, although I fudged it and pitched one that was only a concept. I got a request for a partial, which I never sent. And then there were the editors and agents on the PRO panel who tore apart the sample pages I'd sent....
On the flip side. The pages getting ripped apart created a lot of buzz and a woman I barely know started talking to me at dinner about this really good, funny story and how she enjoyed it, but it got torn apart and how mad it made her. Turns out, she was talking about MY story. When I told her I'd written it, she turned seven shades of red, but I felt so much better. She's not the only one I heard talking about it either. And all the talk was positive.
I also met a few agents. One who I'll submit to when I'm ready because I really enjoyed her as a person.
And I had a great time with the Portland trio -- Lyssa, Leah and Terri and their friend Shirley Jump who is the ask an author loop speaker right now. We all went out to dinner one night and it was fun to be surrounded by their energy.
Also it was Reno and I won some money.
Anyway, back to whether you should go or not...I wouldn't. Your heart doesn't seem into it. But only you know your heart and what your gut is saying.
I want to go to SF too. I also love that city. We'll see how finances are at that time.
Wow, I just read through all 18 comments. Fun stuff! And welcome to the wackiness, Kathy. 8^) We chat more here than on our chapter loop, lol!
Danita, I was a production editor for a bank card marketing company in the late 80s, early 90s, for about 6 years. I wrote a lot of marketing copy and designed the publications they went into. As well as lots of direct mail. I learned more about credit card fraud and merchant card services than anyone would want to know.
I write lots of ad copy for my design clients, and press releases. I also write a little web content, but that's such a specialized industry that I haven't quite got the hang of it yet.
I write a weekly newsletter on self-promotion for authors, but you already knew that. Hmm, what else. Articles for this blog. Does that count? 8^) And I occasionally contribute an article to the Rocky Mountain Writer. No pay. I never get paid for that kind of stuff.
I'd love to write feature articles for magazines, but I have no experience in that department. I suppose I could just jump in and try it. All it would cost me is time (like I have any extra). Our local Bend Living Magazine is a pretty big deal all over the country and they're always using local contributing writers, so I might have a shot if I can come up with a good idea.
Karen
Karen, the Bend living magazine sounds cool--what about writing about writers in Bend???
Anyway, you've all had such fascinating careers and Danita, that story of the 11 year old is just too sad for words. What's wrong with some adults?
Okay, gotta go try to get back into my book. Wish it ws as much fun as the blog!
Alice
Interesting stuff, Karen. Isn't it amazing how many aspects of writing there are?
I'd love to write for magazines too. I've submitted, got close, but ultimately got rejected. I kind of gave up. Sending out the queries gets time consuming and expensive. Breaking in to the market is the hard part. Once you're in, I think it can be fairly lucrative. Maybe I'll try again sometime.
Alice is right. Write about writers.
Alice, what book are you working on now? Another proposal, or the one you just proposed?
As for the Mother of that poor girl, she's in prison, along with two of the men who had sex with the girl. (One of the men claimed he loved the girl and offered to marry her) The girl gave birth to a son when she was 12 years old. Last I heard, the girl was living with her aunt and doing well.
The reason that story went National is because children having children was the hot topic at that moment. How puberty is hitting younger and younger, which is also the reason the talk show was interested.
Now you can see why I no longer want to work as a crime reporter. Although it was sometimes very exciting, ultimately, the endless inhumane stories were bringing me down.
Ooh, great idea, Alice! The writers in Bend, or at least the fiction writers, are hiding. They creep out of their closets now and then, but rarely. It would be fun to shine the spotlight on a few, if they'd allow it. We have a very famous sf author here, Timothy Zahn, whom I haven't been able to find. His editor told me he lived here, so I probably should send her something to forward to him. Sigh. What a bother. Am I lazy or what? 8^)
Karen
I know a person who does a lot of writing for various magazines. At one time she asked me if I wanted some of her clients. I turned her down with doing the 4-H stuff and my own writing. But now I think I should have took her up on it! Oh well!
Dang Paty,
Can I have her name? Just joking. Mostly. How long ago was that? Yeah, too bad you didn't take her up on the offer. Oh well, if you had, you wouldn't be as far in your fiction writing career.
It was 5-6 years ago when she became a 4-H agent. Not in my county but another county.
I could ask her but, heck with the writing, editing, and promotion as much as I'd love the extra money - I don't have time!
You can get in with a lot of the little mags - Like Ruralite, Country magazines, look up all the mags just in Oregon and start there. I think that was who she mostly wrote for. And sometimes you can do the research and twist the topic a little and sell it to a different magazine.Double your money!
That's a good idea about checking into Oregon magazines, Paty. And yeah, I've read a lot about people tweaking articles and selling to several different places. I came close with Sunset. I sent them a version of a freelance article I wrote for Mid-Valley Sunday paper on flowering trees. Unfortunately, they already had one in the can waiting to run. It was a very positive rejection, although I didn't realize at the time how positive it was. My timing was just a little off.
The story I wrote about the 92 year old woman I was thinking would make a good article for Ruralite. Probably the 65-year married couple would too.
And the good news on the copyright is the paper only owns first rights, although they reserve the right to put the stories in their archives, or run them in a special issue or something without paying me again, but I'm free to do whatever I want with them once they've ran in the paper.
So thanks for the idea. I may go for it. Always looking for ways to make some income and still stay home with the squirt.
My god. Y'all are a chatty bunch. I'm on deadline for a legal article, and battling the pregnancy narcolepsy and other new fun symptoms. I like my legal writing--it exercises a different part of the brain. I like writing reviews for the local paper--it makes me feel more connected to my town. I like writing my blog--it lets me work on more narrative non-fiction. I like my academic writing--it teaches me to be more clear and direct. I like writing emails and comments to others because it helps me work out my own thoughts. Too much writing, not enough time to squeeze it all in. But, nothing really energizes me like my fiction writing does. BUT, just getting this article out has been a stretch---I'm hoping my brain returns soon.
I've been the editor of a few monthly community and job-related newsletters. I've also typeset chapbooks for local poets, and worked as a writer/transcriptionist for a communications company. I've enjoyed it all, thank goodness, though my fiction has always been the biggest high for me (of course).
My grandparents were married 60+ years before passing away; my parents are hitting their 50th in May, and will be renewing their vows. You just don't see much of that these days, do you? Sounds like you really enjoyed writing your article! :-)
Wavy,
Good luck with your brain and the legal article. And I hope it's nothing serious with the pregnancy. I don't know what narcolepsy is.
It sounds like you have all sorts of writing chores to keep you hopping. Where you find the time and energy to read so many books, I will never know!
Take care of yourself and that wee little one though. Don't overdo. Not worth exhausting yourself.
And yes, Wavy, we are a chatty damn bunch.
Speaking of chatty, where is Piper? I thought she'd be piping in. I know she used to write for the newspapers that she and her DH owned.
Hope all is well at your house, Piper. Your DD emailed about Lena a week or so ago and said you'd had the crud going around.
Editing is different than writing it yourself, isn't it Steph? It uses the other side of your brain, kind of like what Wavy was talking about.
I filled in for the editor at one of the smaller local newspapers when he was on vacation and at the bigger paper the reporters had to all pitch in on deadline and help proofread obituaries and the pages as they came out. I like writing better!
Congratulations to your parents and your late grandparents, Steph. Fifty and sixty years are quite the feats.
And yes, thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the features. Too fun!
Piper 'piping' in, finally.
No crud going around anymore thank goodness! We're all quite sick of being sick.
Just been busy reading a great book called "The Fungus Link" by Doug A. Kaufmann. I get on a subject of interest and can't let it go until I've used it all up. So, that's where I've been. Nose in that book and on-line reading everything I can get my eyes on about the subject. ;) In my other life, I wanted to be a naturopathic doctor so I get all nerdy and soak up subjects weird subjects like this book. :)
As you mentioned, Danita, I used to write for a couple newspapers and I've done, I don't exactly know what to call them, human interest stories I guess, but, not for the newspaper, rather for programs honoring certain people for life time achievements, etc. I wrote the stories after interviewing the people then the stories were read aloud to the audience the night of the celebration. Does that make sense? Sorry, I just don't know what you'd call it. Duh. I really need to learn to pay better attention to stuff like that I guess. Whatever.
I've written since high-school but most of it has been non-fiction. It's been either about my life, or someone else's life or news articles. It's what comes most readily to me; fiction is much more of a challenge.
And Wavy's right, ya'll are very chatty on this blog post. It took me forever to catch up! Very interesting reading though. Such a talented, well rounded group of women.
See most all of you tomorrow at dinner or the meeting. I've missed all of you! And it's great to have a new voice on the blog, welcome Kathy! Stick around! :)
I think you'd call what you wrote about people tributes, Piper.
Very cool.
Have fun studying fungi. See you tomorrow!
A natural-type doctor would be very interesting. It's never too late. That's my motto.
Congrats on finishing the articles, Danita! That's uber-cool.
I don't do any technical writing. I wasn't one of those people who knew I wanted to be a writer until I sat down and started writing my first novel. I wrote papers all through college and grad school - mine and everyone else's. (I was the mother of the group and everyone brought me their projects to write. Let me tell you, THAT's an exercise in writing, coming up with a variety of different viewpoints on the same subject so no one's paper sounded the same.) When I was teaching science my kids used to hate me because I'd make them write in complete sentences. I used to always hear, "But it's science! It's not writing. We don't have to write in science class!" My answer was an evil eye and a, "yeah, right. Tell it to your pencil."
When I was teaching creative writing one year as an elective, I made overhead copies of the images in Chris Van Allsburg's book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. If you've never seen the book, I urge you to go find it. It's a series of strange pictures that gets even the most un-inspired person thinking and imagining. My kids used to love to come up with stories to go with each of the pictures (and, I admit, so did I). My favorite was a girl cutting into a pumpkin and finding a glowing light coming out of the inside of the orange orb.
Pretty amazing you never knew you wanted to be a writer and look at you go now, Eli! And you're so good and talented at it too.
That book sounds great. I'll pick it up if I ever see it.
And the college papers do sound tough. Did people pay you to write them, or were you just that kind?
Thanks for chiming in.
Aw, you're sweet, Danita.
No, I was just nice. In retrospect though, I could have made a lot of money!!
Once in a while I have my moments, Eli. Ha!
And yeah, you probably could have covered tution and books with paper-writing fees.
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