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. 254). These articles, Rivers notes, contain imagery created by details that you find in profiles. However, there is just not as much in these shorter pieces. You must show~ do not tell. You have to do this in your own sketches. Rivers also suggests that sketches be strengthened by use of anecdotes. These have tremendous value to you as a writer and offer much strength to your sketch. "Anecdotes, by their nature, are not great worldshaping events. They are human looks at something. They have small cores, but radiate ramifications" (p. 260).Writing Capsule and Thumbnail ProfilesBrief or capsule profiles, often called thumbnail profiles also, are growing in popularity with newspaper and magazine editors. These profiles are quite short, just a few hundred words, and usually follow a standard format developed by the editors of the publication or news service. These formats may even vary within the publication, with different sections or departments offering their own profiles depending on the nature of the subject being profiled.There is also a trend toward writing profiles of nonhuman subjects such as institutions, corporations, sports teams, network programs, Page 199BEST SOURCES FOR WRITING PROFILESPeopleSubjectFamilyNeighborsWorkplace associates, rivals and competitorsBusinesses where subject shopsObservationsSubject at workSubject at home with family, friendsSubject enjoying personal activitiesLibrary ResearchResume, press kitsPublic recordsWritings by subject, if anyPrevious newspaper, magazine article clippingsFilm and video tape, if availablefilms, and similar subjects. These articles follow a certain content outline, usually set by the individual publication based on a dozen or more categories of information, and are regularly offered. A new company, a successful business, or a new investment category might be profiled by a business magazine, specialized company or industry newsletter, or business section of a newspaper. At the beginning of a new sports season, standardized profiles of teams or leagues might be part of a special section or part of the regular coverage of a top game of the day or week. In the news section during election campaign periods, personality sketches or capsule profiles of all serious candidates are standard fare. In entertainment, profiles of new movies, books, records, and other art forms are commonplace. Each of these serves a purpose for the reader: The capsulized profile is an information digest for quick reading. These capsule profiles can be placed within larger articles on broader subjects as a sidebar or placed beside articles of equal importance.Some publications ask subjects to profile themselves by answering a short standard list of questions. This form is an abstracted version of what you might write in a full profile, but without the elaboration. These short profiles are the bare bones. There are no wasted words. They are direct to the point. Page 200Avoiding Profile ProblemsCan you make mistakes when writing profiles? Yes. You can permit yourself to be overly positive, impressed with the "star" quality of the person you are profiling. Or be intimidated. Or superficial. These are three major pitfalls of many beginners, especially students. And you can talk too much during the interview, for example. Some interviewers get involved in the interview to the level of talking too much and getting less from the source as a result. Or you can waste valuable time with terrible questions. To avoid mistakes, exert selfcontrol and discipline. Be careful not to depend on only your subject. Perhaps worst of all, you can be "steered" by your subject to a certain agenda and focus of the subject's choosing.One way to avoid some of these problems is to use numerous sources representing a variety of perspectives. Do your homework, of course. Research for background provides a strong foundation for the story and your interviews. As for writing the story, there are some tips for that part of the profile assignment also." Do not write in chronology only. Select a strong focus for your article." Do not drift." Do not jumble your facts together." Use good transitions to connect the pieces." Above all, do not forget your nut graf.John A. Limpert, The Washingtonian magazine editor, says beginning profile writers often make poor decisions in approaching their craft. Because they are big part of the magazine writing and editing, Limpert says it is important to avoid these basic mistakes:Thinking it's an easy payday. When writers tell me they like to write profiles, it sets off warning bells. Often they mean an easy personality piece from a quickie interview. Bestselling author Judith Viorst was one of our best profile writers. She would first read about the subject, then call the subject and say: "I'd like to do a story on you. I've read a lot about you. Before we talk, can you give me the names of people who know you well, both friends and enemies?" Famed trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams said he never asked a question in court he didn't know the Page 201answer to~ writers should know most of the answers before they start asking the questions of the profile subject.Loving the subject too much. In a variation of the Stockholm Syndrome, in which hostages begin to identify with their captors, some profile writers develop too much empathy with their subjects. When it comes time to write the profile, the writer worries more about the profile subject than the reader. The writer has to make a shift in mindset after the research: When you sit down to write, your loyalty is to the reader. You owe the reader a cleareyed, professional look at the subject, and you can't worry about pleasing or displeasing the subject.Hating the subject too much. Again, you owe the reader a cleareyed look even if the subject has been difficult to deal with or runs into one of your biases.Trying to be too clever. Some writers try to cover up weak research or a dull subject with very clever writing. It's harder to fool readers than many writers think. A good editor has a sensitive BS detector and won't let you get away with it. A corollary: Write about sophisticated ideas in simple language, not the other way around.Giving up when the subject won't cooperate. Some of our best profiles were done on people who wouldn't talk to us [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]