One lesson stood out for Charlotte Ryan, a cherub from London, during the profile-writing workshop she attended in the fourth week of the program: there is a fine line between getting to know the source and being their date.
Bret Begun, guest instructor and National Affairs Editor at Newsweek, shared his experience writing a profile piece about NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with Ryan and 13 other cherubs. During Begun’s interview, which was supposed to last just 30 minutes but turned into six hours, Earnhardt asked Begun to help pick out an outfit for the MTV Movie Awards and then escort him out of the limousine that evening.
Ryan said she was not only intrigued by Begun’s story because he had been down the red carpet, but also because it allowed her to see an example of a professional reporter becoming too close with his source.
Esther Zuckerman, a cherub from Encino, Calif., said that while Begun and instructor David Weissman taught their 10 points of profile writing, they also shared stories to illustrate the lessons. This teaching style made the workshop one of the best she attended this summer, she said.
“Instead of just giving us rules, they gave real-life examples,” Zuckerman said.
Nikki Friedman, a cherub from Piedmont, Calif., said she learned that anecdotes are the heart of profile pieces. Begun also taught her that when she finds a good story, she should do “an anecdote dance,” a practice she said she is excited to try.
As a high school student, Friedman said she learned she can use youth to her advantage, “because people think we are stupid and inexperienced.”
Jim Santel said he was glad he signed up for the class. He said he will use the techniques he learned when writing for his high school paper at home and will refer back to his three pages of notes and the 10 points.
“I realized that the way I wrote profiles could be a lot better,” Ryan said. “After the session, I already had ideas of who to profile and how to do it.”
After the workshop ended, only a few cherubs walked out of the room. The rest stayed behind to hear more stories from Begun and Weissman. |
