I was worried about writing this piece because I could only do one
interview with David. I had wanted to interview him at least one more time
(preferably in his studio) and also interview Rose, but with their family
issues, there was no possible way for them to meet again. I didn’t choose a
different subject, however, because I felt I still could paint a pretty good
picture of what David is like. Plus, David is so likeable that I grew too fond
of him to abandon him. I feel like that could be breaking some journalist code
or something, but I can’t do anything about it now.
I had to leave out a good portion of what David and I talked about
because it didn’t fit in with the overall flow of the story. I probably have
about two pages of notes solely on his political views (which are all very
interesting). I’m still playing around in my head if I’m going to incorporate
more of those viewpoints in my later drafts, but I haven’t quite decided if
they’re necessary. We’ll see.
Overall, I was very intimidated in writing this type of piece. I wanted
to do David justice, but I wanted to do it in a natural way. I learned that I
need to go over my notes much sooner than I did—I had trouble remembering the
context of some of the things David said, especially because I chose not to use
a recorder. Also, I felt weird including myself in the piece...but I think it
made sense with the story. Well, I hope it did, at least. If not, I’ve already
thought about cutting myself out during the later editing process.
Profiles are fun, but I think I underestimated how
consuming they are! Not just in terms of time, but also in any aspect you can
apply the word. I think to write a really good profile, a journalist needs to
throw him/herself completely into it.
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