A Writer’s Fish Bowl
As jarring as it can be for the subject of one of my profile stories to see their life printed out on a billboard, it’s just as jarring for me to see my name attached to it. Writing stories about other people’s lives is a privilege but can also be a daunting undertaking that comes with the risk of getting it wrong. I try to understand the arc of someone’s story but even when I do, the structure that emerges in putting all the parts together often dictates what gets included or not.
As a writer, I’ve come to accept that everything is grist for creation and subject to ending up in poem or another form of written work. But I don’t know if the people in my life have accepted the same. And when you add a journalistic component to my writer’s equation and put a camera in my hand, I can understand why some people might head the other way when they see me coming.
And I’m no help. The lines are blurred. I don’t know when I’m on or off duty. One part of me doesn’t want one more new story to write about because I don’t want the work of it. Another part is always on the lookout for what stands out, listening for the quotable, translating life events into pictures and words.
I got my haircut today. I’ve had the same hairdresser for more than a decade. I have a hard time trusting new hairdressers, and so I appreciate the bravery it takes those people who have invited me into their homes and lives to tell me their stories and trust that I’ll represent them fairly.
I’m fascinated by the line between being curious and being nosy. When I’m writing a story about someone, I’m not looking to know what they don’t want to tell me, but I am interested in the inner life that drives their outer story.
My interest in writing about other people’s stories started with the eulogy I wrote for my brother Jim and thinking it was the most important thing I’d ever written and wondering why we wait till people die to honor their lives that way.
These days, I mostly write about my neighbors and members of my community. It broadens my horizons to the see the contrast of our differences while also seeing that we are all so much more alike than we are different. I’m proud of the good work others are doing. I like to turn a lens on that.
Post notes: A couple of profile stories I wrote this year are HERE and HERE. Others can be found by clicking on “Floyd Press Stories” on my category sidebar.
January 11th, 2011 7:14 am
You do not want to pry but many times that which they don’t want to talk about is what makes them true and interesting and relatable. I do not know if I could ever be a journalist as I tend to be brutally honest most times.
January 11th, 2011 8:39 am
You are a fantastic writer and photographer!! I think many a person see it for what is worth. I especially see it and appreciate it. Keep it coming! Love you! xoxo
January 11th, 2011 11:54 am
Personal profiles are my favourite kind of story to write, Colleen…people are generally pleased with what I write, but you are correct in saying that it’s very easy to “get it wrong” sometimes!
Wendy
January 11th, 2011 1:58 pm
Getting it “right” seems to be something that almost no paper or magazine or TV News Show bothers to do anymore. I applaud you for your efforts in that direction, Colleen. It is a form of trust, for sure!
About the game:Yes, EVERYONE gets to roll the dice, many times–that’s why we sit around in a circle. And some people go home with nothing and some people go home with lots of things. Much is the luck of the throw of the dice. It is not a mean spirited game, though it might read like that….It is great fun!
January 11th, 2011 9:54 pm
Anyone can hear, feel and see the love and empathy in your writing. And because it’s what drives the curiousity, it’s easy to be interviewed by you. One is not on quard, but feels honored. It’s not scary; it’s fun.
January 11th, 2011 10:20 pm
Thank you, Kanta and good to hear from you! Here is the link the story I wrote about your book: http://looseleafnotes.com/wp/2009/07/bosniak%E2%80%99s-book-chronicles-a-creative-approach-to-healing/
January 12th, 2011 9:28 am
I applaud you for moving into the feature story area and for writing them so well. I’ve been following your progress and you continually improve. I am glad you are enjoying this kind of work.
The interview process can be a difficult one but from what I’ve read you’ve managed to become expert at it!
January 13th, 2011 11:19 am
Those boundaries come easier with time. If you’re known as someone who can be trusted to not put up a horrid picture or scathing portrait, people can entrust you more with stories. People don’t offer what they don’t need to talk about. You provide a service for saying better what they want to say than they can express.
Personal stories done well to reflect how the person wants to be portrayed are the hardest.
It’s the omissions that make me nervous, that is, the people who I don’t comment on. Silence is the worst judgment, even more than a skewed story. I have to balance my own honesty with can I speak nicely and not burn bridges? People who present themselves as candidates…that’s the nail biting for me.
Always it comes back to me the forgotten name of biographer who ran the draft by his subject, its honest stories of drunken rows, fights, heartache and all but the objection the subject lodged was how his dog might feel because the writer portrayed the dog as slobbering and messy. He revised.