Gay Talese's "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold"

"Sinatra with a cold is like Picasso without paint, Ferrari without fuel -- only worse." (Gay Talese)

It is one of the most famous pieces of magazine journalism ever.  Gay Talese, who had worked for the New York Times, wanted to try his hand at magazines.  His task?  To write six stories in the space of one year for Esquire magazine, the Vanity Fair of the 1960's.  With suitcase in hand, he flew to Los Angeles to interview the music legend, Frank Sinatra.  The problem was, the 50-year-old Sinatra was bound and determined not to speak to reporters:  he was tired of the relentless questions about his current love, a 20-year-old named Mia Farrow; he was tired of the endless queries about his Mafia connections; he was tired of the movie he was shooting; and to top it all off, he had a cold.  

But Gay Talese was up for a challenge.  For the next three months, he followed Sinatra to every corner of Hollywood and Las Vegas.  He pursued the singer's entourage of 75, gaining glimpses into the private man.  He did what needed to be done to get the scoop.  The result was a brilliant essay written in the "New Journalism" style.  Esquire called it "a work of rigorously faithful fact enlivened with the kind of vivid storytelling that had previously been reserved for fiction".  Blogger Maria Henson explained:  "The 15,000 word story is as finely crafted as Sinatra's (and Talese's) custom-tailored suits."  Here is an excerpt from the article that everyone was talking about in April of 1966:

"Sinatra with a cold is Picasso without paint, Ferrari without fuel -- only worse.  For the common cold robs Sinatra of that uninsurable jewel, his voice, cutting into the core of his confidence, and it affects not only his psyche but also seems to cause a kind of psychosomatic nasal drip within dozens of people who work for him, love him, depend on him for their own welfare and stability.  A Sinatra with a cold, can, in a small way, send vibrations through the entertainment industry and beyond as surely as a President of the United States, suddenly sick, can shake the national economy."  

(http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/esq1003-oct-sinatra-rev/)

Esquire magazine cover for April of 1966 courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra_Has_a_Cold.

Note:  For more about this style of essay writing, read Tom Wolfe's The New Journalism (http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Journalism-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0060471832).

How to Flavour Your Article with Anecdotes

"Anecdotes are like raisins in oatmeal cookies.  Sure, you can eat the cookies without them, but you'll miss out on the added flavour, contrasting texture and enhanced nutrition." 

(Michelle Ruberg in Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing)

Anecdotes don't just fall out of the sky onto your page like "manna", according to Michelle Ruberg. As a writer, you must search for them during your research and interviews.  While you are recording your names, dates and places, don't forget to include an anecdote or two.

Michelle Ruberg suggests that you draw them out of your subject by asking open-ended questions ex. "Tell me what happened when..." or "Describe what you saw when..."  Ideally, a face to face interview is the most productive.  Much of what we say is non-verbal, conveyed by our gestures and facial expressions; these are thing you can't pick up in a telephone conversation.  Don't forget to look for cultural distinctions and nuances as well.

As part of your research, documents can be a good source for anecdotes.  Eric Freedman, author of Pioneering Michigan, used a letter written by Jefferson Gage Thurber to his New England family to illustrate the panic following the 1832 cholera epidemic in Detroit.

"The panic at the time exceeded anything I ever imagined.  The timidity of our border settlers from sudden incursions of the Indians forms but a faint comparison.  I have no doubt from what little experience and observation I have had that fear has killed as many as the cholera." 

Where does an anecdote go in the article?  According to Michelle Ruberg, anywhere that it fits.  Steve Wilson's Folio magazine profile started with an Evel Knievel anecdote.

"One evening in 1973...Bob Bitchin pulled his chopper up to a stoplight on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.  He made eye contact with a man in a fur coat behind the wheel of a Ferrari.  When the light turned green, they raced.  The driver (who won) turned out to be Evel Knievel, and their late night of partying and entanglement with the law later made it into a Rolling Stone article."

Immediately upon reading this anecdote, your interest is piqued.  It pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading.

You can also put an anecdote at the heart of your piece as William Goldman did in his New York magazine article about wrestler turned film star Andre the Giant.  After being treated to several meals by Andre the Giant, Arnold Schwarznegger invited him out to dinner.

"...late in the meal, he snuck into the kitchen to give his credit card to the maitre d'.  As he was about to do this, he felt himself being lifted up into the air.  'When he had me up in the air, he turned me so I was facing him and he said:  'I pay.'  Then he carried me back to the table and set me down like a little boy.'  Oh yes, Andre was very strong."

The image I have of Andre the Giant lifting up former body builder Arnold Schwarznegger like a little boy is a powerful one.

An article can also end with an anecdote to drive a point home.  Douglas Preston included one in his National Geographic article about Cambodia.  He touched an ancestor stone, then:

"ran my finger through the cool grove of a lotus tree.  Here, broken soldiers from an Angkor temple had been put in the service of an even more ancient religion.  One of our soldiers, a skinny, barefoot teenager with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, stopped at the shrine,placed his hands together and bowed deeply in an act of veneration.  A gecko called twice, and then the forest fell silent in the stifling noon day heat.  Life went on in this strange, timeless land."

Note the sharp words and vivid imagery Mr. Preston uses, just as you would see in a fiction piece.

Michelle Ruberg reminds you to write tightly when including anecdotes.  "An overly long and wordy anecdote detours readers".  If your word count is 1000, and you include an anecdote of 350 words, that only leaves you 750 words for the rest of your article.  However, if your word count is double that, you might have room for such an anecdote.

Think like a fiction writer.  Use devices like plot, dialogue, characterization, sharp words and description when writing an anecdote.  Remember, your anecdote should bolster your point; it should be more than just "window dressing".  If you have too many to fit in your piece, save the remaining anecdotes for future writing assignments.

Note:  For more information, visit http://resources.writersonlineworkshops.com/resources/using-anecdotes-to-flavor-your-articles/.

https://www.andertoons.com/speech/cartoon/3419/before-we-get-right-to-food-for-thought-id-like-to-begin-with-an-anecdote-appetizer

How to Write an Awesome As-Told-To Article

An as-told-to article is written in the first person by a writer about another person.  You may know someone with a great story, but who lacks the know-how to tell it.  Therefore, you can approach them and ask them if they will share their story.  Interview them and then write the account in the first person.  Because the story is told in the first person, it lends it more intimacy, more of an emotional component.

According to Michelle Ruberg in the Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, there are three rules to writing an as-told-to article:  first, you must use the first person to get the intended emotional effect.  Don't interject your own thoughts into the article.  You must become the subject when your write the piece.  Second, act as both writer and editor.  Put the subject's account into chronological order and make sure that it all makes sense.  Third, before having the article published, ask the subject show the piece to the subject for final approval.  That way there are no surprises when the story is published with the subject's name underneath it (ex. "by Suzy Subject as told to William Writer").

Where do you find ideas for an as-told-to article?  Michelle Ruberg suggests opening up your local newspaper.  A local resident might be mentioned briefly in a column and you realize there's a story to be fleshed out there.  Contact the person mentioned and ask them if they would be willing to share their story.  Who knows where it will lead?

Who publishes as-told-to articles?  Michelle Ruberg points out that Guideposts for Kids often publishes this type of story.  Women's magazines like to focus on as-told-to articles about woman who have accomplished something or overcome an obstacle.  Prevention magazine has included several as-told-to pieces shared by Amy Purtel's blog at http://www.amypaturel.com/articles/list/category/7/ctitle/As-Told-To/.

http://www.northeastern.edu/careers/blog/category/professional-perspectives/

The Interview: Being Allowed to Have a Seat at the Table

My husband used to say that when Larry King interviewed guests, he would rhyme off the questions, not waiting for the responses.  However, blogger Wendy Thomas says that:  "Some of my best interviews have happened not because of asking but because of listening." (https://nhwn.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/tips-for-writing-a-feature-or-inteview-article/).

Wendy Thomas compares an interview to "being allowed to have a seat at the table".  Pull up a chair and listen. Yes, it's important to have a list of questions ready and waiting.  It's important to research your subject and to be aware of what's already been written on the topic.  But remember to be flexible. Sometimes the best material comes from an unasked question.

Freelance writing expert Allena Tapia recommends that you let the interviewee's words, ideas and actions set the agenda.  Zero in on ideas that are mentioned twice or with great passion.  Wait for what she calls the "bottom line" quote from the interviewee and highlight it.  Use the bottom line quote as the centre of your article, making your other facts, quotes and information lead back to that quote.  For Allena's full article, visit
http://freelancewrite.about.com/od/mechanicsofwriting/ht/WriteInterview.htm.

Allena suggests finding three to five broad subjects within the interview.  Then re-read your original assignment from your editor.  did he or she ask for a certain slant on the subject's childhood?  Does the interview promote a certain service?  Is there something remarkable about the interviewee's story? Compare your research to the editor's original wishes.

Refine your original broad subjects and use them as subheadings for your article.  Pull your best quotes and examples from your interview, and put them under the appropriate subheadings.
Introduce your subject, the history of the topic and your research.  Mention why each idea is important.

Focus now on the introduction which should reflect the article and frame the interviewee.  I like to include a central quote in my introduction as a foretaste of what is to come.  Turn now to your conclusion which should refer back to the introduction, making the article come full circle.  You may also refer to the subject's future plans here.

With your first draft complete, double check your spelling of names.  Double check your dates.  Reread your quotes.  Go on to a second draft (and third if necessary), editing what you have written.  Finally, submit your article to the editor.

Note:  Here is my feature interview article "Joel & Hayley Hensen:  Bringing Christ to the Congo" which appeared in the Feb. 10, 2014 edition of the Christian Courier at http://www.christiancourier.ca/images/uploads/past-issues/14Feb10.pdf.

http://thewritepractice.com/resources/interviewing/

Types of Blog Posts

You've set up a blog, you've found your niche and now you want to start blogging.  What types of blogs will you post?  Run through the list below and see which one suits you best; or maybe you would like to choose three or four and rotate your posts.

1.  News

One blogger calls it a "newsjacking".  Find an online article and mix your own opinion with the existing story.

Visit http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books/newsjacking/.

2.  Instructional

These are very popular among readers.  People are searching for solutions.  Write a step by step how to article about an area of expertise.  Include reference material and diagrams.

Visit my Childhood Literacy post at http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2011/05/reading-magic.html.

3.  Interview

Put on a reporter's cap for the day.  Grab a pen and pad of paper and interview an employee of your company or someone you admire.  Use a question and answer format.  Include photos if possible.

Visit http://www.incomediary.com/10-tips-creating-awesome-interviews-blog.

4.  Cheat Sheet

Summarize a vast amount of information in a top ten list.

Visit http://time.com/collection/top-10-everything-of-2014/.

5.  Media

We are all visual learners to some extent.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Include a post with high quality images, infographics, short videos or slide share presentations.

Visit http://www.coolinfographics.com/.

6.  Entertainment

Post something for the pure amusement of your readers.  For example, if you post something humorous, it has more of a chance of being shared and being remembered.

Go to http://www.buzzfeed.com/jackdaniels/ugly-holiday-sweaters-that-are-almost-too-ugly-to-wear?sub=2780348_2072688#.sbyX8d6j4.

7.  Narrative

Post a personal story.  I think of the post I wrote about my Grandad and how he received an F on his math test as a child, but how, as an adult, he turned his weakness into a strength, by becoming a beloved math teacher of thousands of Toronto high school students.

Visit http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2011/06/worlds-greatest-grandad.html.

8.  Review

Review a book, restaurant or product.  Include an excerpt from the book or a link to the restaurant's home page.

Visit my post "Unbroken" at http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2012/07/july-26.html.

9.  Gratitude

An attitude of gratitude makes a happy heart.  Devote a post to thanking someone or a group of people.

Check out Ron Edmondson's blog at http://www.ronedmondson.com/?s=gratitude&submit=Search.

10.  Research

Research a topic and present your findings.  Share your opinion about the topic.  Include charts, infographics, diagrams, etc.

Visit http://researchblogging.org/.

11.  Roundup

Select your top ten posts of all time and write about them.

Visit http://www.cornerstonecontent.com/how-to-write-a-great-roundup-post/.

12.  Series

Pick a topic that you know a lot about or one that you would like to learn about and write a multi-day, week or month long series on it.

Here is the first of my month long series on setting and achieving goals at http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2015/01/conceive-believe-achieve.html.

13.  Travel

If you go on a trip, bring along a laptop (or use the hotel computer if you have free access) and blog about it.

Here is one of a series of blog posts I wrote about my trip to Chicago last summer at http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2014/07/pizzeria-uno_4.html.