Expert: Susan Rand - 2/15/2005

Question
Mrs Rand,

I'm a student at Eastern Illinois University pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism.  

This semester, I'm enrolled in an advanced composition class where we're studying the writing process.  I've been assigned to find out the ins and outs of this process as it pertains to a career in journalism or free lance writing.  Since you're one of the two (or both?), I'd like to include your thoughts.

Though I find it unprofessional to conduct an interview over e-mail, as you may feel the same way, it's the best way considering the distance between us and the time constraint I'm under.  If you could find the time, I'm going to list a set of questions below for you to answer.  Being a writer for the campus paper, I completely understand that you're one of the busiest people on the planet.  Having that said, feel free to be as brief as needed.  

Thanks a lot for your time, and have a good one!

Sincerely,

Tim Emmerling





What kind of writing are you doing now?









What is the goal of this writing?   What are you trying to do with it?









How do you feel about doing this kind of writing?









I understand you may have to do your writing in a particular place when you're working, but if it were up to you, where would you write?









Do you have any rituals when you write?  Listen to music?  Like it quiet?  Write on a computer or pad of paper first?









Can you describe your writing process on a typical story/day?  How do you start?  How much time is involved?











How do you revise?  Do you write everything out and then go back and revise once you've finished a draft, or do you constantly go back to reread your work and fix the mistakes?









What does it mean to be successful in this field in terms of the writing that's done?









Did the training you received in school prepare you to be successful in this field or did you learn by doing it?









What is the easiest story to write?  What is the hardest story to write?    









How do you handle deadlines?  Do you work better under them (clutch writer)?  









How important is it for a writer to be able to work quickly?









Journalistic writing is usually objective.  If you've written for this medium in the past, or currently, how do you feel about this style?







What should aspiring journalists do to prepare themselves for the writing in this career (please skip if non applicable)?







Is there anything else I should know about writing in your field?  

Answer
Hello Tim:

I will be glad to answer your questions and I hope you will be patient as this could take some time.

Q  What kind of writing are you doing now?

A  At the moment I am creating content for my webpage. I publish books there, my own and hopefully in the future, works of others. You may examine it at www.webspawner.com/users/rand49/index.html. (You will have to cut and paste as this site does not support hyperlinks).
Not all my books are finished; I am working on them as I can.

I write part time for allexperts, as you know, and mentor emerging writers as they call on me.

Q  What is the goal of this writing? What are you trying to do with it?

A  I offer at my site booklets of condensed material containing much of my 35 years of learning and experience in the field. These booklets are short but dense, packed with information, and range in price from $4.95 to $9.95. I hope to sell them, certainly, but I also hope that beginning writers will find them useful.

My own books are also for sale at my site. Only a couple are finished at this time and will undergo more drafts in the future. The price will then go up. Those that are not finished will be finished.

The goal of the writing I do for allexperts is simply to impart what I have learned to others. I hope they find what I say helpful.

Q  How do you feel about doing this kind of writing?

A  I really enjoy it. I love working with the computer and as I construct my website I am learning HTML. I also love answering questions for emerging writers at allexperts.
Writing my own books is a bit of a slog as I'm much better at writing non-fiction - but I love fiction!

Q  I understand you may have to do your writing in a particular place when you're working, but if it were up to you, where would you write?

A  If it were up to me? At the beach, definitely.

Q  Do you have any rituals when you write? Listen to music? Like it quiet? Write on a computer or pad of paper first?

A  I have AADD and need quiet to work. Sometimes I have the TV on, but not when I'm revising or proofing. I write directly on the screen.

Q Can you describe your writing process on a typical story/day? How do you start? How much time is involved?

A  On a typical day I get up at 7:00 am and have a muffin and tea while I write in my journal. When I am finished with that, I work on the computer from about 8:00 am to 12:00 or 1:00 pm. That's seven days a week, Lord willing and the creek don't rise. From 12-1:00 pm to about 3:00 or 4:00 I do other things, then about 5:00 I study. What do I study? Writing! Just now I am studying rhythm in prose.

Q  How do you revise? Do you write everything out and then go back and revise once you've finished a draft, or do you constantly go back to reread your work and fix the mistakes?

A I constantly go back, not to fix the mistakes (after 35 years there aren't so many of those) but to cut and tighten, and to add new material. New material is the bane of my writing life. I have been working on a novel for youth off and on for 25 years. I keep finding new, wonderful things to add to it! But I must STOP! One of my goals is to write a first draft without looking back. I hope to achieve that one day.

Q  What does it mean to be successful in this field in terms of the writing that's done?

A  I'm not sure I understand this question. "In terms of the writing" seems vague to me, and how do you define "success?" Can you rephrase it?

Q  Did the training you received in school prepare you to be successful in this field or did you learn by doing it?

A  Both. In elementary school I learned how to spell. I learned grammar and vocabulary. I couldn't tell you today what a "past participle" is, nor even a regular participle. I know nouns from verbs and how to construct a sentence, and I know when I read it if it's wrong, though I might not be able to say why without a grammar book.

The college I went to absolutely demanded that every student admitted be able to write a 2 page essay without errors. I ended up "correcting" these papers. In my third year I learned what to write about, and in my fourth year I learned how to write it. My professors were wonderful.

Since graduating, I have perused nearly every book in print on writing of all kinds. I am constantly studying, but it's a bit difficult to find new subjects any more. I own quite a few writing books, and refer to them constantly.

Q  What is the easiest story to write? What is the hardest story to write?    

A  The easiest story to write is the full length novel. The hardest is the short story, without a doubt.

Q  How do you handle deadlines? Do you work better under them (clutch writer)?

A  Yes I do, but at the moment I don't have any. I'm my own publisher, and I'm rather self-indulgent.

Q  How important is it for a writer to be able to work quickly?

A  With the first draft it is critical. Before starting to write a short story or a novel, much planning must be done. For an 80-100,000 word novel I would think and plan for at least a year - an author needs to crawl through the planning. If this work is done properly, the writing should take no more than six months. For newspaper writers, they must of course be able to write quickly, off the top of their head and on their feet.

Q  Journalistic writing is usually objective. If you've written for this medium in the past, or currently, how do you feel about this style?

A  By "journalistic writing" I assume you mean the kind of writing journalists do. I haven't had much experience with this style, but it has some things in common with essay writing, which I have some experience with. It would be a real struggle for me to keep myself out of the writing, that's why I write essays instead of news stories!

Q  What should aspiring journalists do to prepare themselves for the writing in this career (please skip if non applicable)?

A  If I were an aspiring journalist I would study, study, study: newspaper articles, primarily. I would read all the papers I had time for, and the news magazines as well (Time, Newsweek, etc.). I'd outline articles for myself and see how they are constructed, and I would go through and see if I could cut a few words out without ruining the story. You should be able to find none. I'd certainly take some classes if at all possible, maybe even get a degree.

Q  Is there anything else I should know about writing in your field?

A  Nearly everything! I have been at this for 45 years and I am still learning. That's what I love about writing - it's a constant challenge, and you can never get too good at it. I hope to fall over dead with a writing book in my hand.