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Topic: Not Really Beginner--Editor to Writer
| Author | Message |
| mentat | Posted – 11/18/2007 9:00:32 PM | show profile | email poster I've been editing for some time but haven't written seriously (except when required by the various positions I've held, usually short bites or rewrites). I now want to dip into freelance writing, not necessarily full time but to write the occasional piece on issues that have been itching me for some time. I'm virtually clueless as to how to start. The writing I'm interested in is not standard reporting but more social commentary. Observations of cultural trends I've noticed but that don't seem to be being talked about. Problem is you pretty much need a Ph.D. in order to be qualified to do anything approaching an adequate job. Just as an example, which isn't actually an issue I'm too interested in, suppose I wanted to write about, say, the depiction of youth violence in media and popular culture. Where would you start? Could you just talk about a few movies and TV shows you've seen, and maybe song lyrics and advertisements, and muse about what you feel is the subtext underpinning it all? Maybe interview a few "experts" and solicit their opinions on your own personal, and perhaps less-than-qualified, viewpoint? (Would definitely be an opinion piece--quasi-soapbox stuff.) My problem mainly is that I'm not an avid TV viewer and therefore have seen only a few shows on a regular basis (some I just look at sporadically to try to glean their basic leanings and philosophies on certain issues). Based on these and other observations, I've developed theories about general shifts in societal attitudes and behaviors. Now, I know that this is nowhere near adequate for putting together a cogent argument or cultural analysis. So what next? How much preparation is enough to go ahead and actually start writing? Do I need to spend the next 6 months in the library? How much work am I looking at? Anyone have any experience on cultural commentary, and could you share with me what kind of background you have in the area, and how much research or background work typically goes into tackling such a wide issue as social attitudes as reflected in the media? Any comments would be much appreciated. Thanks! |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 11/18/2007 11:00:54 PM | show profile I've written tons of "social commentary" pieces, as you've defined them. The amount of research is all over the place. Sometimes, I've merely read something in the paper that strikes a cord and then I write 1,000 words on it. No research really. Other times, I'll interview dozens of people and do lots of legwork. And I don't have a Ph.D. Or a master's. Just a little BA in journalism. The key is your don't really tackle wide issues like "social attitudes as reflected in the media." You decide what small bite you want to take out of this big topic. Think pieces are all about the angle, the specificity, and the strength of your viewpoint. So don't go in trying to write profound pieces about huge topics. You are just overwhelming yourself. If a general subject area interests you, just look into it until you find an angle that intrigues you. |
| mentat | Posted – 11/19/2007 6:33:07 PM | show profile | email poster Thanks. The problem I have is that I do have an angle, but it takes a historical perspective and traces links between certain historical developments and changes in attitudes on a certain subject. I guess I'll do some basic research on those historical events (past 20 years or so), then search to see what's been written on this subject, then get a hold of recordings of the few TV shows and movies I've noticed presented the issue in a certain way, with a definite POV. Then I critique the implicit arguments being asserted. Of course I'd find "experts" to comment on my observations (a whole other mysterious terrain for me--what to say when you haven't been assigned the piece?). At some point I'll decide whether this warrants a whole article or merely an op-ed piece. Having almost no experience in this area, it's hard to know what I'm getting into in terms of time and energy expenditure. But my main concern is building as strong a case as possible for my POV. Because I know that my opinions will arouse controversy and invite attack from all sides--hence my concern with doing as thorough a research job as possible. |
