How to 'do it right'

“When you are interviewing someone, don't just write down what he says. Ask yourself: Does this guy remind you of someone? What does the room feel like? Notice smells, voice inflection, neighborhoods you pass through. Be a cinematographer.” – Gene Weingarten

  

For aspiring journalists, take note of Weingarten’s advice.  For creative writers, the same.  Being aware of your “surroundings” is crucial to the success of your stories.  His writing, whether part of his humorous online chat, “Chatalogical Humor,” or serious features like his Pulitzer Prize-winning “Fatal Distractions,” is always succinct, clear and distinct, putting the reader firmly and fully into each tale.

Born on this date in 1952, Weingarten is actually                          

 a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for both his serious and humorous work.   His column, Below the Beltway, is published weekly in The Washington Post magazine and syndicated nationally by The Washington Post Writers Group, which also syndicates Barney & Clyde, a comic strip he co-authors.

While he sometimes makes his writing look effortless, Weingarten is quick to cut to the chase:  “The one thing an aspiring writer must understand is that it's hard. If you think it's not hard, you're not doing it right.”

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