Taking notes on . . .
What It's Really Like to be a Hotshot Writer
Do as I Say, Not as I Do
By Sue Fagalde Lick
So there I was, 48 minutes late, finally walking into a Starbucks in Beaverton, OR, after 10 e-mails, a half-hour online trying to find directions to the right Starbucks, and two stressed-out phone calls from bumper-to-bumper traffic saying I'm stuck, but I'm coming.
I walked in, saw three young men sitting at separate tables inside and one older woman in a bandanna eating lunch outside.
"You're not Jennifer, are you?"
She looked at me like I was nuts and shook her head.
I took another run through Starbucks, which wasn't very big. No Jennifers. I used the restroom and exited, sinking into a metal chair. Phooey. I had just driven for almost four hours and left my husband, dog and a pile of work taller than my dog for nothing.
Then I thought: Maybe she's still in the area. I called her cell phone number again. A cheery sounding voice answered on the first ring: "This is Jennifer."
"Did you give up?" I asked.
"No, I'm here."
"But I'm at Starbucks . . . "
"By Barnes and Noble?"
"Well, uh . . .
Who would have thought there'd be two Starbucks coffee shops in the same shopping center?
I sheepishly drove a half block, turned right and saw a Barnes and Noble bookstore with a Starbucks attached. A much bigger Starbucks.
It was crowded, hot and noisy, with loud music and roaring espresso machines. I saw three blondes who could be Jennifer. Of course I asked two wrong ones before I got to the right one, who sat fiddling with her cell phone and looking weary.
The closest chair was a bit farther from Jennnifer than I wanted in that noisy situation. The subject was childless women. Was this the place to be asking, loudly, have you ever been pregnant? Did you ever have an abortion? Did you want children? Are dogs just as good as kids?
As it turned out, she never wanted children, never got pregnant, has always loved dogs, and hasn't lived long enough to answer half my questions. No, she didn't choose the interesting name of the dog-training business where she works, and she doesn't do any training for competition, just the basic stuff. In other words, she wasn't much of a story.
To add to the aggravation, she is publishing a book, even though she had no previous writing experience. Friends in high places got her an agent and publisher and helped her through the writing process.
Now this is not to say she wasn't thoroughly friendly and engaging. She even looked like Drew Barrymore. She waited all that time for me and didn't walk out or complain. I'll bet she's a fabulous dog trainer, and I'm anxious to read her book..
I screwed up.
I had hoped for at least three stories and a book chapter out of this interview, but I should have known when Jennifer suggested meeting at Starbucks instead of at home with her dogs that this would not be the interview of my dreams. Why drive four hours to interview a dog trainer without her dogs?
I talked into my voice recorder for miles afterward, making new rules for interviews: Always prescreen, don't drive unless it's really worth it, go where the action is. I assured myself I was an idiot. Now I had to drive another four hours to get home. Not that I didn’t get anything out of this trip. I could do a short item about how connections can bring success. I will certainly put something in my book about how Jennifer and her friends celebrate Mother's Day by having their dogs give them gifts--purchased by the other women in a secret-Santa type drawing. Maybe I can get a preview copy of her book and review it. It was not a total waste, but I got nothing I couldn’t have acquired on the telephone without putting on makeup and burning a whole tank of gas.
That moment at Starbucks when I thought I had blown it haunts me. I'm supposed to be a professional. Does it not say in my book to leave an hour earlier than you think you need to? Yes, it does. Does it not say to avoid noisy restaurants? Yes, it does. Did I do that? No, I did not.
Going home, I opted to take country roads to the coast and go south on 101. It would be slower but prettier and free of traffic.
On the way, I found another story, a better story that I can't wait to write. I took pictures, grabbed brochures, and asked questions. I just hope I can get a query out before someone else beats me to it.
So it wasn't a total waste. However, when planning interviews, remember tired old me slumped in a chair in front of the wrong Starbucks with my hair askew and my lipstick chewed off. Try to avoid interviewing at Starbucks, unless your subject happens to be a barista, and then ask, "Might there be two Starbucks across the street from each other?"
Copyright 2007 Sue Fagalde Lick
Shameless plugs: Sue Fagalde Lick is the author of Freelancing for Newspapers, Quill Driver Books, 2007. To comment on this column or chat about the writing business, visit her blog at www.freelancingfornewspapers.blogspot.com. She is also selling Stories Grandma Never Told and some other good stuff on her Books+ page. She would love to share this and her other columns (See Columns page). For reprint permission, e-mail suelick@charter.net.
Nervous disclaimer: I love Starbucks. Great drinks, great food, good place to write.
