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Archive for December 2nd, 2006

Everyone has a story

Saturday, December 2nd, 2006

I think it would be interesting to have this job. Writing (for the NYTimes or anyone) about off-beat people you encounter.

I just finished reading the latest story in the “American Album” series, Dreams in the Dark at the Drive-Through Window. It was a quick profile of someone you otherwise might not notice, of a person who’s probably spent her whole life going unnoticed.

I love just talking to people and hearing their stories. It’s one of the best parts of being a journalist. I encounter all different sorts of people and get to ask them nosy questions about themselves. Even before I started reporting I was like this. People would sit at my counter at the bowling alley, and half an hour later I’d know their profession, kids names, hometown, and way more than how they take their coffee. Lucky for me, most people like talking about themselves.

Also, perhaps because I’m a writer, I frequently think about how interesting someone’s life has been and how it’d probably make a great story. Then again, I think everyone has a story, and anyone’s story could be interesting enough to tell if you made the effort… That’s what makes this project seem so appealing. These aren’t the people you expect to read about in the newspaper. They’re everyday, average folks just carving out a living, living their life. Actually, that’s what fascinates me.