Oooh wonderful. I love how you put yourself out there to try something new! Did you send her the questions ahead of time? Did you stick to the 15 minute proposed time or did the interview go over? Were there particular original reported pieces you used to help you craft or shape this piece?
And, I wanted to let you know, in large part thanks to all you've shared here, I placed my first essay in Huffington Post last month! I love reading and learning from your journey, so, THANK YOU!!
Oh, this makes me SO HAPPY! How wonderful about HuffPo. I'm going to Google the piece now.
I did not send her questions ahead of time (though I would have if she had requested it). And I did stick to the 15 minute slot (I'm someone who hates having my schedule thrown off, so I try to be really conscious about not doing that to others). And that's a great question about models that I may have used. I think I did look at some of the reported fitness pieces on Well+Good to see how they typically included reporting, but I don't know that there was one in particular that stood out to me.
Anna! Yours is one of the most functionally helpful newsletters I've read about pitching and interviewing. I can see why you've had such success! Thanks for sharing all of your experience so generously with your readers. xo
That’s a good question! One source for my book asked that I wouldn’t record and that I would check any quotes with her before publishing (which I happily did). I simply took extensive notes while she was speaking, and then I did check in with her again after our conversation.
Anna, I love how specific and detailed your posts are! You always give me so much to think about and make me feel like I could at least try. I have not written a reporting essay, and I wasn’t a journalism major so I have all the questions! Any specific place to point to for a quick how-to?
Thank you so much! I also wasn't a journalism major, so I had to seek out help with reporting. I LOVE Estelle Erasmus's Writing That Gets Noticed. She has a chapter on reporting that is really clear and helpful.
Such a great breakdown on your process. Thank you, Anna! I was glad to see W&G is accepting pieces. For a while it seemed like they were closed to pitches. And I love how you set yourself a challenge of writing a straightforward piece. Great assignment!
I love this post, Anna! I have been a fan of Bowman's for a while! It's so interesting that you wrote about natural/nutritional movement/exercise. I will be reading!
What great details you shared! This is so helpful for writers like me who don't have a lot of experience interviewing experts for pieces. Thanks so much for sharing, Anna!
Oooh wonderful. I love how you put yourself out there to try something new! Did you send her the questions ahead of time? Did you stick to the 15 minute proposed time or did the interview go over? Were there particular original reported pieces you used to help you craft or shape this piece?
And, I wanted to let you know, in large part thanks to all you've shared here, I placed my first essay in Huffington Post last month! I love reading and learning from your journey, so, THANK YOU!!
Oh, this makes me SO HAPPY! How wonderful about HuffPo. I'm going to Google the piece now.
I did not send her questions ahead of time (though I would have if she had requested it). And I did stick to the 15 minute slot (I'm someone who hates having my schedule thrown off, so I try to be really conscious about not doing that to others). And that's a great question about models that I may have used. I think I did look at some of the reported fitness pieces on Well+Good to see how they typically included reporting, but I don't know that there was one in particular that stood out to me.
Congrats again on HuffPo! That makes me so happy!
Thanks! It comes out in 12-16 weeks, Noah says. I'll let you know! :)
Anna! Yours is one of the most functionally helpful newsletters I've read about pitching and interviewing. I can see why you've had such success! Thanks for sharing all of your experience so generously with your readers. xo
This is so incredibly kind of you, Casey. Thank you for your encouragement!
This is wonderful! Thank you.
I’m so glad it was helpful! Thank you!
Have sources ever said no to being recorded? What would you do in that case to be accurate?
And thank you for the back pain advice!!!
That’s a good question! One source for my book asked that I wouldn’t record and that I would check any quotes with her before publishing (which I happily did). I simply took extensive notes while she was speaking, and then I did check in with her again after our conversation.
I love reading the BTS stories about your published pieces. Thanks so much for your willingness to share the details.
This means so much to me! Thank you, Abby
Anna, I love how specific and detailed your posts are! You always give me so much to think about and make me feel like I could at least try. I have not written a reporting essay, and I wasn’t a journalism major so I have all the questions! Any specific place to point to for a quick how-to?
Thank you so much! I also wasn't a journalism major, so I had to seek out help with reporting. I LOVE Estelle Erasmus's Writing That Gets Noticed. She has a chapter on reporting that is really clear and helpful.
Thank you!
Great piece! Love this story and the article. Thank you for sharing your process so clearly!
I appreciate this so much! Thank you, Joelle.
Great post. Thanks for sharing BTS! This is so helpful to this aspiring writer!
Thank you so much for your encouragement and for reading!
Such a great breakdown on your process. Thank you, Anna! I was glad to see W&G is accepting pieces. For a while it seemed like they were closed to pitches. And I love how you set yourself a challenge of writing a straightforward piece. Great assignment!
I appreciate this so much, Heidi! Thank you.
I love this post, Anna! I have been a fan of Bowman's for a while! It's so interesting that you wrote about natural/nutritional movement/exercise. I will be reading!
Ah, isn't Katy Bowman the best? I'm so happy to hear that you're also a fan! Her approach to movement is so creative and smart.
What great details you shared! This is so helpful for writers like me who don't have a lot of experience interviewing experts for pieces. Thanks so much for sharing, Anna!