Filed under: descriptive writing | Tags: colorful writing, mental snapshots, writing advice, writing details
Let’s face it, most of us don’t have the luxury of a photographic memory. That’s why we have reporter’s notebooks.
When covering a story, it’s all too easy to focus primarily on filling those wide-ruled pages with quotes and a few lines of background info.
But try this: For every quote you take down, add a line of description that will serve as a reminder of a small detail in the scene. Maybe you’ll add it later, or perhaps there won’t be room. The important thing is that you have it just in case.
Even if you don’t use these details in the story, seeing them as you go through your notes might also serve to trigger other thoughts that will help you add depth as you write.
You’re essentially turning your notebook into a camera, using a few keywords to help you create mental snapshots to put you back into that moment when you start to actually write.
Zoom in for your first photo: Jot down a detail you see up close. Then pull back a little to a medium shot: Scribble a note about something you see nearby. Pull back even farther for a wide shot: Quickly scan the room for anything that might add a larger perspective or context to the story.
Let’s say you’re covering a feature story about a pro-wrestler and interviewing him in a gym where he trains.
Pro wrestler Triple H, courtesy of Flickr
You get a quote: “Sometimes I’ve been thrown on my back more times than I’ve gotten on my feet,” he says. Now zoom in: maybe a detail about his feet or his shoes, since it might fit well here. Or maybe you jot a note about his hands as he talks, adding that his fingers are taped. (It might be worth a quick question later, to find out why they’re taped that way.)
Then another quote: “Most people think those ropes are soft, but they feel like razorwire when you hit ‘em hard,” he says. Now a medium shot of something nearby. Obviously it would be a good spot to note a detail about the ropes, but if none are in sight, then look for other items a few feet away. Perhaps there’s something unique about his gym bag, or maybe you can see the amount of weight on a barbell he uses.
Third quote: “I never thought I’d do this for 20 years. I wanted to be a professional actor.” Now go wide: Search out something in the room that might fit with this thought and make a note of it.
Maybe it’s a poster with the wrestler’s face on it, and you might notice a correlation between that poster and the way a movie poster looks. Or maybe there’s some other object in the room that he uses in his wrestling career which you can use to show a stark contrast — or a close comparison — to a professional actor.
Rinse, wash and repeat. Follow this pattern throughout your interview and see what you get. Of course you won’t use everything you jot down, but there might be one or two details in there that could become part of a powerful lede or serve as a nice bit of symbolism to cap off the story.
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