Major Writer's Road Block Stress Disorder (MWRBSD)

Another draft of my long story is due in one hour and eight minutes (and hence, I'm blogging). As I'm trying to write the draft, I have no idea which end is up. Where do I start? What am I trying to say? How do I say it? My story is complex and hard and important. I think my subject is a totally awesome person, and I'm glad I'm writing about him. But I increasingly have the feeling that I am not good enough for the story.

Amanda
Writing student

Scrapping and rushing.

I am one of those people that put all of my eggs in one basket. The latest instantiation of this regrettable personality trait of mine was my fervent hope that a social service agency treating substance abuse for women here in Portland would let me have access to their clients for one of my stories. I met with their media flak two weeks ago, wrote her a long email explaining what I wanted to do, and we kept following up with each other. I was being compromising (not a word anyone knowing me would use to describe me) about how much time I would likely spend with my subjects, which was their biggest concern. It looked like things were going to work out. I was going to make things work out (a trait my friends would use to describe me).

For things to work out, I was told, I would have had to meet with the executive director and the director of inpatient services. Except, the executive director is in Africa for the next two weeks, and the director of inpatient services on vacation as well. The end of their vacations ran well past my March 29 deadline.

So I had to scrap the story. I am now scrambling to call every single social service agency treating opiate addiction in the state of Maine to get a story idea hammered out. And I keep running into the same roadblock--hesitation on their part about the amount of access I would need for my story.

This getting access crap is like trying to move Heaven and Earth.

By: Amanda Waldroupe, writing.

Stood Up

I had arranged an interview today with a recovering OxyContin addict. This person told me they had been clean for one year, one week. They were involved in Narcotics Anonymous and volunteering to help people recovering from opiate addiction. I was very excited about this interview. I thought I would meet a potential subject through this person, which would be a huge step forward for my second story. After meeting with this person and hearing their story, they would ascertain that I was a totally reliable and cool person whose contact information they could give to everyone they knew, and I would be gold and everything would be grand.

So there I am sitting at Arabica Coffee waiting for my 11 o'clock appointment with this person. 11:30 rolls by. Noon. I don't know anymore answers for the Boston Globe's Sunday crossword puzzle. It turns 12:30, and I leave. Stood up.

Before I came to Salt, I was a freelance news reporter for one year. I racked my brain before writing this post, trying to remember if someone just never showed up for their interview with me. I can't remember a similar instance. Stood up. A first.

By: Amanda, writing.

Tales from the Radio Lab

Almost every class we start by listening to radio pieces by prior Salt students and other unique pieces selected by Rob. This makes me curious to the discussions future students may have about my work. How will people hear me?
Thankfully Rob provides some context.

Today we analyzed beginnings.
Thoughts from the day...
Your first 30-seconds, you're selling the story, not establishing a mystery.
Often times the beginning starts with a thread and you follow that thread. You show "here is how things are and here is how things are different". A mystery leaves a person guessing and thinking ahead rather than letting them listen to what you are presenting. It's hard to start a story with a mystery. You risk losing your listener.

till next time,
Shane... Radio