Interviewer struggles to find questions
Dear Harriette: As someone tasked with interviewing people who have stories that may not be of particular interest to me, I often struggle to connect with my subjects. How can I be interested in something that I find lacking in personal meaning? It can be challenging to craft a thoughtful line of questioning that leads to the best possible story outcome. As an interviewer, what tools or methods do you use to make the stories you tell stand out? How do I identify what makes a subject’s story interesting, even if it isn’t interesting to me? — Uninterested
Dear Uninterested: This is actually common for journalists and other writers. You are fortunate if you get to write only about the things that fascinate you. Especially in the beginning of a career, you have to write about all sorts of topics that may seem meaningless to you. The best way to navigate those stories — and any, really — is first to identify your audience. Who will be reading your story? What do those people care about? Why is this topic meaningful to their lives? It could be for serious reasons or possibly for fun. Determine what motivates the readers to look for your story. Then write to that audience. When you adopt the approach that you are serving your reader, it will be easier for you to spark interest within yourself about the subject at hand.
Dear Harriette: I allow my 13-year-old to wear makeup and lipstick around the house. She has been experimenting with my makeup since she was a baby. The other day, she wore lipstick to school, and I got a call from her teacher telling me about it and saying that it was inappropriate. There is no dress code that includes whether students can wear makeup, but I do know that her school is strict. I saw her that day, and she was not overly made up. I don’t want to stifle my daughter’s creativity and self-expression, but I also don’t want the school to come down on her too much. What should I do? — Following the Rules
Dear Following the Rules:
Many young girls wear makeup; yours is not an exception in our society. What you can teach your daughter is what is appropriate for the day for a girl her age, namely minimal makeup preferably with a clear lip gloss, something that looks nice but doesn’t draw too much attention to the fact that she has makeup on in the first place. Explain that the fun, more experimental things she may do with makeup should be reserved for at home or with her friends on the weekend. This advice, by the way, is good for adults, too. Wearing too much makeup can be a distraction if you want to be taken seriously. If your daughter’s school remains adamant about her not wearing makeup at all, you will have to decide if it’s worth it to fight them on principle or simply reserve makeup for off-school hours.