Response to Interview Articles

I picked up many important points from both the assigned readings. The information covered many topics from doing some pre-interview homework on the subjects to what to do in the actual interview. I learned that organization is a key to having a successful interview with anyone. Some things that stood out that I am going to use for my interview were to know not just about the person, but a little history about the specific subject you are talking about. Furthermore, that a writer should try and avoid agreeing to only discuss certain topics or use specific approved quotes. One thing I learned was something obvious that I hadn’t thought about- bringing something to record the interview. I forgot that I will need that information at a later time, so of course I need to write it down. Another helpful tip was to ask open-ended questions, this way you get more information. I took note that it is good to ask for stories in an interview because they are full of human experiences and testimonials to an event. This way, the interviewer will be able to see how something happened through the interviewee’s perspective.

One thing that really stood out to me while reading was age. The Interview Guide told an amazing example that the best age to interview differs on the subject. If you wanted to learn about the most popular childhood clapping game, a perfect subject would be a child in elementary school. In that same article, I loved the different examples of questions. They really helped with an understanding of what should be asked.

Because we have only talked about the interview assignment one day, I am not sure who I am going to interview or what I want to interview about. However, with the help of these two articles, I know more information about interviewing, and I have ideas swimming around in my head.

Memoir Reading- Last Blog

The scene I selected to discuss is about Tina Fey reflecting on her decision to start 30 Rock and the show getting picked up by NBC. The scene starts with her discussing how it was her eighth season writing for Saturday Night Live and acknowledging the fact that she needed to start a new chapter to her life. She discusses some struggles she had “pushing herself out of the nest” as she calls it. She goes on to use the basic idea of writing about what it is like to write for SNL. She was unsure about the idea at first, but went on to write the pilot episode and gather an idea of who she would want as actors. Fey talks about how she thought the pilot was pretty bad and how shocked she was when she found out that NBC had decided to pick up the show. In the end of the section, she discusses how she was happy they went out on a limb for her show.

In my synopsis I didn’t even try to mention all the hilarious inserts Fey used in her writing. Littered throughout the five-page section are puns, witty remarks, and comical asides. Reading it made me feel a number of emotions from happiness to concern. I found myself laughing at all her comedy but then worried and interested about the show’s rocky start. I felt sympathy with Fey when she was talking about the decision to start the next chapter of her life because I was the one who decided that it was time to go back to school and pushed myself out of the nest, just as she did. I also found myself fairly surprised that it was that hard to get the show picked up, because I have seen the pilot many times and I think it is very funny. I can’t imagine someone thinking the show would fail.

This excerpt is very important to Fey’s story for many reasons. First off, I think it is interesting to get an insight into the struggles she ran into starting the show, from the decision to do it to the question of it getting picked up. Before reading this I just assumed that Fey had the idea for 30 Rock and decided to write the show on her own and there wasn’t a question about it getting picked up, but after reading this, I realized that was far from the truth. It is also essential to see Fey looking back on her decisions and being happy with herself, even when she ran into issues.

Memoir Reading- Third Blog

In Tina Fey’s Bossypants she discusses many different aspects of her life from childhood to present day. She talks mostly about many different events that shaped her life, like her first crush, her first job out of college, and her disastrous honeymoon. As I posted in my last blog entry, this memoir is a combination of relationships, coming of age, career, and overcoming adversity. There is one story she tells about her first job out of college working at the YMCA in Chicago. She reminisces on having to beat out another women for a promotion. This example shows all four of the topics I just mentioned.

Writing about many different small events that shaped her into who she is today is a really interesting idea. With her comedic tint on everything, it makes the book very enjoyable to read. It does make it a little difficult for this assignment because she covers so many topics though. Each chapter is a different story.

The ideal audience of this book is women and her fans. Women because she is writing about things from her point of view that men might not understand, i.e. her first crush and the first time getting her period. But I believe if someone, man or woman, old or young, is a big fan of Tina Fey that they would pick it up too. And I can’t imagine a fan picking up this book and not thinking it is hilarious, because if you are familiar with Tina Fey’s work, then this is just the same but more personal.

Memoir Reading- Second Blog

Tina Fey’s Bossypants fits into a couple of different categories of memoir. She discusses numerous big events that happened while growing up into her adult life and career. A constant topic through the ages of her story is her relationships with co-workers, love interests, family, and any other people. Early in the book, she spends a good bit of a chapter on the people she worked with at her summer job in high school. That section alone covers two of the categories of memoirs- careers and relationships. She also discusses many “coming of age” stories like her first kiss, realizing a boy didn’t like her, and when she recognized she wanted to be a writer. I imagine farther along in the book she will discuss more about her career as a comedian and writer and the adversity of being a woman in that field. This memoir is a jumble of all the different topics a memoir should cover- relationships, coming of age, career, and adversity.

Memoir Reading- First Blog

I chose Bossypants by Tina Fey for my memoir. I am a huge fan of her work as a writer and as an actress and I find her hilarious, so I picked this memoir because it interests me and I know it will be funny. She is the star and writer of one of my favorite TV shows, 30 Rock. Throughout this story I expect to learn about her life, focusing on the career as a writer and comedian. I am also interested to learn about anything that has happened to her, because she can always make it into a funny story. I relate to her because I like to be happy in life and I joke around a lot like she does. I do not want to be a writer nor a comedian, but I really admire her lifestyle where she keeps it light. She also just acts like herself and doesn’t try and fit into anyone else’s molds and I really like that. I do the same thing because I am happy with who I am, just as she is.