The Marvelous Mehegan Interview

There are two quotes that I found to be very helpful in the David Mehegan interview. The first one, Mehegan is asked how he prepares for interviews. This is his response:

I need to know enough about what I’m writing about so that I don’t
ask questions that make me look foolish. … But I do not worry
about being ignorant because my theory is that we are all professional
ignoramuses, it’s our job not to know something and then to find it out.

Overall, what Mehegan is saying here is that one must go in with enough information about the interviewee to know what questions to ask.

The next jewel of information is about voice. Mehegan says:

I try to write every story with such a voice and tone that the reader is
aware that here is a person on this side of the keyboard. … Without
being excessively colloquial, I try to tell the story as I would if I were
telling it to someone standing next to me at a bar or at a party.

I find that the stories written the way Mehegan describes is a more entertaining read that the “conventional” way. He goes on to say that sometimes, whether it be a lack of time or the severity of a story, a writer must tell a story using raw facts.

Donald Murray

“Good writing may be magical, but it's not magic. It's a process, a rational series of steps and decisions that all writers take.”

This is a quote from late journalist Donald Murray. I had never even heard of Murray until Doc made this assignment. It was very interesting to read this obituary, as morbid as that sounds.

It was truly an inspiring story. To think that he would pass up a promotion just because he wanted to continue to challenge himself is amazing.

Then I started to read some of his columns. The columns were entertaining to read, as they kind of told his life story along the way. His last column, which was basically a “thank you” to all of his friends, almost makes one wonder if he had any idea that he was that close to death.

All in all, Murray’s life – and his work – is something to be admired. To still do what you love doing right up until the end should be something that everyone should try to achieve.