Hiya Gang!

Anyone had the chance to pick up the latest issue (July)? I wrote a piece on Dan Harlan and would love to hear some thoughts!

~jamie

Well, since you asked.

You're a really good writer and, of course, a great creator. "Industrial Revelation" is one of my favorite effects.

That said, I have to say that I just didn't like the style of the piece, the mixture of third-person narration and, to convey Harlan's thoughts, indirect speech. I notice this seems to be something of a MAGIC style as I've seen it before, and I always find it frustrating. I'd rather the subject of the article be directly quoted for a sense of immediacy and authenticity. Failing that -- or even in addition to that -- I'd rather the writer's subjectivity be acknowledged.

To me, this style is the worst of both worlds. Your POV and critical perspective on Dan is obscured, and Dan's thoughts feel less authentic because they are conveyed through third-person narration that lacks the critical back-and-forth of a traditional interview format. Throughout the piece I found myself asking, "Well, how do you know that?" Was this based on an interview with Dan? Then why not acknowledge that? Did you talk to any other people about some of the events you wrote about?

Don't get me wrong -- I know this piece is feature editorial, not an investigative piece. But since I like Dan's work and have been enjoying him on the Penguin Live lectures, I was looking forward to reading it and just wished there was more of his own voice in it.

Hiya bugjack,

That is awesome insight and I totally appreciate you taking the time to write it. Thank you!

I defintely take a different approach to writing than the norm. At heart I'm more of a "story" writer than an interviewer. That said, I think we had almost 10 hours of interview time so, everything he said, is directly from him. I can understand where you're coming from, though, if that's not what you're expecting, or like.

Regardless, thanks for your input!

Your pal,

jamie

Jamie, thanks for your reply. And, for context, I'm a writer and editor who does a lot of interviews, and I'm usually trying to foreground the subject's voice as opposed to using their info in more of a storytelling way. Different strokes. Hope you are well and thanks again for responding.

Dan is always welcome back here at Magic Valley Ranch again. He made my weekend!

Bob

Well, I loved it! I've been interviewed many times, but this is the first time anyone has written something that I think conveys what it "feels" like to be me. I suppose I'm a little biased (a lot!) and there's no way I can subjectively separate myself from the narrative, but I enjoyed reading the story. There's an incredible amount of detail in there and I love Jamie's writing style. In any case, it was an honor to be featured in such a thoughtful way.
--Harlan