QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN PREPARING A MY HERO PROFILE:
Why this person? Why now?
What kind of profile should I try to do?
1. Vignette: A moment in time-- Show how one moment, one action, illustrates how the person is heroic
2. A day in the life -- How does the person's daily life show their heroism?
3. Fifteen minutes of fame -- If there was a 15 minute story or video highlighting the person's actions, why would the rest of the world want to know about it? What makes your person stand out for their accomplishments?
4. Full-life profile -- When you include a life story, you are finding the challenges and problems the person faced and overcame throughout their life. The reader/viewer sees the person's actions in relation to the times they lived.
5. Psychological profile -- To create this profile, you need to understand a person's character, actions, and motivation, and have insight into their perspective on themselves.
CLARIFY YOUR THINKING ABOUT YOUR HERO
Do readers understand why they should care about my subject?
Do readers understand why they should care about my subject?
What's the payoff for readers? Can I provide insight and/or inside details about my subject?
What do average readers want to know?
What's the payoff for my subject? Why should he/she submit to this process?
Can I watch my subject work/live/play?
Will I keep the interviews conversational?
Will my questions be fresh, direct, specific? Will I ask about mundane details and touchy, intimate matters, too?
Can I make time for two, three or more interviews, even if they are
brief?
Have I talked to others who understand my subject or might see my
subject with different eyes?
Do I, by the end of my reporting, understand what motivates my subject, and will I make that clear to readers?
Is my story plump with vivid, memorable details about how my subject
works and lives? Will the reader want to recount those details to friends?
Are the quotes spicy and telling? Have I cut out all long, dull and predictable quotes?
Can the reader SEE my subject in a scene or two?
Are the turning points in my subject's life obvious to the reader, and explored for their lasting impact?
Is it clear how my subject is DIFFERENT than others who do the same
job or live the same life? Is it also clear how my subject is the SAME as everyone else?
Organizer created on 7/7/2020 3:04:42 PM by Jerrilyn Jacobs
Last edited 7/22/2020 4:40:25 PM by Jerrilyn Jacobs
