Talese's profile was incredibly strong because you read it and hear the authority in his words. In this piece, his authority comes from (what I assumed was, and what Talese hints as) months of research. Even though much of the piece is grounded in one or two major events, he traverses an amount of time that isn't necessarily overwhelming to read, but I imagine is overwhelming to sort through and report. Acquiring all of that information--everything from Frank's childhood to his relationships and failed yet amicable marriages, to the bits about Dolly and Nancy Sinatra--requires a time commitment that we don't have in this class. Nevertheless, Talese's profile is a great model not just because of its literary qualities (like his incredible fiction-writing techniques), but because it proves that many interviews, and with people who are not the direct subject, really pay off. It's a good lesson to learn as we dive into our profiles.
I'm interested to hear what the rest of the class thinks about the ending of the profile, since my attention waned a lot when Talese writes about The Sands. I wanted to stop reading and skip to the end. I was specifically thinking about a section in Telling True Stories where it says that, if you start a piece off really strong, your readers will forgive you almost anything later on in the piece. What do you guys think? How far can we stretch our readers' patience and understanding?
Emily,
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, your point makes sense. Upon rereading the piece a little bit, I realize that it does drag a tiny bit about three quarters of the way through. However, as I read it for the first time, I was so captivated that I didn't even notice. I think this speaks to the power of "getting your hooks in the reader," as Franklin says.
However, I do think that the parts about The Sands were quite important because they showed a different side of Sinatra--one of the man in his element. As such, it seemed necessary. I'm not really sure how Talese could have cut this profile down at all. Maybe that's the risk you run in writing such an epic profile.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your assessment of the ending of the profile. I think that because the piece began so strongly I had higher expectations for the remainder of the piece. I think that Talese is an amazing writer, but I lost interest. While I still forgive him as a writer because I enjoyed the piece, I'm not so sure that's a good thing from the writer's perspective. As writers, wouldn't we rather have our audience stay interested throughout? I think my greatest concern in the writing process is losing momentum at the end of my piece. It's very challenging to excite readers from beginning to end, especially in a complicated profile with many additional interview subjects.