Elaine

Profiles are one of the most difficult types of articles to writeat least, thats true for me. If you find profiles easy, then consider yourself lucky.

Difficult or not, with profiles as with any other writing, research can do a lot to pull you through.

Unless youre a veteran writer, you may think that, in order to do a profile, you simply interview the person (if youre profiling a person rather than a business), and maybe a few other people for added interest. Thats partly true, but heres a tip: Research the basics beforehand so you can focus on the juicy stuff during the interview.

What do I mean by basics? I mean the not-so-juicy details that form the framework of the profile. These are details like where the person was born; where they went to high school, college or grad school; what jobs theyve held; if theyve ever served in the military; or if theyve ever received any honors or awards. Consider them the skeleton of your story. Theyre small and mundane, but necessary. With the skeleton out of the way, you can go in ready to tackle the real muscle without wasting time on the small stuff.

Here are a few ways to research a person before a profile:

1. Obtain their resume or vita. Think about it; a resume is a persons professional life in a one-page nutshell. Much of the basic information you needsuch as education and previous employmentyoull find in this document. Some people will have their resumes posted on their websites. Others will send them to you if you call and ask.

2. Find previous articles written about the person. If other journalists have worked to dig into this persons life, why not reap some of the rewards? Youll often find answers to deeper questions, which can form the foundation for even more probing questions of your own. Again, check the persons website; websites often contain articles favorable to the person. However, if youre not after a strictly feel-good piece, youll also want to check other sources.

3. Read what theyve written. If the person has written articles, books, theses, etc., you can often use them to find out a lot about the persons personality and philosophy. If the person is a prolific writer, you probably wont have time to read everything. However, even a snippet of their writing will be better than nothing.

Use the information you gain from these sources to form detailed, probing questionsor silly questions to lighten the mood of your article. Armed with a little knowledge, you can walk into any profile interview with confidence. Youll appear prepared and professionala sure hit with interviewees and editors!

Andrea's writing background includes features, editorials, reviews, profiles, poetry and fiction. She was the winner of the MOTA short story contest in 2002 and received honorable mentions for fiction from Writers Journal magazine in 2002 and 2004. Check out her blog at http://creativewithwriting.blogspot.com