I’d Rather Be Writing – Tom Johnson

The Paris Review – Gay Talese: The Art of Nonfiction No. 2. This interview with Gay Talese in The Paris Review is fascinating. What appeals to me is how Talese gathers information for his prose. He goes out and talks to people; he interacts and observes and takes notes. Critics identify him with the New Journalism movement, a group of writers who blend traditional news reporting with literary devices from the fiction world. Talese is looking for story, often from minor or unknown characters. This interview inspires me to take the same approach in my writing: to go out and interact, interview, observe, study, and then write about it in a narrative way.

Tags: creative nonfiction, journalism, nonfiction, What I'm Reading