The Personal Profile Writing Interesting Stories about Interesting People

What is a Personal Profile? A personal profile is a feature and human- interest story about a specific person. It tells a story about who the person is, what they do, what they believe in, and more!

Steps to Writing a Personal Profile 1.Select a person to write about 2.Interview the person 3.Interview additional sources 4.Outline your story 5.Write your story

CHOOSING A PERSON FOR YOUR STORY

Choosing a Person for Your Story You will want to select a person who will be interesting to many people, not just you. Many students play sports, have high GPAs, and also work part-time. Try to select the student who just received an award or a scholarship. Try to make your personal profile interesting and newsworthy.

Choosing a Person for Your Story You want to select a new subject for your story. If your school’s publication recently published a story about this person, he/she is most likely not newsworthy anymore. Ask permission: is the person okay with you writing a story about them?

Choosing a Person for Your Story Do not write about: – Teammates – Close friends – Significant others – People who have died (this is an obituary)

INTERVIEWING YOUR SUBJECT

Interviewing Your Subject Before the Interview: – Do your homework. Research information about the person beforehand. – Write out your questions. The more questions you have the more in-depth your story will be. – Schedule a time and place for a face-to-face interview. – Confirm the time with your interview subject to remind them of the interview.

Interviewing Your Subject During the Interview: – Confirm the spelling and pronunciation of your subject’s name. – Write notes and/or audio record the interview. – Be interested in what your subject is saying. – Ask open-ended questions. – Be a good listener.

Interviewing Your Subject During the Interview: – Ask questions about anything you need clarified. “Can you give me an example?” “Why do you feel that way?” “How do you know that?” “What would you say to someone who thinks differently?” – Exchange contact information in case you have follow- up questions or if your subject remembers additional information. – Thank your subject for their time.

Interviewing Your Subject After the Interview: – Review your notes immediately. – Highlight or circle key facts and interesting information. – Begin outlining and writing your story.

INTERVIEWING ADDITIONAL SOURCES

Interviewing Additional Sources In addition to interviewing the subject of your story, you should also interview people that are close to and know a lot about the student. Possible additional sources might include: Teachers Coaches Friends Relatives Mentors Club advisors

Interviewing Additional Sources Follow the same before, during, and after interviewing techniques. Be sure to ask how long they’ve known the person and what their relationship to the person is.

WRITING YOUR STORY

Outlining and Writing Your Story Before you start writing your story, you need to outline it. – Review your notes. – Decide what is most interesting. – Decide which quotes you want to use (direct and paraphrased).

Writing Your Story Begin your story with the information that is the most compelling. Think about what your audience will want to know. – What is surprising? – What is entertaining? – What is unusual? – What is important?

Writing Your Story Use strong words, but do not overload your story with adjectives. – Strong verbs are your best friend. – Selecting the right, strong verb will be much more powerful than any adjective. Use sensory details in your writing.

Writing Your Story Include direct quotes in your story and make sure the quotes support what you are writing about. Do not use too many direct quotes. Instead, transform your subject’s words into indirect quotes by paraphrasing what he or she said.

Writing Your Story Double and triple check for accuracy. – Is their name spelled correctly? – Do you have your facts straight? – Do you need to clarify any information? – Now is the time to conduct a brief follow-up interview if necessary.

Writing Your Story Tell the story truthfully. Be honest. Be fair.

HELPFUL WRITING TIPS

Helpful Writing Tips Get to know your person before you start the “official” interview. This will help make your subject more at ease. Also, you might learn some interesting information that you might not have otherwise. Every moment with your subject is an opportunity.

Helpful Writing Tips Don’t be afraid to just show the good, or to just show the bad. Like all people, your subject is a complex person. Highlight some of the good, some of the bad, and maybe just a tad bit about the ugly. A good personal profile accurately describes and portrays the person, faults included.

Helpful Writing Tips Don’t fall into the chronological order trap! Your audience does not want to know everything that has happened to your subject from birth to now. Write about the most compelling and most interesting details in the beginning.

QUESTION SUGGESTIONS

Possible Interview Questions While every interview you conduct should be unique and tailored to your specific interview subject, there are some universal questions. Do not rely solely on these questions.

Possible Interview Questions What are three words that describe you? How do your friends describe you? What are you most proud of?

Possible Interview Questions Tell me about your household. Who lives in your house with you and what are they like? Do you have pets? If so, what kind? What was the happiest day of your childhood? What was the saddest day of your childhood?

Possible Interview Questions If you could meet any famous person still living today, who would it be and why? If you could have dinner with any person from another time period, who would it be and why?

Possible Interview Questions What was your first impression of our school? What do you like best about our school? What is one misconception you think people have about you? What is one misconception you think people have about our school?

Possible Interview Questions Where do you see yourself after high school? Where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you see yourself in ten years?