Finding out more about the writer.

I like to find out more about the person&;#8230;

In one of my regular columns that I write for a British Magazine, I
once wrote,

"When I read someone else's work, be it poetry, a short story or an
article, as well as absorbing their 'creation', I often wonder about
the person behind those words, for surely their words are an extension
of that person - a 'piece' of that person to some extent?"

When it comes to a piece I have read which really makes me sit up, my
first reaction is to want to see what else they have written. If it is
something I have read posted on the internet, it may be very simple to
find more of their work. This ABC.com site being a typical example
where one need only click on their name. But if they have only posted a
few other pieces, what then?

The same applies if it is something I have read in hardcopy print, by
which I primarily mean newspaper or magazine. The first and obvious
thing I can do is to simply wait and see if their work continues to
appear in the same source that I first found their work.

But, ultimately, I am talking about going beyond simply having an
interest in reading their work appearing on just one website, or in one
publication. I am intrigued, first, to see how extensive and perhaps
'diverse' a writer they are. They would have almost certainly caught my
attention because of my being able to relate to the subjects/genres
they are writing and/or how they write.

Perhaps it is because of the way my 'journalistic research' mind works.
Perhaps it is because of something more subconsciously basic than that
- the 'Birds of a feather flock together' instinct? There are probably
a number of reasons, but it is not my intention to digress into
'self-psychoanalysis'. The 'whys' are of no relevance, at least not in
the context of my writing this. Part of the reason is to probably try
and find (of those who read this) who else has a 'mindset' similar to
mine.

From the 'investigative research' angle, perhaps part of the intrigue
is the actual fun of the process in trying to find out more about the
writer. I will invariably start off with the obvious way to find out
more. If posted on a website, such as this one, there may be a very
informative 'profile' - perhaps even listing their own website, or
others they have posted work on. If there is minimal or no information,
the next option is to simply do a little web-searching with two or
three search engines, starting with just their names as the
'key-words', unless the name is very common - John Smith.

My experience with undertaking such background research is that either
the information takes a matter of just a few minutes to find, or that
it is impossible to find anything at all!

Either way, I will then take a stab at contacting the person, almost
always by email (assuming that an email address is disclosed by the
writer, or can be found with a bit of research!)

Fortunately, most of those writers who catch my interest, enough for my
wanting to find out more about their work and themselves as the 'Person
behind the writing', tend to be of the same 'mind-set' as I am ('Birds
of a Feather&;#8230;', again?)

As a result, I have, over the years, amassed a wonderful (and ever
increasing) network of writer acquaintances / friends / colleagues.
Some have developed well beyond the 'contact-by-internet relationship',
developing to communicating by phone, corresponding and exchanging
'hard-copy' material by mail, and some even meeting face-to-face.

Yes, I often wonder about 'the person behind the writing'. How about
you?

Time and again I hear other writers (mostly 'hobbyists') bemoaning how
they don't know other writers, can't find opportunities to expand their
'network of contacts' or establish contact with other writers, editors
and/or publishers when, if they only realised how, they could be
passing up 'opportunities' staring them in the face! But for the lack
of a little 'exploring'- a little more delving into who is 'the person
behind the writing'...

Copyright David Taub (UKpoet@aol.com), May 2001

If you enjoyed reading this piece and/or have any comments, you are
welcome to email me at UKpoet@aol.com

David Taub is a member of
The British organisation 'National Union of Journalists' (NUJ);
Columnist for the UK magazine 'Poetry Now';
Freelance writer for various UK and USA magazines;
Co-author of Language of Souls (listed on amazon.com)
Website: www.ukpoet.cjb.net