Virtual Expert: Steve Werblow

Steve Werblow was awarded first place in the On-farm Production category in the 2007 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

The planning stage?

Researching another article, I learned a little about Scottish Highland cattle from a man who was raising them. I thought a story on rare, old breeds of livestock might appeal to readers looking for something a little different, and I knew it would have visual appeal.

As far as goals going into the story, I initially wanted to see how wide a rare-breeds universe was out there, and to make sure I didn't end up focusing solely on cattle, or sheep or poultry. Once I started digging and interviewing, it became obvious that "rare," "heritage" and "heirloom" have pretty specific meanings, and I needed to put some parameters around the story. I chose to use the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy list of endangered livestock as a touchstone - it's a credible organization with a well-thought-out list and clear rules about what gets on and why. Using the list as a sort of navigation marker for my research helped me keep the story from wandering.

Fact-gathering?

I really, really love Google. I often Google for background on a topic, Google for contacts in a particular place or a specific part of the industry, and Google to make sure someone hasn't already written the story before. Here's a bonus: when Googling Scottish Highland cattle, I came across a web site of a monastery on an island off the coast of Washington where the nuns raise a whole menagerie of endangered livestock species, all while dressed in full Benedictine habit. I absolutely KNEW I needed to photograph these womenand they turned out to be a wonderful font of insight and quotations, too.

Several leads came from other sources. "You know who you should talk to? You really need to call." That's the real gold vein in research.

Most of my owners and breeders were face-to-face interviews, and the organization leaders were phone interviews. The face-to-face interview is important for several reasons. First, I know I'll need photos, too, so I really need to be in the field with the subjects. Second, you get better quotations from people when you have a chance to lean on a fence and chat for a few minutes rather than just grill them by phone. And third, I really like to have a sense of how a place looks, how a person interacts with his environment, and how an animal behaves. Little details and a sense of place help me write a better story.

I don't record interviews. I've tried it a few times, but I end up worrying about the recorder instead of truly listening to the subject. I'm kind of old-school - I just take notes by writing as quickly as I can. I find I can capture quotations accurately by hand, and I can leave myself little marks in the margins when someone delivers a real bell-ringer of a comment.

Getting good quotes can be easy with some subjects and nearly impossible with others. Generally, the best tactics for me have been to ask leading questions so the subject can't fall back on "yes" or "no" answers; to ask the same question a couple of different ways if I'm trying to get them to deliver better phrasing; and to ask about how something felt, or what first went through their mind when they encountered whatever it is we're talking about.

I'm probably not the best person to ask about when to stop researching - I tend to over-research my stories. That presents some obvious challenges, like the fact that I then have to pare down the story to fit into a magazine spread rather than fill a novel. On the plus side, some extra research helps me set the parameters of the story - you start to get a feel for what is really central to the topic, and to verify some basic facts or beliefs that your subjects deliver. Generally, I end up seeing the pieces of the puzzle come together in my head - I know I have my edges set, my basic blocks covered, and quotable sources saying the sorts of things that breathe life into a story. Then it's time to start writing.

Writing stage: any tricks to conceiving/writing leads?

I always write from an outline - it's a great way for me to see what I have in-hand, and to help me organize the narrative flow of a story as well as how I can keep from jumping back and forth among my sources.

A good outline also helps me find a lead. Generally, I like to lead with a picture for the reader - who we're going to be talking to and what he or she does. In the "History on the Hoof" story, Kathie Miller was a great example of the sort of person who gets deeply involved in heritage livestock - passionate about her animals, extremely well-versed in their history, dedicated to good husbandry, and thoroughly at home with her flock. I wanted readers to tune into that feeling before we got involved in the rational discussion. I find that picturesque leads often work with harder-edged business stories, too - you can show your reader why it matters, or who it matters to.

I spend a great deal of time setting the stage for an organized first draft, so I don't tend to do a lot of re-writes, but I do edit and tweak a lot once I have a draft on paper. I always like to let a story sit at least overnight before editing. That seems to help reduce the "I know what I meant to say" sorts of errors.

I write in my home office. It's a quiet place as long as the phone's not ringing. When I first came to Oregon I thought I'd live the classic writer life, scribbling away at a corner table in some coffee shop somewhere (maybe wearing a beret). Turns out coffee shops are noisy and distracting. I need quiet.

As far as sounding boards, Denny McClintic and Tom Sizemore at The Furrow and Homestead were great influences on this story. I often call them when I'm batting around my outline, just to check on emphasis or angle, or to coordinate on the layout so the visuals and the copy complement each other as well as possible. My wife also puts up with a lot of my thinking out loud. Then I realize that she needs quiet, too.

Fact checking is very important to me. I send a review draft to all my sources to make sure I'm quoting them accurately and keeping my facts straight. I'll also check facts and figures via internet sources - USDA NASS figures, industry documents, etc. - and may check in with some expert or another just to be sure. Every once in a while, some detail or another slips by even the source reviewers, but generally, it's a good system. I know some writers feel that source reviews impinge upon their First Amendment rights, and I realize that I might handle approvals differently if I wrote controversial copy or worked on tight deadlines. But I'd rather tell the story accurately, and going back to the sources - the experts in their topics - for review is a good way to help make sure I do.

Background about your professional career?

I majored in communications in college because it gave me fairly broad options - at 18, I wasn't sure I wanted to be pre-anything. Cornell was a great place to explore agricultural coursework, and I found myself piling on the agronomy, botany, ag economics and other agricultural topics while I was there.

About mid-way through school, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in agriculture, so I looked specifically for ag-oriented jobs. I started straight out of college with Gibbs & Soell, a PR firm, working on ag chemical and fertilizer accounts. It was a great training ground - plenty of writing, photography and fieldwork, and lots of practice in finding good leads and good quotations. I was also lucky enough to work with people who were - still are - great editors, so I learned more about writing in a year than I had in 16 years of schooling.

I went freelance in 1995, moved from New York to southern Oregon, and have been freelancing ever since. I do a little work in some industrial sectors, but I remain first and foremost an ag writer and photographer.

I joined AAEA in 1988 and have gone to nearly every annual meeting/Summit since. AAEA has been extremely valuable to me throughout my career. I've learned a great deal through the meetings and ByLine, and the networking opportunities are unparalleled - in fact, the vast majority of my work as a freelancer over the past 12 years has come through AAEA, and many people I've met through the organization have become good friends of mine. Over the past several years I've gotten more involved in AAEA and AMS committees, which has been mentally stimulating, great fun socially, and fulfilling.

Any other advice for students?

As far as advice on writing and photography, just do it, keep doing it, and try to push yourself to do it better. Every bit as important as writing and shooting is reading and looking. Every scrap of media you come across has something to teach you about writing or photography - good, bad or indifferent. Supplement that by reading and studying the writers and photographers you admire. Figure out what you like about their work. Then figure out how you want to incorporate or adapt it and make it your own.

There is really no compromise when it comes to ethical standards - if you have to stop to ask whether something would be the right thing to do, or say, or report, you already have your answer. Regardless of which sector - or sectors - of the ag communications industry you're in, just be honest about who you are and what you're doing, and deliver an honest story for your readers.