Virtual Expert: John Otte

John Otte of Farm Progress publications won first place in the Human Interest category in the 2004 AAEA Writing Awards Program.

The planning stage: Please give some background on why you chose the story topic that won your award. What gave you the idea for that topic? What were your goals when you began to plan the story?

Luck happens when opportunity and preparedness meet. The story basically landed in my lap. The deal went down more or less the way I described it in first half dozen paragraphs of the story. I was chatting on the phone with an acquaintance I've known for nearly 30 years. I'd read a draft of the first book he wrote after retiring. He allowed as how he was writing another book about his rodeo days. Then he told me he could remember the wrecks, but not the good rides.

The first couple paragraphs in the section about "Learning from Mistakes," are almost verbatim the way we chatted about it on the phone.

The only smart thing I did was have my tape recorder ready. And I didn't do that expecting to get a printable story. Rather, this old cowboy is one of the top half dozen stand-up storytellers I know. I figured he might lay on me a tale or two I could use sometime. If I record them and listen to them, I enhance the odds I get the pauses and inflections right when I tell 'em.

Why now? It made logical sense to write the story after I hung up the phone.

The goal when I cranked up to write -- give folk some notions about how they can learn from their mistakes to improve their businesses and their lives.

The fact gathering stage: How did you choose the people to interview for your story? What were your primary sources of information? Did you use the Web? How and where did you conduct interviews? Did you do the interviews face-to-face, phone, or email, and which is best? How did you get information and good quotes from your sources? How did you determine whom to interview, and when did you know that you had done enough interviewing/researching?

Basically all I did was transcribe the tape.

The writing stage: Why or how did you choose the story lead? Did you outline the story or organize the general flow ahead of time, before you began to write? What writing style did you choose, and why? How many re-writes did you do? How did you choose sidebar stories? Did you have an editor or colleague review your story, offer suggestions, look for holes in your reporting? How do you check facts?

Choose lead. I figured cowboy notion would bait readers in. I figured pointing out early on that there be a world of difference between ranch and rodeo cowboys would entice both types and a whole bunch of other folk who happen to be our readers.

Outline pretty much came off transcript of tape. I started with transcript and threw stuff away. Don't know how or why I chose writing style. Probably rewrote it three times.

Biggest challenge was getting out of no man's land on space. Story was too long for a page. My choices were to whack it down to a page or aim at a spread and wait and lobby for better space. Story was in storage six to eight months before opportune space arose.

Asked colleague to help with some transitions as well as look for holes. Sent file to acquaintance who gave me the story. He wasn't much help second go around. Space popped up unexpectedly, so we had to print when I couldn't get hold of him. He told me some months later he intended to get back to me, but was busy fishing and playing with his grand kid.

How did you begin your career?

Was working in extension. Acquaintance told me, "Our outfit is looking for a writer with the skills you got."

What advice do you have for those graduating?

Learn how to think like both subject of story and reader. Ask two questions a lot: 1) What are the tradeoffs? 2) Why?

What does it mean to be a member of AAEA?

AAEA is place to rub shoulders with colleagues.

How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

Various pressures make that more challenging than it was 20 years ago.

Any other advice for young people considering a career in ag communications?

Learn how to think. Learn how to evaluate the various tradeoffs. Maintain flexibility and be willing to change. Today's agriculture doesn't look anything like it did 15 years ago. In 10 more years it will be different again.