Roy Peter Clark has written or edited 17 books on writing and journalism.
BY SAMANTHA PUTTERMAN
NNB Student Reporter
ST. PETERSBURG – Roy Peter Clark likes to wear socks.
And not just any socks: Pizza-patterned socks.
During a conference that brought newspaper editors from across the country to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Clark, 67, sits at a piano in front of the room. He starts to play and sing Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day,” serenading the journalists as they return from lunch.
Although it definitely set the mood, it wasn’t his stylish toe-coverage or passionate piano playing that drew the most engagement. It was his teaching.
The New York City native holds a doctorate in medieval literature. He was teaching at Auburn University in Montgomery, Ala., when Eugene Patterson, editor and president of the St. Petersburg Times, hired him as newsroom writing coach in 1977.
After a year, he became the paper’s movie critic. And in 1979 he became the first full-time faculty member at the Modern Media Institute, now the Poynter Institute, where he holds the title of vice president.
He has written and edited 17 books on language and journalism, including The Glamour of Grammar, How to Write Short and Help! For Writers. His books are used in journalism and creative writing courses around the country.
Clark sets up his microphone as everyone settles in, but not without cracking a few jokes.
A few writers are also at the workshop, something Clark believes is essential when coaching editors on new ways to help writers. He asks a reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer, John Faherty, 49, to join him for a conversation in the front of the room.
Faherty accepts, grabs a microphone and sits down across from Clark.
“Are those Chuck Taylors?” Clark asks, intrigued. The crowd knew this probably wasn’t in his established queue of questions.
Faherty laughs. “They are.”
“Well. They’re great!”
He does have a way with words and – let’s not forget – footwear.
Clark reveals his colorful pizza socks to the room. “This is called establishing rapport,” he says with a wink.
Then he gets to business.
First, Clark wants to know why Faherty feels confident as a writer.
“I’ve been doing it half my life,” he answers. “I’m good at filling a notebook and getting people comfortable when chatting with them.”
Clark moves on, asking what things the reporter chooses to write down.
“I don’t write down a ton of quotes, but I do write down a lot of details,” Faherty says. “I will put stars next to something that surprises me or something that feels like a pivot point for a story.”
“OK. And when it comes to writing a draft, you’re confident you’ve got the goods?”
“Yeah. I will sit and go through my notebook with a red pen, circling the stuff that is telling or good,” Faherty says. “Then I take the circled or starred material, write it down on another piece of paper and number it in the order, the way, that I want to tell the story.”
The reporter describes how he starts to see themes emerge as he narrows down the story, as if they begin to dance off the page.
Clark asks questions and jots down notes as Faherty speaks, seeming thoroughly interested in the process, and for good reason. Faherty’s method gives him another teaching tactic for his toolbox and something new for his own writing.
Then Clark shifts the focus to himself.
“I want to help you be a better writer, a better reporter. But I want you to help me be a better editor, too. What are some of the things I can do for you that will help you fulfill your mission?” he asks.
It’s not the daily stories that concern Faherty but the lengthy, in-depth pieces.
“During a longer story, I will re-type my notes to condense them,” he says, explaining his ideal scenario. “And I will give you a copy, and you will read them. Then the two of us will go sit in a room for an hour and find the story. If you could do that with me on a project, I would be thrilled.”
By the end of that meeting, Faherty says, it wouldn’t matter if the story structure turned out to be his original idea, the editor’s, or neither. It’s the discussion that matters most.
Clark calls it focus. Faherty calls it essence.
“Read as little as possible,” Clark tells the crowd, prompting a few perplexed looks. “The more conversations you can have on the front end, the less fixing will be required. It’s the nature of the talk that generates the best outcomes.”
Find the focus. Find the essence.
Find the pizza socks.