Mood:
sharpTopic: Writing
Last night, I got to see the multi-talented David Pogue speak on LSU's campus. I was most excited to see Pogue for his work as a tech columnist for The New York Times. However, he has excelled in other areas, too. He is an Emmy Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News, a former composer for Broadway musicals, and a Yale graduate. Pretty effing cool, right?
Technically, he came to campus for a Q-and-A. However, he started things off with a little snippet of his life, which I found very interesting. Pogue said he spent 10 years writing Broadway shows that were never produced. Then, a computer program called Finale made its debut. Finale is a program that would write the music you played. While Pogue was familiar with the program, famous composers and pop artists wanted him to teach them how to use it.
Apparently, Pogue's Yale degree gave him a great ability to explain things. So in 2000, The New York Times asked him if he would take over the weekly technology column.
Pogue has no background in journalism. But, after seven months of interviews (ten in total), he was given his column which he still has today—every Thursday, "State of the Art."
Pogue then started blogging (becoming the first New York Times writer to blog) in addition to his column and creating home videos corresponding with his column topic. He was doing all of the extra work for free, until he received an offer from Fox News, and later from CNBC.
Pogue said two things in his discussion that really struck me: 1. "You will have more fun with the campus satire magazine, than with The New York Times." And 2. "I've never called myself a reporter, I write an opinion column...It's been fun and none of it did I plan. I was supposed to be a Broadway guy."
Sigh.
While I do chase the idea of someday being published in The New York Times, I've never thought of it in terms of actually working there. I hope one day I am published in the Modern Love column or my wedding announcement is in the pages or a review for my best-selling book (one can dream, right?).
So, the fact that Pogue has a steady gig at The Times is a catch-22 for me—like, how the eff did that happen? But then on the other hand, there is this idea now bouncing around in my head that someone with ABSOLUTELY NO journalism background can make it in the writing world (no offense, Pogue). I think I'll go with the latter train of thought.
So yes, I have had some fun writing for the smaller papers and magazines, doing radio, learning web writing...but I'm not giving up on the bigger scheme of things.
To my second point, I simply think it's amazing the turns life takes before we know it. Things happen that we never plan for, and often, I find those are the things that give us the most joy. So cheers for the unknown!
What I took away from Pogue's visit was another something he said about advice he received from one of his professors at Yale. Pogue said he'd never had a B in his life, but one professor would never give him an A. So when he went to him for help, the professor told him "every piece of writing is fundamentally intended to be persuasive." When you think about it, it's true! Pogue says he uses that advice in his work as a critic—for every column he writes, he is on a mission to persuade the reader that he is correct.
Genius.
Pogue answered several questions from the audience (mainly students who obviously had a journalism assignment), but then, to my delight, he sat down at a piano (the first piano ever in the LSU journalism building) and played.
He took songs we all know and changed the words to comment on technology...songs like, "Apps, I did it Again." Pretty funny.
I'm so glad I got this opportunity. Meeting other writers will never cease to amaze me. I love learning about their process, their successes and failures, their ideas. But most of all, I find inspiration that we have so much in common.
