Interview with Cara Nissman, Freelance Journalist

Interview by Amy Brozio-Andrews

Cara Nissman is a freelance journalist who frequently writes about youth, families, relationships, health, and lifestyle topics. Her work has been published by The Boston Herald, Psychology Today, Salon, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue. Cara was awarded the 2003 Journalism Fellowship in Child and Family Policy that was funded by the Foundation for Child Development and based at the University of Maryland. She currently makes her home in Florida. You can read some of her work at caranissman.com

What made you decide to specialize in health and lifestyle subjects?

I had always been fascinated with health issues, reading about new medical research and sharing the information with my friends and family, so I have found that writing about health has allowed me to satisfy my own curiosity while helping to inform others. I also feel very good after writing about a health condition or trend in health that hasn't gotten a lot of notice because I can give people who haven't had one a voice and a chance to help fellow sufferers.

As far as lifestyle stories go, the freedom involved in writing features is most attractive. I am not tied to a particular structure or voice when writing for the lifestyle section of a newspaper or penning a lifestyle piece for a magazine as I might be for the news or business section. I can inject humor where it's appropriate or develop a narrative without fear of taking up too many column inches. I also enjoy connecting with sources over a longer period of time than the daily news grind might allow.
   
I see a lot of your clips are related to teens and senior citizens. How do you get people to open up to you when you're not one of their peers?

Life would be pretty boring if we writers only wrote about our age group! When you approach people with respect and the sense that you understand what they're going through as human beings, not just as teens or seniors, they will open up no matter how old you may be. It's true that I let my experiences as a teenager inform my work concerning young people, but you don't have to remember that time to put yourself in their shoes if you really think about how the rush of hormones, stress of applying to college or finding a job, and worries over fitting in might affect their decisions and opinions.  The same goes for seniors. I can imagine what it must be like to have lived for 60-plus years and see the world and customs change so much and then cope with whatever may be happening in their lives, such as raising their grandchildren. I don't ever say, "I know how you feel," but I let them know I can understand why they might feel the way they do.

For a recent story, you put out a call for interviewees for spring break stories on a message board and received a reply from someone who was willing to be interviewed but only if you'd prove you supported a different issue that he was concerned about. Do conversations like this happen often when you're researching a story, and if so, how do you deal with it?
      

That was the first time that a potential teen subject had ever asked for anything in return for being interviewed. (A doctor inexperienced with the press once asked me what her fee would be for being interviewed for a story, but her public relations rep set her straight that newspapers don't do that!) I wrote to the teen privately and explained that I was an objective reporter and wouldn't choose a side on the issue. He ended up not wanting to be interviewed because he only wanted to talk to people willing to further his cause. I had put out a call on that message board (which is a board for an organization fighting for youths' rights) because I wanted to speak with strong-minded kids on the subject, and fortunately another teen shared her opinions with no strings attached! Whenever something like that happens, writers have to find a diplomatic way to remind subjects that we are journalists, not politicians or talk-show hosts.

You have a piece about a gay teen who tried to "turn" straight in the November 2005 issue of Seventeen. Where do you find the stories that inspire you to write and share with readers?
 

Story ideas come from so many places. Sometimes I'll read a story in a local paper that will spark a larger story. Other times a teen will write to me about something that's happening in his town or school and I jump on that. Sometimes I'll seek out people by calling related organizations and other contacts. For the Seventeen article, I had talked with several gay youth organizations and ex-gay groups, which connected me with youths with compelling stories, before choosing to focus on the one young man I profiled.

       
Do you have one really memorable acceptance to a particular market-- the one that made you punch the air and say, "Yes!"?

When I first pitched and was accepted by Salon, I became ecstatic because it meant that I might really be able to make a living as a full-time freelance writer. I had just left a full-time position as a features reporter at a newspaper to freelance and I knew that with such a prestigious online magazine as Salon on my résumé, I could feel confident pitching to other big regional and national venues. Shortly after, I began writing for Teen Vogue and Seventeen. In fact, the editor who accepted my piece on immigrant families for Salon moved to Seventeen after a few months, and thankfully remembered me and welcomed my pitches for that magazine.

Please share with us what your typical day is like.

Every day is different. I can spend a whole day in my pajamas researching or writing a piece or I can spend it running from interview to interview for different stories. Most days, I do a little bit of both. I wake up and immediately check e-mail for editors' responses, press releases, and other correspondence. I peruse several print and online newspapers and magazines a day to cull ideas for stories. I try to write at least a few pitches a week, usually by e-mail. For pitches, I often make exploratory phone calls to potential sources to see if they'd be willing to talk with me if an editor likes my query. I make sure to get out in the world often, too, to see what ideas develop. Even going grocery shopping and eavesdropping on an interaction between a mother and her son can spark an idea.
  
What's the toughest part of any assignment for you (i.e., the query, the research, writing it all up)? What do you do to make it easier?

I love researching and sometimes go a little overboard, so when it comes to writing, I sometimes have trouble deciding what should make it into a piece and what should be omitted. To make it easier to pare down, I take a highlighter to my notes right before I start writing and only use information that I've highlighted. (I only highlight the most important themes and anecdotes.)

According to the bio on your website, you recently moved to South Florida to pursue your career. Does relocating present any special challenges for freelance writers?
 

Moving presented a challenge because a lot of my contacts were in Massachusetts and after moving I had to build up a whole new base of contacts in South Florida. Luckily, I had no qualms about introducing myself to organizations relevant to my interests (immigrant organizations, parenting groups, schools, nearby hospitals, and health professionals). It does take a little while to cultivate contacts and find your footing in a new area, but it also helps in finding different angles to stories to have that newcomer perspective.

Please tell us more about some of the continuing education opportunities you've been able to take advantage of, like the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland's conference on children's health. How do you find out about these opportunities?
     

When I first started writing about teens, I was lucky enough to find a publication by the Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families. I contacted them and they exposed me to a slew of valuable resources and opportunities, including newsletters, conferences, and fellowships. I also have found opportunities online and through sources when researching particular stories. I now receive information about upcoming conferences and competitions from several outlets. These programs are invaluable. At the children's health conference, I learned about the latest mental health research and gained lots of insight into reporting sensitively but objectively on trends in children's health. I got a lot of ideas for stories, too, from fellow attendees and speakers. You also can network while participating in these programs. I have met editors at conferences and pitched them successfully later on, mentioning when we met. Fellow reporters, too, are more apt to share a valued editor's e-mail if they've enjoyed chatting with you at a conference.

Do you have any advice for freelance writers looking to break into bigger markets? Something that you wish someone had told you?

Something you can try that might work is you can interview an editor from a national magazine for a trend story for a smaller venue and contact that editor later on and pitch her a story for her publication. She might remember you and your thoughtful questions and give you a chance! You can at least make a connection by mentioning the story and furnishing that clip. I didn't plan to pitch an editor when I interviewed her for a story, but it ended up working out for me that she remembered me when I queried her!

Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer and book reviewer. She brings more than five years' experience as a readers' advisory librarian to her work, which is regularly published by Library Journal, The Imperfect Parent, and Absolute Write. Her reviews have also been published by The Absinthe Literary Review, ForeWord Magazine, January Magazine, and Melt Magazine. Amy is also the managing editor and an international markets columnist for Absolute Write. Visit her online at http://www.amyba.com.

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