Interview with W.
Thomas Smith, Jr.
Interview by Emily Lerner
W. Thomas Smith, Jr.,
an independent writer, editor and instructor, has been called "the hardest
working writer in America." Moniker notwithstanding, Smith generously
gave his time to speak with me at length about his writing career. I found
the respected journalist, who has written for a variety of the nation's leading
magazines and newspapers, US News & World Report, USA Today, and The New
York Post among them, to be open and honest about the writing profession.
In addition to his inspiring stories, he offered a great deal of insight and
invaluable advice to both the fledgling and storied freelance writer.
Do you remember when you first realized that you wanted
to write, and what prompted your first writing idea?
I suppose I've always known I wanted to write; I just wasn't always sure in what
capacity. As a boy, I remember writing poetry and keeping secret diaries about
girls I was in love with or other things which generally have to do with being a
boy. Of course, I destroyed those diaries when I was a teenager, ashamed of the
fact that I had been so ruthlessly honest about my feelings.
My first paid writing work, however, didn't begin until I was in the Marine
Corps. In boot camp, my drill instructors discovered that I had a knack for
writing, so they christened me "scribe" and had me doing most of their
paperwork. But I didn't get paid for anything until I was on Sea Duty. There I
ghostwrote poems for fellow Marines who sent the poems home to their
girlfriends, and I made a little money doing that. But writing has always been
something that seemed very natural to me. In fact, I think I actually write much
better than I talk. I remember, as a kid, being punished for something I
might've done wrong and then actually writing out my own defense which I would
sometimes present to my parents.
How did you get your first assignment as a writer?
My first writing assignment? Depends on how you break things down. I was
writing for money long before I was actually a professional writer... if that
makes sense. But I guess in terms of my first "real" writing gig: it
was a piece I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the American landing at Iwo
Jima during World War II. It was for a local South Carolina publication, but I
received letters praising the piece from as far away as Arizona. Soon after,
local magazines and newspapers began calling and asking if would cover
this-or-that for them. It wasn't long before I had developed something of a
local reputation as an investigative reporter. In fact, one S.C. newspaper - in
kind of a loose attempt at criticism of my reporting tactics - published a piece
which referred to me as a "rogue-like techno sleuth." I was
flattered.
Anyway, I was a regular contributor for a number of local rags, a staff
writer at a small weekly paper, and moved on to become the associate editor of
what was at that time the largest business magazine in the state.
Did your service and experiences in the military lead
you to writing or did your desire to write lead you to the military?
That's actually a very good question. When I finished college, I had only a
military career in mind. I knew I would always write, but writing - in my mind -
would be secondary to my primary calling of being a soldier. Of course, in
college I had to write all the time. And I remember once writing a paper
comparing U.S. military operations in Vietnam to the British operations in the
American colonies. My professor, an aging former West Point instructor who gave
me an A for the paper, was actually brought to tears when he handed the paper
back. And he said in this really gruff old drillmaster's tone, "Mr. Smith,
your treatise was magnificent."
I've never forgotten that, and it was then that I fully began to realize the
absolute power of good writing. Not long after, I found myself in the Marines,
in the infantry, ghostwriting poems for my buddies, and scribbling notes about
where I was and what I was doing as grist for future stories.
Did you ever work as a non-writer? What were some of
the jobs you had before becoming a writer?
Well, as you know, I served a hitch in the Marines. Then for the next seven to
eight years, I held down several jobs: everything from a SWAT team officer to
working with my dad in the retail tire business to selling cars and insurance.
I think varying experiences are good. They season a writer. They not only give
him or her something to write about, they allow them to develop some real,
substantive perspective.
In fact, though I've written all my life, made money at it in my early twenties
and was first published at age 24, I didn't begin writing professionally until I
was 35. Then I just started working like a madman, pitching story ideas and
writing on spec for local and regional publications. And in less than a year, I
found myself in Eastern Europe covering the last days of the Bosnian War; the
real shooting war before U.S. troops had ever set foot on Bosnian soil.
You said you "found yourself in Eastern Europe."
How did that come about? Did you go to them or did they come to you?
Did you ever feel that your life was in danger while you were pursuing a story?
To answer the first part of your question, I went to them. I wanted to go
overseas again. The Bosnian War was at its zenith and I knew that the end
was near. I wanted to get there before it was over.
Regarding the second part of your question, I think my military experience
certainly helped me in Bosnia and, later, in Israel on the West Bank. It enabled
me to have a better grasp of what was going on at any one time, and to be able
to distinguish a potentially dangerous situation from a non-dangerous one.
Still, no matter how much experience you have, there's nothing you can to avoid
being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And there were those times that I
suppose I felt a need to extricate myself from a particular place or situation.
That was sometimes unnerving, but I don't think I ever felt like my life was
really in danger.
In 1999 you left salaried journalism to further your
freelance writing and editing career. Why? Did any one thing in particular
prompt this decision?
When I first got into this business, I knew I wanted to be a full-time
freelancer, and I knew I would eventually have to leave the comfort and security
of a regular paycheck if I was going to do it.
Most full-time freelancers will tell you that you should have at least six
months salary under your belt before taking the plunge. I only had two or three
months in reserve. I was an editor at Greater Columbia Business Monthly, but I
had just landed a pretty big freelance writing project with a local public
relations firm. So, that combined with my three-month buffer kinda served as the
springboard. I took a deep breath and jumped.
Then my Dad died. It was devastating. My survival was to plunge deeper into
work, and it wasn't long before my pieces were appearing in publications like
USA TODAY, U.S. News & World Report, and BusinessWeek.
What are you working on right now?
Well, I'm always working on a number of magazine and newspaper pieces. These
days I'm also winding up my book, The Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence
Agency. It's an encyclopedia with entries of famous OSS (Office of Strategic
Services, the forerunner of the CIA) and CIA key players, operations, parallel
organizations, terms, and equipment. It's slated to be released in the
spring of 2003 by Facts on File Publishing.
I read your article, "Compromising Colors,"
about the controversy surrounding South Carolina's Confederate flag. Being a
ninth-generation South Carolinian, you must have an opinion on the issue. How,
as a writer, do you report on and write an unbiased article on something so
volatile?
That can be a challenge sometimes. But unless you are writing an opinion piece,
it has to be balanced. In fact, even a good opinion piece needs balance... all
the facts need to be presented. But with an opinion piece, you can get away with
a hard slant. Not so with a straight news story. So, I think what a good
journalist has to be able to do is approach everything with an open mind and be
able to write - not for themselves - but for their readers. As a writer,
particularly a news writer, you have a responsibility to your readers. If you
don't present all the facts or if you deliberately skew those facts to justify
your own beliefs, you're not being fair to your readers.
Is there any one particular assignment that you just
can't, for whatever reason, forget?
There are so many stories and assignments that would fall into the unforgettable
category... particularly some of the overseas stories and many of my stateside
investigative reporting pieces. But I guess from a "writer's"
perspective, one of the most interesting might be what I consider to be one of
my "big break" stories. I'll have to say God has blessed me with far
more breaks than I deserve. But one of my biggest breaks came in 1998 when
an interview I had conducted with retired General William C. Westmoreland was
published in George magazine. How it all came about is a story in itself, but
the result was that my story ran in conjunction with a story about
Westmoreland's counterpart in Vietnam, General Vo Nguyen Giap.
The Giap interview was conducted by the late John Kennedy, Jr., and ultimately
my piece and Kennedy's piece were published together as a single project on
Vietnam. And our bylines were published together on the contents page. That was
a huge national break that has since opened so many other national and
international doors.
You have obviously found a great deal of success as a
freelance writer. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer? What was the
best advice you ever received?
Networking is important. No - scratch that - critical, if you plan to survive in
this hyper-competitive business. When I started, I took every opportunity I had
to develop relationships with those writers, editors, and publishers who were
already grasping the top rungs of the ladder, and I also developed relationships
with those whom I believed were destined for the top rungs. I never asked anyone
for favors, but I was never afraid to ask for an opportunity to prove myself.
And if given the chance, I delivered.
My advice to freelance writers in the earliest stages? Never lie. Never steal an
idea. Never make excuses about anything. Never turn down an assignment. Hit
length. Meet your deadlines. Don't be afraid to send flowers and thoughtful
notes, but very sparingly, and NEVER in a fawning, kiss-up manner. Avoid, like
the plague, lazy wannabes who would rather moan about their lot in life. They
don't wanna write. They just want someone to give them a byline or an easy
assignment so they can call themselves a writer. They would love to sabotage
your career trek. Steer clear of those birds.
Join a professional writers organization: I hate to say it, but the more
exclusive the organization, the better. You'll get more out of it. Beginners
groups are wonderful comfort zones. Great for support. But other than
"attaboys" and advice on rewrites, they'll do little for your career
in terms of networking unless the group regularly brings in heavy hitters. So
look for organizations that can offer things like conferences, 24-hour list
serves, referral services, etc.
Beyond that, read everything you can put your hands on. Work hard. Work smart.
Never get discouraged by isolation and rejection. Particularly rejection. It's
easy to get hurt in this business. Let the negatives roll off. Never quit,
because that's when you lose. Pray for God's Will in your life.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Let's see? I can't stress enough the importance of relationships in this
business. In fact, it was patience, hard work and developing relationships
that enabled me to land the (Westmoreland interview) George byline. Be
sincere. Be a friend. But don't be a brown-nose! Remember that the
writer-editor relationship is a mutual working relationship. Editors shouldn't
always have the upper hand, and writers need to realize that.
To read W. Thomas Smith, Jr.'s bio and see more on his work, please go to his
web site at http://www.uswriter.com.
Emily Lerner is a freelance writer who began writing professionally 30 years
ago with a weekly humor column in New York. Her interviews and photographs
have appeared in several Los Angeles magazines, and she currently teaches
creative writing in Santa Monica, California.
