User:Czar/Craft

Interviews focused on the craft of writing encyclopedia articles (trials & tribulations, tools and references, editing environment)

Topics

{{talkquote|1=I did a brief series a while back on Brianboulton (sorely missed, wish my questions were better) Charlesjsharp, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, and TRM, with the intent of making a 'from the experts: tips on writing featured articles' a sort of handbook, a project that I would happily pick up again if people enjoyed reading them Eddie891 ^Talk _Work 23:34, 3 January 2020 (UTC)[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom&diff=933960518&oldid=933959757&diffmode=source]}}

Potential questions

These are just some questions to start. The idea is to have a few rounds of follow-up (if not a live chat) to write a fuller profile on you as an editor. Skip anything that doesn't resonate with you.

What is your best work? (And what makes it so?)
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How did you come into this work? (What led you to it?)
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Of the article's source material, which were the most striking and what about it? Did you find anything interesting that you discarded or couldn't use?
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How did you plan or pace out the project? To what degree did you follow the plan, or did anything unexpected happen?
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What sources do not exist on this topic that should? (What are its known gaps and missing perspectives, based on the extant source material?)
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When an otherwise experienced editor enters your topic area for the first time, what will they notice or question about its standards? (e.g., structure, sourcing, collaboration method)

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What systemic gaps in coverage exist in your topic area? Who is writing the secondary sources to address it?

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How do you write? I.e., apart from the standard browser setup, what editing habits/tools or research techniques are part of your process? (scripts, software, physical reference, interpersonal connections)

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What reference works or features do you use most often?

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What lessons/readings have been most illuminating for you as a writer?

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How does your writing/editing differ from your peers?

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Do you work closely with any other editors, and how does your relationship work?

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Has there been a time that you've been fearful to contribute to Wikipedia?

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What editors do you admire, if any, and what about?

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What editors have been most influential on your style/technique?

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To what extent are you involved/interested in non-writing aspects of the encyclopedia? (gnoming, behavioral discipline, cleanup, content disputes, WikiProjects)

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What advice would you give to an editor upon finishing their first WP writing project?

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Upload a photo of your desk/workspace?

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(Feel free to expand below on whatever you'd like)

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c.f.

[https://web.archive.org/web/20191221190133/https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/photos/2013/08/my-desk-slide-show VF "My Desk"]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20191221190126/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120303550 Paris Review interviews]
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/15tY5rdo18APXMz2VInYBaaaJQ2Wm5aIJV2ft_7TSv74/edit TCI questions]