Category Archives: Questions for Hilton Als

1) How did you go about structuring your Pryor piece in the way that you did?

2) How long did it take you to gather the research and information you obtained to write the profile on Pryor?

3) Does his style of writing or his work influenced you in anyway?

4) As a writer what is your message or motto to help aspiring writers?

5) What are three words that describe your purpose for writing?

1)I noticed that you usually use some sort of narrative to ease into the introduction of your subject. How do you choose a moment in their life to lead your story with?

2) Your Jane Fonda profile and your Richard Pryor profile are both very long. When you write short pieces is it hard for you to condense your writing?

3) I notice that you strive to get to know your subjects very well. How much research do you do to find out about the kind of people they really are?

4) Do you feel like you psychoanalyze your subjects given that you mention how they feel often or do you get the impression that this is how they feel from interviews?

5) How do you choose the angle of your stories?

1. When did you first discover you were interested in journalism?

2. What writing techniques do you use and how do you think it capture readers?

I would ask Hilton Als these questions: Your book The Women raises key issues on race and gender. What is your opinion on racial and gender diversity in the journalism? Do you think it’s necessary?

– Jennifer Phanomrat

Dear Hilton Als,

1)      Is there any specific style that you follow when writing your articles?

2)      How long did it take you to write and revise your Jane Fonda article before it was published?

3)      When did you first take an interest in journalism?

4)      What was your experience like teaching at an all-women’s college?

I would like to ask Hilton Als:

1. How do you come up with the ideas or the themes for your writing. Since there are so many topics that were mentioned and written about in one way or another in various publications, how do you work on your writing to make it stand out? To make it necessary to be heard and read?

2. How did the new digital era change your skills and approach to writing. Do you think it made it easier to search for information through multiple search engines and academic archives, or back in the days when writers had to physically search for their information, the work was done more efficiently?

3. Which advice from your own experience would you give to the beginners?

1)How much research do you do on your subjects before you talk to anyone?

2)How do you brainstorm or determine the structure of a story?

3)What type of things do you read?

4)Who inspires you?

5)What do you hope to achieve with your writing/what is your philosophy?

6) What are your future projects?

7) What would you say is one of your weaknesses when writing a story?

8)What are some of your thoughts (positive or negative) on the state of the news industry?