Looking at Charlie's Blog

I learned a lot after reading a couple of blog posts written by Charlie about his experiences in New Orleans.  I think one of the most valuable pieces of advice he posted about was that you should "leave your ego at the door" when you are interviewing an artist.  However, that advice is really essential for any sort of person you are interviewing.  Also, while you have be nice and encourage the person you are interviewing, you aren't their friend and you need to keep the relationship professional.  I have found that even if I'm interviewing someone I know for an article, I try to distance myself and just go into the interview like they're any other person.  That is so key for journalists: finding the sweet spot between being brash and being over-friendly during interviews.  Another one of Charlie's posts that I enjoyed was his description of Bourbon Street in which he compared it to basically an adult Disney World.  While I've never been to New Orleans, I could totally picture what he was talking about and it made the setting of where he was completely real to me.  This is an instance of a writer using a simile that works really well: it is simple and helps the reader to vividly see what the writer is talking about, even if the reader has no idea what New Orleans or this specific street looks like.