When I was 20-years-old, I was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. This is not something I'm proud of, but something I am aware has impacted many people; both as victims and defendants. As a result of the passion surrounding this issue, I can see it would make a good story in a variety of ways. We will focus on the work that would go into writing three types of articles.
In writing an opinion piece (or essay) on the topic, research would be required on the topic in general in order to present an educated opinion. Interviews can benefit a writer of such a piece by allowing them to gain insight into the minds of experts and those that have been impacted directly, however, by nature of an opinion piece, these interviews shouldn't be the bulk of the story; rather, they should be used for the writer's own education purpose. Largely, the piece should rely on the writers opinion, though both the reader and writer would benefit from the writer having knowledge on the topic.
If one was looking into writing a narrative on the topic, the writer would need to use their own experience, or find another individual who has experienced the topic at hand. The writer of a narrative must tell a story, and while chronology of events can be altered to add to suspense or suit the story, the piece should ultimately be an unbroken chain of events with a beginning, middle, and an end. Much like an opinion piece, a narrative shouldn't rely on sources or interviews for its material so much as tell a story in the first, or third, person. Interviews again would be necessary to gain insight and become educated on the narrative, but quotes and the like should not be included.
A type of article that would rely heavily on sources, statistics, and quotes would be the magazine article. This type of article would want to focus on the issue with small scope, that is to say, the writer would want to have a sharp focus. Just writing about the prevalence of alcohol related accidents or underage drinking has been done, and done to death. A good magazine article on the topic would focus on an individual event, that can be written to shed light on the bigger picture of the issue in its entirety. The writer could find a victim of an accident, or a perpetrator of the act. Types of people that could be interviewed could be those already mentioned above, as well as experts on the issue. Police officers, and medical personnel who have seen the trauma of accidents would be good sources, as well as those impacted by similar events who the story may not directly focus on. Statistics should be gathered, and members of organizations that speak out on such issues would be good starts.
In writing an opinion piece (or essay) on the topic, research would be required on the topic in general in order to present an educated opinion. Interviews can benefit a writer of such a piece by allowing them to gain insight into the minds of experts and those that have been impacted directly, however, by nature of an opinion piece, these interviews shouldn't be the bulk of the story; rather, they should be used for the writer's own education purpose. Largely, the piece should rely on the writers opinion, though both the reader and writer would benefit from the writer having knowledge on the topic.
If one was looking into writing a narrative on the topic, the writer would need to use their own experience, or find another individual who has experienced the topic at hand. The writer of a narrative must tell a story, and while chronology of events can be altered to add to suspense or suit the story, the piece should ultimately be an unbroken chain of events with a beginning, middle, and an end. Much like an opinion piece, a narrative shouldn't rely on sources or interviews for its material so much as tell a story in the first, or third, person. Interviews again would be necessary to gain insight and become educated on the narrative, but quotes and the like should not be included.
A type of article that would rely heavily on sources, statistics, and quotes would be the magazine article. This type of article would want to focus on the issue with small scope, that is to say, the writer would want to have a sharp focus. Just writing about the prevalence of alcohol related accidents or underage drinking has been done, and done to death. A good magazine article on the topic would focus on an individual event, that can be written to shed light on the bigger picture of the issue in its entirety. The writer could find a victim of an accident, or a perpetrator of the act. Types of people that could be interviewed could be those already mentioned above, as well as experts on the issue. Police officers, and medical personnel who have seen the trauma of accidents would be good sources, as well as those impacted by similar events who the story may not directly focus on. Statistics should be gathered, and members of organizations that speak out on such issues would be good starts.