Sam Cook + John McPhee
I’m not against hunting, but I will never enjoy the thrill of hunting an animal. That being said, writing that pertains to hunting has often bore me.
In the case of Sam Cook’s writing, the overall broad theme of both pieces may have been about hunting, but there was much more involved.
It’s not often that you come across a story that combines turkey hunting and human pregnancy, but Cook somehow managed to intertwine the two subjects. My favorite part of Cook’s first piece was his lede:
“If you checked Becky Magdzas ‘ to-do list for the past week or so, you might have found the following items: 1. Shoot a wild turkey 2. Have a baby by cesarean section. Which is why the Lake Nebagamon woman, in an effort to accomplish the first task on her list, was standing in the dark along a Douglas County road on the morning of April 23.”
I may not personally know Becky, but this first paragraph gives me the image of a very pregnant woman who is determined, gritty, and not exactly average.
Cook’s second story also covered hunting, but once again I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. My favorite part was when he discussed how busy the meat processing business can be around deer hunting.
“When a call came in, Clyde would stop cutting, grab the receiver with a blood-stained glove, tuck the phone between his ear and shoulder and keep cutting as he talked.”
These lines not only give me a great visual image but I’m also able to understand that Clyde is the type of guy that doesn’t stop working — even when more work is coming in the door or the phone.
In reading Cook’s pieces, I was curious to know how he was able to pick his subjects, after reading McPhee’s work, I think I better understand. Usually when I’m doing a profile story, I somewhat randomly select my subject and interview a few people that know that individual on some sort of level. After reading McPhee’s work, I want to think more in an ABC/D. This not only will challenge me, but will create much more unique work.
I’m still curious to know if Cook strictly uses McPhee’s approach in finding subjects for stories, if he uses his own, or if it’s a mixture of the two.