A new and popular way to find out about the music we love is on the internet. For some great information on music, whether it be local or international, is at Twin Cities Sidewalk. It's an on-line newspaper/magazine, which includes music, the arts, and coverage of local events. Almost every major city has it's own Sidewalk on-line.
James Diers, a music and events editor at Twin Cities Sidewalk, explains his role as a music writer for Sidewalk. Diers is also a free lance writer for such papers as the City Pages, Request, and with MTV New as a strhing reporter.
Writing about something like music is fun and entertaining but it's not as simple as it appears. There are many important factors that come nto play when writing. Music writers must research, straighten facts, and conduct interview. For Diers, convenienct internet access is helpful.
"Since [the Twin Cities] Sidewalk is an on-line thing, internet access is pretty eay to get to. For writers who try to stay on tope of things, it's a convenienct resource."says Diers.
Being in a comfortable enviroment is another important factor in writing. Diers enjoys writing at home ad sometimes writes at the office.
As for interviews, Diers prefers 'in person' interview when possible. "I think it's easier to get a better sense of who somebody is and what they mean when they're answering questions. I guess in person, you just feel like you have each other's undivided attention. If it's a longer or more important interview, I tend to use a tape recorder just because it's not always easy to take really fast notes when people are talking," advises Diers.
He attended Northwestern University in Chicago to major in communications studies. Diers was part of the student paper staff and learned aobut journalism in college. He feels taht his experience from that paper paid off.
"It taught me that you can go to schol for writing, and there aer definitely some great programs, but I think schoolif more of a place to learn about writing rather than how to write. If you're looking for a paid position as a writer somewhere, it's the actual writing experience that people are looking at. I think it's just a matter of getting into a environment ehere you can prove yourself as a writer."
Diers has certainly proven himeself as a writer, taking his work locally and nationally. He's covered stories on such local figures as John "Strawberry" Fields of the former Greazy Meal and the artist formerly known as Prince to such national acts as underground star, Ani Difranco.
Take a stroll down James Diers' sidewalk and check out some great coverage of the arts on-line.
