Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

Lorraine Eaton visits VWC

tj martin

tjmartin@vwc.edu

The only way to learn how to be a good writer is to learn from the best, Dr. Bill Ruehlmann, a communication professor at Virginia Wesleyan, stresses to every student who takes a journalism class.

As a treat for his feature writing course, Ruehlmann introduced a speaker with numerous credentials to her name. Her articles spice up the pages of The Virginian-Pilot with style and substance. Most of her stories are featured in the Flavor section of the Pilot. Meet Lorraine Eaton.

Eaton started like most college students, waiting tables until she got her foot in the door. After she graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts in 1986, she joined The Virginian-Pilot. There she helped open the Nags Head Bureau writing restaurant reviews, her first work as a feature writer. Only planning to stay a year which, turned into five, she became the Education editor and started the newspaper s program for young journalists.

After five years of office work, she grew tired of it and wanted something more. That s when she found an opportunity writing for fitness and lifestyles. She had written similar stories in college. Then she realized this job is really fun, and she gets to work out of her home. Thus, a career was born.

Eaton has made a career of writing. When it comes to feature writing, she says,  There has to be people and a theme. A good story will have people in it.

She also notes that it is important to have a voice in your writing.  When you write news, there is no voice and little leeway for creativity, she says.  Write about something interesting.

Feature writing allows you to be creative. Even though most news writing is not done in first person, but because food is a human experience, Eaton has the opportunity to write many articles in the first person.

So where does the writer get all of her ideas from?

 Stories are everywhere, Lorraine says.  As long as I keep talking to people, the ideas never end.

When it came to advice on writing, Lorraine had tons. She stressed that in order to become a good writer one must read a lot.

 Find writers you like, she says.  If you re stuck, read their stuff. It s a good source to remember that it can be done.

Even when Eaton was a little girl, her father, a journalist, would read to her at night. She recalls that her favorite family photo was taken with her father sitting in a green leather chair reading stories to her and her siblings. She remembers her father as a great reader. Plus she would read all the different kinds of books he gave her. Today, Eaton carries on that same family tradition. She reads to her daughter the same way her father read to her.

Now when it comes to covering a story, Eaton encourages people to go out and try something different. When she was covering a restaurant review at Froggy Island Seafood, she noticed alligator on the menu. Being the fearless reporter that she is, she had to order it.

 What a surprise, she says.  It tastes like chicken.

Last year, she covered the Virginia State Fair. As a judge for a cake competition, she got to eat a variety of different cakes for two hours, from devils food cake to German chocolate cake. She noticed that nobody from the Hampton Roads area entered the competition. So this year she started a cake competition in The Virginian-Pilot. Thousands entered but only nine cakes were chosen as the best of the best. The nine winning contestants were labeled as the  Dream Team. On Sept. 26th, the winners were taken to Richmond to compete for the gold in this year s State Fair. They won eight ribbons.

Eaton s next big story idea features a man who makes wedding cakes in Virginia Beach. He is 24 years-old and has been making cakes since he was 14. He recently graduated from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Every year he enters a highly competitive cake decorating competition in New York City. Two years ago he took first place. This year, Eaton has had the opportunity to follow him through every trial and tribulation. She found it interesting how he came up with the idea for this year s cake concept.

 He was in a bar with friends, she said.  He noticed one of his friends had a beaded purse, and voilà, there it was!

But when it comes to writing, sometimes the ideas aren t as forthcoming. It takes patience and perseverance.

 Watch them work, says Ruehlmann.  Stay and hang out with them.

Eaton added,  The longer I was around him, the more it started to come together. Sometimes I have to sit down with my editor to discuss structure. We would talk about all of the different kinds of angles to take with each story. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn t. Each story pushes you to become more creative.

After spending all morning with her feature subject, the veteran admitted that even she makes mistakes.

 Just today I noticed his facial features, Lorraine says.  After 22 years, you would think I would have this in my notebook. Her personality not only made her likable but entertaining,