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whyzz Writer, Brian Griffin |
Interviews
What is the most challenging thing about writing kid-ready answers for whyzz?
Brian: I’ve read a lot about how kids are often looking for the greater purpose when they’re asking a question. I’ve since realized that it’s often challenging to write a satisfying answer when you’re forgetting to explain that greater purpose. That idea has really helped me to anchor my articles and keep them active and interesting. It’s a fun challenge.
What are some of the most enjoyable parts of answering questions?
Brian: The most enjoyable part is always realizing that I’m not as smart as I think I am.
Do you have any special steps for your writing-process?
Brian: Yes, there are definite steps. First I overwrite the answers and get every thought out of my head. Once I can see it (with perhaps 400 words too many), I can distill the important and exciting facts that answer the questions in that kid-friendly way.
Why do you think helping kids to answer their questions is so important?
Brian: I think it's great to support kids' curiosities. I was a kid with a lot of questions once upon a time. I always hope to give a satisfying answer that just might inspire more questions. I think it's important to keep that fire burning.
What kinds of questions and topics did you ask about or wonder about a lot as a kid? How did you used to get your answers?
Brian: I was one of those kids that asked "why?" to every answer I got. Mom and Dad patiently answered a lot of whyzz.
I had a lot of questions as a kid about religions and people’s beliefs, but sometimes I was too timid to express them. Even now that I am an adult and I am willing to ask my questions, there still aren't always answers, and that's a tough thing to accept at any age. It's still important to ask the questions.
I also always loved science and history. My grandmother once gave us a set of encyclopedias from the late 1960s. I used to open them up and read random articles all the time. Sometimes I worry about the missing decades of information, but I think I've caught up now. Still, I know a lot about the moon landing as a current event.
Any funny stories about an answer you were trying to write?
Brian: I recently tried to write an answer for the question "How does a telescope work?" I thought this was going to be an easy question to answer because I just knew how telescopes work. In writing these articles, there's as big difference between knowing an answer and knowing how to explain it. I could probably build a telescope with the right parts, but having to explain refraction is not such an easy task. I think I started to write the article three different days and just got frustrated and moved onto something else. Maybe that's not a funny story, but it would be funny if you could have seen the frustrated faces I made! I finally was able to answer it by just keeping it as simple as possible.