Behind the Bylines
Jeremy Caplan
Meet... Jeremy Caplan
Birthdate: January 19
What was your favorite school subject?
English was my favorite subject, because I loved reading and talking about books. I also loved learning new languages.
When/how did you first know you wanted to write?
When I was 12, I started writing for a magazine written by kids in Boston called The 21st Century. (Now it's called Teen Ink: teenink.com). I loved that, and was soon hooked on writing.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I love getting to ask people questions and learning about all sorts of subjects. One week I'm learning about hurricanes for a story I'm writing, another week about I'm studying the history of chocolate. From interesting, light topics, to more serious, political subjects, I get to learn- and write about- things that I find fascinating.
How did you develop a nose for the news?
I have always loved reading newspapers and magazines. And I sometimes cut out articles and study how other writers shape their stories and choose their words. But most of all, I love to ask questions, and by asking lots and lots of questions, you often discover what your story is really about, and about its most interesting details.
How do you overcome writer's block?
First I write down the information that I know I will include in the story, like an important quote or some key facts. Then I figure out how those quotes and facts are linked together and add those linking sentences. I basically go step by step, piece by piece, adding to the story as if putting together a puzzle. Before long, the story writes itself!
What do you write best with or on?
I love writing about subjects that open people's eyes to something they don't know about. I think the most important thing that writers can do is to help people celebrate the great, underappreciated things happening around us, and to help make people aware of problems around the world that they can help to solve.
Who do you look up to?
I look up to those people who spend their lives trying to help improve the lives of people in parts of the world where disease and poverty are much worse than here in the U.S. I admire how they sacrifice their personal comforts in order to help people, without gaining fame or wealth for their hard work.
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