Trying Your Hand with Advocacy Writing
Showcase Interviews Kim Steinhardt
Law professor and former Administrative Law Judge turned environmental author and marine wildlife photographer Kim Steinhardt delivers popular talks on and writes about ocean conservation and the often troubled relationship between nature and humans, most recently with his full-color photographically documented children’s book Sabby the Sea Otter: A Pup’s True Adventure and Triumph. We picked his brain for insights on advocacy writing.
Showcase: Most writers have never done advocacy writing. Should they try?
Steinhardt: Advocacy-oriented writers are especially well-positioned to make an important difference in the world around us. Often, we are inspired to write precisely because of our desire to share our passion for that world. The alignment between what we write about and what we care about is, for me, a critical link in making your writing truthful and powerful. You are writing with passion and purpose – to intrigue, to enlighten, to entertain. And through it all, to persuade.
Showcase: If writers have limited experience, how should they start to get a foot in the door to make a difference?
Steinhardt: Getting a foot in the door to making a difference really begins with being clear about where it is that you want to have an impact, where you want to put your energies. While that may sound obvious, I mention it because I want to be sure people recognize they will be successful in getting engaged so it is important to put your time and energy into something about which you deeply care.
Showcase: How should they settle on the where?
Steinhardt: There are groups and organizations addressing issues or advancing causes in a wide variety of areas these days, and I recommend identifying several of them which align with your vision. They may also offer you writing opportunities down the road, but more on that later.
Once identified, I think it is also important to dig a little bit to learn more about an organization, its leadership, and its approach to advocacy, research, or education. If it is a nonprofit, it is relatively easy to check online as to its financial health and what level of administrative overhead it has. Is it efficient? Does it have a record of success? What do people say about it? Does its approach match your philosophy and what you actually want to do? Are there opportunities for you to make a difference?
In the long run I believe that it is worth answering these questions up front in order to avoid investing your time and energy only to find out later that you are not satisfied. After all, you have choices about which direction you go.
Showcase: Once they know which door to open, how do people actually get involved?
Steinhardt: Getting engaged is as simple as making the commitment to volunteer your time and energy because advocacy-oriented groups and organizations are typically hungry for resources and likely will welcome your involvement.
For many types of issues or causes, I suggest becoming involved in two organizations, one local and one more national or global. I think that for many issues, and development of your own expertise and skills, including writing, a local organization or group can provide you tangible, visible results and a sense of personal contact and action. At the same time, a larger national or global oriented organization can provide a broader view with a wider range of information and potential impact. Larger organizations may also offer different types of activities that could help you develop your interests in ways that might lead to new areas and opportunities.
Showcase: What worked best for you?
Steinhardt: I’ll describe how this approach can help establish a beginning writer’s credentials and how it really worked out for me several years back when we pick up again in Part Two.
Look for Part Two in the next socalwritersshowcase.com.