Reporter

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to meet with me here today.

Justin

Don't mention it. Anything for a fellow journalist.

Reporter

You say fellow journalist. Does that mean that you still consider your profession to be as a journalist?

Justin

I consider my profession to be as writer.

Reporter

No specific genre?

Justin

Why should I constrict myself to one genre?

Reporter

Identity.

Justin

It's overrated. My identity is that I am a writer, first and foremost. So I like to write in whatever medium I think best suits what I have to tell.

Reporter

But what is it that tells you what the best medium for your writing is? Couldn't you just as easily write a story as a novel or as a screenplay?

Justin

Yes. And I usually do end up writing them as both.

Reporter

I've noticed that. When you wrote "The Playground Wars," it was originally a novel. But then you wrote it as a screenplay. But why did you first choose to write it as a novel?

Justin

The story I wanted to tell with "The Playground Wars" was psychological. Barrett's problem was all in his head. It was better to tell that story using his thoughts as a guiding tool. The only way to show his thoughts was to write the story as novel because you can't really show thoughts on a screen.

Reporter

If you didn't believe that you could show Barrett's thoughts on the big screen, why did you adapt the novel to film?

Justin

That's a hell of a question. And to be perfectly honest, I'd have to say that the money is what drove me to do it.

Reporter

It had nothing to do with fame?

Justin

I don't think that writing screenplays had anything to do with me people recognizing my name.

Reporter

Why do you say that? Honestly, most of the public thinks of you as a screenwriter, as opposed to a novelist.

Justin

But what about a journalist? First and foremost, I am a journalist, after all.

Reporter

But I thought you said earlier that you were a writer first and foremost.

Justin

Good catch. I tried to get you off-guard, and failed. Sometimes I wonder if journalists today are as conscientious in their interviewing, as I was. I remember a quote by Walter Chronchite. He said that the key to interviewing wasn't to necessarily listen to the interviewee, but to fain interest in what the interviewee had to say.

Reporter

You've won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes; eleven of them as a journalist. For me to fain interest in your accomplishments would be a crime to the world of journalism.

Justin

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. I really do. And to answer your previous question, I'd have to say that I disagree that the world views me as a screenwriter. What was Stephen King? Michael Chricton? Sure they adapted their books to the big screen, but people didn't consider them to be screenwriters. They considered them to be novelists.

Reporter

Why do you think that is?

Justin

I think when you see a movie; the main credits you pay attention to are the director and the actors. The screenwriter is a secondary credit. You may or may not even notice who wrote the movie. But when you read a book, the only credit that is really acknowledged is the author.

Reporter

So would you say that you write novels for the fame and notoriety? And you write screenplays for the money?

Justin

I'd agree with that.

Reporter

But didn't you say earlier that the medium you choose to tell a story on is based solely on the medium you believe is the best form of telling the story?

Justin

I did say that? However, I also believe that good journalism finds the truth to every answer.

Reporter

I very much appreciate that compliment. Just out of curiosity, what first attracted you to journalism?

Justin

A petty crush. It's a funny story, actually. I had a thing for this girl in high school, and I wanted to be around her as much as possible. I found out she was taking a journal writing course, and I signed up for it because of her. It wasn't until the first day of class that I realized it was actually a journalism course.

Reporter

What kind of articles did you write in high school?

Justin

I was the entertainment editor of my high school newspaper.

Reporter

When did you switch to writing about sports?

Justin

In college. It was weird. I had never wanted to go into journalism for a career during high school. I thought the deadlines were tedious. But I had always loved sports. One of my favorite things to do in the entire world was to hang out with my friends and talk about the Cubs. I think when the Cubs went to the NLCS in 2003, I sat back and asked myself where I wanted to be. The only thing I could think of was that I wanted to be at Wrigley Field watching the game with the legions of Cubs fan. That's when I decided to become sports journalism major. What better job for a sports fanatic than to get paid to watch sporting events?

Reporter

There are people who think that sports journalism is less important than journalism that focuses on major issues in the world. What do you have to say to those people?

Justin

In the big picture, they're probably right. Sports aren't even a blip on the radar screen compared to some of the issues going on the world. But I don't think that makes them any less important. I think sports are the glue that holds the country together. The United States of America is the most diverse country in the world. We have African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans; we have every kind of person you can imagine. We are all so different, and the one constant thing that brings us together is sports. I remember hearing about the 1968 Detroit Tigers. That summer, there were riots in Detroit because African Americans and Caucasians couldn't co-exist. But later that summer, when the Tigers were on the verge of winning the World Series, the entire city, regardless of skin color, came together in support of their team. That's why sports are important. They bring people of all backgrounds together in support of a common goal.

Reporter

When you first decided that you wanted to become a writer, what did you hope to accomplish?

Justin

Honestly. I have wanted to be a writer since I was 12 years old. My reasons have changed over time. At first, I liked the notoriety I got for it. People recognized me for it, and it made me feel good. As the years went on, though, I actually wanted to make a difference and bring people together. That's what I liked about sports. It brought people together.

Reporter

You wrote "The Necro-Files;" a script about a necrophilia discovering his fetish. How does that bring people together?

Justin

There are few people out there who can have a common message in all of their writings. I think of Stanley Kubrick, sure he's a director, but he is one of those few people who have a common theme and message throughout his films; that theme being the potential of technology taking over society.

Reporter

And you've been unable to accomplish the feat of having one universal theme throughout your writing?

Justin

I personally don't believe that each of my stories has to be connected.

Reporter

Well, I'd like to say that this has been a privilege and a pleasure talking with you. Before I leave though, do you have anything you'd like to add?

Justin

Yes. Don't let people tell you that you can't make a living doing what you love to do. If you love to write, do it. Don't worry about the money. There are more important things in this world than money.

Reporter

Thank you very much.

Justin

Thank you.

When you look back on your lifetime of writing, what do you hope to be able to say about your long-term motives for writing? What do you hope your writing will have accomplished for you and others? How do you hope your lifetime of writing will be judged or viewed by others?

What are your highest long-term motives for writing? Do you hope your writing helps you seek fame, influence, entertainment, fun, self-understanding, truth, knowledge, understanding, justice, social change, love, friendship, beauty?

Note that this writing assignment assumes two things: (1) you will talk about the kinds of writing you are likely to do in your life, and (2) a careful examination of your goals or aims for those writings.