Alex Scoredelis

About ScoredelisWriter, director and performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

Staff writer on the upcoming Hulu series "Difficult People”

Co-wrote a book about performing improv

Head writer of Insane Clown Posse Theater on Fuse TV in 2014

More About ScoredelisHis work has appeared in:

ESPNCollegeHumorBuzzfeedNew York Post New York Magazine VicePaper Magazine

Scoredelis’s Feature Writing Career

In the field of feature writing, Scoredelis is most recently known for his work in Paper Magazine

Some examples:Cover story on Amy Poehlerhttp://www.papermag.com/2013/12/amy_poehler_is_one_busy_lady.php

Cover story on Iggy Azaleahttp://www.papermag.com/2013/09/iggy_azalea.php

So, what does Scoredelis think about

all of this?My Interview with the Legend Himself

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you became a successful feature writer?

“I studied Creative Writing as an undergraduate, and a graduate student. But writing magazine features came about in a very roundabout way for me. I got a job as a copy editor at Paper Magazine in 2010. I mostly fact checked and corrected grammar. At some point I wrote something for Paper's website, and the editors liked my writing and invited me to be the magazine's music critic. I did that for a couple years, and as time went on I started writing longer pieces in the magazine. Now I've written a bunch of features and cover stories for Paper, and features for Vice, The Believer, InStyle and some others, too.”

Is networking a large part of what you do? Was it hard to get your name out there when you first began writing?

“Networking is a huge part of being a writer. All of the writing jobs I get are because someone I've worked with in the past has recommended me. I've never really made an attempt to get my name out there, though. I do try to get my work out there. Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook help with that. Social media also helps with meeting other writers.”

What is the biggest obstacle you have faced while writing? How did you overcome it?

“I don't know if it's the biggest obstacle, but I struggle with writing leads. I haven't overcome this yet! It's something I'm still trying to get better at. I try to read profiles by great writers to see how they kick off their stories.”

What is the biggest obstacle you have faced while writing? How did you overcome it?

“I don't know if it's the biggest obstacle, but I struggle with writing leads. I haven't overcome this yet! It's something I'm still trying to get better at. I try to read profiles by great writers to see how they kick off their stories.”

Whenever I am writing a feature, I struggle the most with the reporting aspect. How do you handle the reporting and research side of feature writing?

“I enjoy the research! I like it more than the writing sometimes. If I have enough lead time, I'll go on Amazon and buy books about my subject and read them in advance. I've done this for profiles I've written on Snoop Dogg, Courtney Love and Willie Nelson. I also read as many other magazine profiles on these subjects as I can, mostly because I don't want to repeat stories they've already told. However, I hate transcribing interviews, but I always do it myself. Sometimes magazines ask if you want an intern to transcribe, but it helps me piece the story together and remember details from the interview if I do it myself. ”

Another aspect of feature writing that I struggle with is the constraints of the publication I am writing for. Have you ever dealt with these? If so, do you have some examples?

“This can be a struggle, but for me, it's a fun struggle. Every publication has a different voice, and it's a challenge to write in that voice. I wrote a profile of Patton Oswalt for the New York Post, and that's a very different voice than the one I used in a profile I wrote on Lizzy Caplan for InStyle. You have to be adaptable in your writing style to fit the voice of the magazine or newspaper. Also, a lot of times a copy editor will slash the word count of your story without telling you. That's another kind of constraint. This sort of thing happens all the time. It's just part of the business, but is very frustrating.”

What was your favorite piece you have ever written/ worked on and why?

“I have two favorites: last year I wrote an essay for Vice on a community college teacher who helped Rickey Henderson with his Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech. The subject of that essay, Earl Robinson, died while I was writing it. So it became extra meaningful for me that I got to tell part of his life story. And I had a lot of fun writing a cover story on Amy Poehler for Paper in 2013. I also do comedy writing, and I recently wrote for an upcoming TV show called "Difficult People" that Amy produced. So it was fun to get to write about one of my comedy heroes, and learn from her.”

Do you have any advice for people who are looking to become successful feature writers like you in the future?

“It's boring advice but write all the time. Write magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, tweets, diary entries, anything and everything. I wrote calendar listings for a newspaper when I was in college. It was so tedious, but I learned a lot about writing concisely. It all adds up.”

Any other general stories, comments, or advice you would like to share?

“Hmm... what else. I took a college course on essay writing and we had to read "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace, "The White Album" by Joan Didion and "Life Stories" -- a collection of New Yorker profiles. Those books made me want to be a magazine writer. I still re-read those books all the time. Read them if you haven't already!”

So, what did I learn?

• Feature writing is a skill that requires many other skills

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