Profile Writing Techniques: David Grohl and the Foo Fighters
This paper analyzes the profile writing techniques employed by Carl Wilkinson in his piece "David Grohl and the Foo Fighters." Drawing on journalism writing guides, the paper examines how Wilkinson uses direct quotation, character description, comparing and contrasting, evergreen questions, and scene-setting to construct a compelling and cohesive profile. The analysis demonstrates how each technique serves a distinct narrative purpose — from establishing newsworthiness and revealing character to maintaining reader engagement and humanizing the subject. The paper illustrates how effective profile writing balances factual reportage with personal storytelling.
- Introduction to Profile Writing: Defines profile writing and introduces Wilkinson's piece
- Use of Quotes and Character Description: How quotes and description reveal character and newsworthiness
- Comparing and Contrasting Strategy: Contrasting Grohl with peers to highlight his distinctiveness
- Use of Questions and Scene-Setting: Questions and scenes humanize and sustain reader engagement
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper systematically identifies and explains each writing technique in the analyzed profile, grounding each observation in specific textual evidence such as direct quotations and paragraph references.
- It connects technique to purpose, explaining not just what Wilkinson does but why each strategy works — for example, how quotes "animate the writing" and allow the subject's experiences to speak for themselves.
- The paper remains focused on the source text throughout, avoiding unsupported generalizations and keeping analysis tightly tied to the profile being examined.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates close textual analysis within a journalism studies framework. Rather than summarizing Wilkinson's profile, the student unpacks the craft decisions behind it, using secondary sources on profile writing to validate observations. This approach — moving from technique identification to functional explanation — is a core skill in communications and media studies coursework.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by defining the profile genre and establishing the analytical framework. It then moves through four main techniques in sequence: quotation and character revelation, comparing and contrasting, use of questions, and scene-setting. Each technique receives its own focused analysis with textual support. A brief references list closes the paper. The two-paragraph body keeps the argument compact while covering substantial analytical ground.
Introduction to Profile Writing
A profile is an extensive look at a newsworthy person or group of persons (Marrs, 2005). It needs to show right from the outset why the subject is newsworthy and why their story is worth the reader's time. It is up to the writer to employ suitable writing techniques that weave various aspects of the subject's life together into one coherent piece.
Use of Quotes and Character Description
In his profile "David Grohl and the Foo Fighters," Carl Wilkinson creatively achieves this through the extensive use of quotes and evergreen questions (Marrs, 2000). In paragraph 15, for instance, he makes use of Grohl's own words — "For 16 years, I've had to balance these things; my love and respect for Nirvana and my love and respect for the Foo Fighters" — to show firsthand how the subject has struggled to build a career. He then uses numerical facts such as the number of albums and music copies sold, and the group's surpassing of Michael Jackson, to show that despite these difficulties, the subject still managed to pull through. That is why his story is worth reading.
The use of quotes and the subject's own spoken word animates the writing, giving it a more personal feel, and provides a sound basis for the writer to stay out of the picture and let the subject's personal experiences speak for themselves. Apart from the use of quotes, the writer makes sound use of description and character revelation throughout the piece (Rains, 2004). At the very outset, he uses sentences of character portrayal such as "he plays the drums, guitar, and piano; he sings and writes his own songs, and above all, he has both pedigree and credibility" (para. 4). This not only introduces the reader to the subject, but also drives an urge for them to want to gain a sense of the subject's personality (Rains, 2004).
References
Marrs, B. (2000). Guide for writing journalism profiles. The COE Writing Center. Retrieved January 16, 2015, from
Rains, J. (2004). Crafting the perfect profile. WritingWorld.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015, from
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