Humans of Hua Hin

Behind the scenes

One hundred stories in the Humans of Hua Hin series have now been published. Nearly all of the stories in the series have started as a recommendation from a person I have already written about. A few began as a result of a direct recommendation from the readership. Obviously, this was not the case with my first interviewee, Wendy Herbert – she was a “captain’s pick” and I was attracted to writing about her for a number of reasons: she was highly regarded by people I had met, she ran the monthly quiz night I enjoyed, she was an Australian too, (well, at least an honorary one) and moreover, she was ballsy, and I love seeing woman who know themselves as well as she does.

After each recommendation comes the initial contact. Is the person interested in giving me up to 3 hours of their time to chat? Are they happy to be honest and open with me about their lives, the downs as well as the ups? When will they be available? Have they heard of me and what I am doing? And are they happy to commit to the collaborative process of getting the story to print, because the photos are what turns an interesting story into a fascinating insight into a person’s life, dreams and passions? I now know I need answers to all of these to proceed. This is one of the learnings I have made on the way, as some stories dropped by the wayside, wasting my time and that of the interviewee. A handful of stories never made it to publication because I was not yet adept at managing the organisation process that this writing series required. One story died a natural death because several edits to remove “sensitive” details were still not enough for the story subject, who chose to maintain her anonymity in the community by canning the story completely. Another story, written almost a year ago now, had me still imploring the subject for photos in mid-February. On my umpteenth request, I got this response, and I quote verbatim, “We cancel this. Easy for me. I dont like pressure.” Another story bit the dust. Although disappointing, I had to acknowledge these were my own failures because in my excitement to interview these people, I had failed to state my needs and expectations explicitly.

Now, I am very direct with people on initial contact. I refer them to the introduction to the series which can be found both on the website, which is the permanent repository for all stories in the series, and also pinned at the top of the Humans of Hua Facebook page. Before I start learning about their lives, potential interviewees need to understand who I am, what I am doing, and moreover, my motivation in writing this series. Only then, once I am sure this is understood, is it time to schedule a get-together at a mutually convenient time and place.

During the six months of the year I am in Hua Hin, I chat with people face-to-face. This is the most satisfying and easiest way to get to know a person. I learn a lot from not only what a person chooses to say, but how they say it, and what their facial expressions and body language tell me about how they feel about the topic. I have had a number of people liken our chats to therapy, as my questions can prompt people to examine their thoughts and actions in ways they have not considered before. Sometimes, to encourage people to open up, I share events from my own life with them, and we have complained, laughed and shed tears together. This genuine human connection also happens during the months I am back in Australia, but internet meetings are even trickier to manage as technology may not always be friendly and encountering people remotely could create a barrier. Luckily, I have still had people prepared to complain, laugh and cry with me. I commit to a face-to-face meeting, after publication, when I return to Thailand and I try very hard to meet that commitment.

My integrity is at the core of how this all works. People are assured that I will do as I promise, I will not let them down and I will not publish a story until they are 100 percent happy with it. On the flip side is their obligation to read the draft in a timely manner, to verify its factual content, and to notify me of any changes they would suggest. On occasion, people have told me things which, when read in black and white, make them uneasy, for a whole range of reasons, and so we work together to find ways to tell the story truthfully, but comfortably. At other times, people later remember details crucial to their story which need adding. Sometimes, I have unwittingly become a keeper of secrets – I know facts that partners, parents or children are not privy to. My trustworthiness is something I must guard carefully or else this series would grind to a halt. Loose lips sink ships, as the WWII propaganda said.

Once an interview is complete, then it is time for the writing to happen. I have been criticised by a number of people, primarily men I should state. I have been told I would never make a journalist’s bootlace, which made me laugh as I never claimed to be, nor aspired to be, a journalist. I am a retired school teacher looking to fill her retirement years! I deal in much more that fact, I deal with real people, who are ever so much more interesting in their complexity. I understand my personal writing style intimately. My strength lies in synthesising the various strands of information I gain from each person, and sometimes also from their social media if they grant me access and permission, into a cohesive narrative highlighting a person’s history, passions, achievements and aims. I receive this information in oral and visual form and convert it into text on a page. People tell me I have a talent for this and compliment the way they get an understanding of each person I profile.

I taught the writing process to high school students for over a decade, and have to confess with my own writing, I follow none of it. After I have assimilated the notes that I have taken from each interview, I sit at my computer and words flow seemingly uncontrolled. I don’t make a plan; I don’t organise the discrete pieces of information. I choose a core idea for the heading, and in an organic process that if somewhere between a vomitous regurgitation and childbirth, the story presents itself, fully formed, during a period of around four hours of intense focus and concentration. The newly arrived story will need a bit of cleaning up, a check for spelling or grammatical errors, but that is all. I do not think and rethink, edit or move things around. The story has been “born” as it was meant to be, and is usually back with its subject within 24 hours, after a further proof-read from my husband. I find it is essential for me to write each story before I conduct the next interview, as I need to keep my impressions of each person intact and discrete from anyone else. Mustn’t get my people scrambled!

Then, the waiting game starts, as I must allow people to take the time necessary to read my words, absorb them, verify them and finally give their approval. This process is at its lengthiest with subjects who are not native speakers of English as they often seek help and advice from friends or family. Their satisfaction is paramount as I need my words to inspire their choice of photos to accompany my words. Until I have the go-ahead, and the photos in my possession, downloaded on my computer, I have no assurance that the story will make it to publication, and that all our joint time and effort hasn’t been in vain. In this, trust is definitely a two-way street.

Approval given and photos received, the final step is the layout prior to hitting the publish button on my Google site. Initially, the seed of this series first germinated when I was allowing other people to publish my writing. It became apparent to me relatively quickly that allowing anyone else to make decisions about how, when and where the stories came to my readers was not going to work well for anyone. The establishment of the Humans of Hua Hin Google site and the accompanying Humans of Hua Hin Facebook page to publicise each new story allowed me the complete creative freedom I had been needing. I try to lay out each story a week in advance, because I need to manage the marriage of text and image to my satisfaction. I take pride in presenting a well-polished piece each time I publish and am hoping to continue this project for the fully five years I originally envisaged.

So, that’s the full story. Knowing the skill, time and effort that has gone into the 100 stories which have now been published, you will understand I need a rest. I want to be gentler with myself, and also enjoy other aspects of my life. So, for the meanwhile at least, you can expect a new story from me only every second week.

Published 8th December 2024

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