To beginning freelance writers, wanting to get published in a local newspaper or magazine, here is a key quality you need (besides the usual writing skills): an attitude of adaptability.

So why do you bring this up, you're asking?

Let me give you a personal example. In the past three weeks, as I have started writing for a group of community newspapers and for some freelance clients, I have interviewed:

• an Italian-born owner of a full-scale restaurant and a pizzeria
• a French-born clothing designer who creates custom-tailored, drop-dead dresses for the ladies in town
• a couple who opened a cupcake shop and stocked it with board games and a TV set
• the owner of an upscale hardware store (in his 40s or 50s, I think) who purchased the business from his father at the age of 22
• a very successful owner of an electrical services business who survived the "crash" period in the economy by downsizing and re-infusing life into what could have been a bankruptcy.
• A baseball coach who opened a facility with batting cages, pitching cages, and equipment for personal fitness training
• Two high-achieving high school students who are both involved in giving back to the community while making excellent grades

The point of giving you that list is to illustrate: as an interviewer, one size does not fit all.

If your quest for income involves leaving your writer's solitude at home with your computer and getting out in the Big World, you will need to be flexible and adaptable.

The interview is not about you; it's about the subject of your interview. The smoother that goes, the better chance you have of creating a sellable story.

Here are some ABCs of adaptability for the freelance writer:

• The setting where you conduct the interview will not always be an executive suite in the penthouse level of a downtown tower. If the place is "humbler" than you would like, keep your frowns to yourself. Smile, introduce yourself to the person, and get the interview in progress. (Hand the person your business card immediately.) Added note: When making the appointment, get specific directions on reaching the interview location and keep a cell telephone number handy in case you need to call and get help with more directions.
  
• The interviewee may not look as you had imagined from the phone call. If you have any pre-set standards for human beauty and attractiveness, keep those to yourself, too. See above: It's not about you. Make the person feel comfortable and at ease.
• Come prepared with plenty of notepads and pens. Pens sometimes die. Taking notes via a laptop (and this is just a personal preference) may be a bit "off-putting" for the interviewee. Be as inobtrusive as possible with your notetaking.
• Treat the person as a person, not as a "unit" necessary for your income. Not everyone you interview will be a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School for winning friends, but do your best to make the person comfortable. Some people are very nervous and ill at ease at the very thought of talking to a "writer" or heaven forbid! a "reporter". You will get more good stuff from your subject if there is an easy-going atmosphere.
• You may feel that this assignment is beneath you; you want something more suited to Dan Rather or Katie Couric. Three words: Get Over Yourself. In time you may work up to Major Stories. At the current moment, you are earning money by interviewing people you are told to interview.
  
• If you're not enjoying yourself, fake it.  Your performance may be worth an Academy Award or an Emmy or a Tony. But it will make your interview experience more productive.

Moral of the story: Whatever comes, roll with it. You may feel nervous or ill at ease when you start out, but with practice, you'll feel ready for anything. And that's a good thing because for a freelancer, anything can happen.