It’s fairly common for an interview you thought would go effortlessly to go to hell, but it’s quite rare that the unpleasantness you were expecting turns out to be… well, fun.

I had to interview the CEO of a multi-million dollar company recently and I swear, it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done, finished days before my deadline. I would e-mail, get a prompt and helpful response, call and get a pleasant voice on the phone. Got all the information I needed, no one’s time was wasted, and because they were so bloody fantastic to talk to, I’m going back for additional interviews and another article.

They’re worthy documentary subjects, and most importantly, accessible.

Compare this to the one-woman small business (who probably needs a lot more publicity), who couldn’t be fussed to answer questions on the phone (said to me on the phone). When I e-mailed her some basic questions, as per her request, she sent me one-sentence answers.

“Why did you start this project?” I asked.

“thot it was gd idea,” she responded.

I finished the short piece I had to write about her business. But needless to say, I won’t be pitching the 2,000-word profile of her to a woman’s magazine like I’d originally intended. The editor assigned something else instead.