Whether it's a book-length biography or a newspaper profile, writers who do biographical pieces are often faced with a dilemma: Access versus Independence of Thought. As a writer, I want to get as close to my subject as possible, to see him or her in their private moments, in closed door meetings, and get lots of exclusive material. The price for that kind of good stuff, though, is usually Independence of Thought. The subject may grant that access in return for some control over what you write. That can range from veto power over the entire project to being able to modify interview notes. If you want complete independence of thought, you may never be granted a chance to speak to your subject let alone get close to him or her. Well, here's a neat new strategy. For his new biography of Larry Ellison, Matthew Symonds agreed to let Ellison share the page with him. Ellison gave Symonds some terrific access, allowing the writer to accompany Ellison to closed-door meetings, for example, and, in exchange, Ellison was allowed to respond via footnotes in Symond's biography. I like it.