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The answer may be “yes” to all of those questions at some point in your journalistic career. As time goes on, however, and you become a seasoned interviewer, you’ll know how to make the subject comfortable enough to elaborate and segue into who knows what path of their experience.
During my first interview I had written out my questions so I wouldn’t forget them. I still do that some four years later, but while I didn’t deviate back then, I may now follow a detour if it presents itself. What I almost missed during an interview about a local soup kitchen was that one of the city’s entrepreneurs had written a children’s book, and all the proceeds from its sale went to support them. This was nice sidebar for the article and gave it appeal to a much broader audience.
Doing a little on-line research before the interview will help you be more prepared. You can see what has been written before, if anything; what awards or organizations your subject may be affiliated with and their history. If they are popular with the media, then find a new spin to write about. I did an article on our local D.A. and made it a point to let people know she loved fiction novels, horses, Havanese dogs, and not just putting bad guys behind bars.
Watch and listen. You may not always be able to do the interview in person. You may have to interview by email or phone. Listening is an art that must be honed if you want to be a good interviewer. If you’re not confident that you can write or type as fast and accurately as you need to, then buy a small recorder. Always ask for permission to tape the interview before you do, and keep the tapes or notes, just in case your information is ever questioned. Be punctual and thank them for sharing their story.
Don’t forget to take your digital camera if you’re doing an interview in person. I’m not a great photographer, but sometimes I get lucky with candid shots. It’s also a good idea to ask for photographs (preferably electronic) from the subject.
Writers have always been told to “write what you know,” but frankly we don’t know everything, so we have to learn. If you’re writing a novel and need to interview a subject-matter-expert to fill in the blanks of your experience, the same rules apply. Take advantage of your inborn curiosity to find out how it feels to be in their shoes and do what they do. You may never be a brain surgeon, but you can find out how the doctor feels when he performs a procedure, step by delicate step.
At the end of an interview I always ask if there is anything they want to add. This has provided wonderful quotes for numerous articles. I also recommend reviewing your notes and typing a draft immediately following an interview, while the information is fresh in your mind. Time and day-to-day minutia can sometimes wipe away an interesting impression or thought that the interview simulated.
I probably don’t need to remind you to always be courteous and professional. Make your subject feel they can trust you and that your goal is to write a story that they will be happy to share with the public. If they tell you something that is “not part of the story”, don’t use it. The fact is, the more you learn about someone the better you can capture the essence on the page. If the intereview-ee seems uncomfortable ask them something silly to break the tension and make the situation less threatening. One of my favorite questions to ask a reluctant subject is a fill in the blank…”I can’t resist a good _______.” I’ve been told: shoe sale, chocolate éclair, book, beautiful sunset and the sound the slot machine makes when you cash out.
If you enjoy the interview, they probably will, too.
Feisty Family Values “Book Blurb”
By B.D. Tharp
When Annabelle Hubbard appears on her cousin Regina’s doorstep covered in bruises, the chaos begins. Within an idyllic neighborhood of stolid family values and century-old houses, the cousins come to grips with family secrets, the ghosts of painful memories, unruly grandchildren, a life-threatening illness, and sexual temptation. Riding through the storm in their lives, the two cousins find that faith, family and friends are all that really matters.
Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-59414-849-1
Released: February 17, 2010
Hardback & Kindle
BIO:
B.D. Tharp
Wichita, KS
http://bdtharp.com
A lifetime resident of the Midwest, B.D. Tharp graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications, Women/Minority Studies and Fine Arts. Her women’s fiction novel, Feisty Family Values, is available in local Kansas bookstores and on-line. Additional publishing credits include magazine articles, essays, and short stories. She has won numerous local, state, and national awards for her writing. B.D. Tharp lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs. A self-proclaimed book-a-holic, she admits that when she’s not writing, she’s reading.
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