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Non-Fiction Writers Workshop
by Carolyn Dekat
Interviews
Before you start the interview process you must have a working outline of your piece. Begin by summarizing the article in a sentence. What secondary points will support it? Put those secondary points in an order -- it may be chronological, developmental, by region, whatever order makes sense. Then ask of each secondary point: How important will this be to the reader? The answer will determined how much you want to flesh out the thought, if it should be included at all.
Now ask how you will handle those points. By facts, quotes or anecdotes? When you choose to back up your points with quotes from authorities, it is time to decide what people you need to speak with and where you might find them.
Finding Sources
Start with people you know. Broadcast your topic among friends and family to learn of good sources, new books and articles.
Professionals you deal with can refer you to colleagues specializing in your subject matter.
Trade groups, foundations, associations are good sources. Many have press officers who can give you names, information and other leads. Ask for publications put out by the group. Sometimes you can arrange interviews with group members. For a comprehensive listing of groups and associations, consult The Encyclopedia of Associations at the library.
Scrutinize articles and books for names and addresses that may provide further information. Note experts cited and contact them for new interviews.
The Yellow pages can be another place to look for associations or business people who work in the field of your topic.
Ask publishers to put you in touch with writers. Some give addresses, others will forward a letter for you. Check specialized magazines in the field, looking for articles by experts, and don't forget to check the advertisements where other leads may be buried like hidden gems.
Lecture bureaus, newsletters and trade tip sheets can help put you in touch with experts.
Press agents and publicists are employed to provide information to others and will be happy to help you.
Who's Who publications can also suggest sources.
Conducting the Interview
When it comes to the interview itself, remembering those 5 Ws can be helpful: How, where, when, what, why:
How to contact: I am writing an article on _______ and would like to ask you a few questions about it. If they ask who you are writing for, tell them the magazine you are targeting. Or if you aren't to that stage yet, you can say that you have several different magazines in mind depending on the precise direction the interviews take.
Where to interview: Face-to-face can be time consuming and geographically impossible. Use only for profiles, when experts are briefing you on confidential matters, or when the interviewee has exhibits or demonstrations that you need to see to complete the article. Others can be handled by telephone.
In our electronic age, you can elicit anecdotes and responses via newsgroups and bulletin boards and follow through on interesting responses via e-mail for further details.
Beginners often doubt peoples' willingness to be interviewed. Push away that fear unless you are determined to do confrontational journalism. Ordinary people and experts generally enjoy being consulted. Ask and you shall receive!
When: Always make an appointment in advance because it results in better interviews. The subject will have been mulling over the topic in the interim. Make sure your words and tone of voice reflect confidence. When you set up the appointment explain the subject and slant and indicate the length of time you think you'll need. Always meet a face-to-face interviews on their home turf where they are most comfortable, and may have sources at hand to refer to during the interview. Keep phone interviews to 30 minutes or less, unless invited to continue. Be punctual.
What equipment do you need to conduct the interview? There is an ongoing debate between using a tape recorder and taking handwritten notes. The best solution is to determine the method that allows you to get the story accurately, unobtrusively, and with a minimum of time and effort. Try different options until you hit on the right combination for you, and usually it's a combination of both that works best. The tape recorder can pick up things that went by too fast for you to jot. Notes are good to fall back on if the recorder malfunctions. Make sure you clear the recording of a taped phone conversation beforehand to avoid violating any wire-tapping laws.
Why are you doing this interview? Bone up on the topic beforehand. Experts will expect to speak with an informed layman. Develop a listening knowledge of the subject before the interview. Each subculture has its own jargon, so take the time to learn the insider talk which will enhance your understanding of subject's comments.
A strong angle and outline help you target the interview questions and stay focused so that you gather material you can actually use, keeping the interview short and meaty.
Prepare a list of questions, but don't make them your master. The list helps you focus on what you need or would like to learn. Keep the list avaliable to glance at during the interview.
However, you must be prepared to allow answers from your subject suggest your next question, rather than doing an interrogation. "What do you mean by. . ." "Can you give me an example of. . ." "Why do you say that?" Your responsibility is to ask for more specifics. You will need details, names, dates, places, incidents, scensory description.
Avoid asking multiple-part questions. Your subject will usually answer the last one and forget the previous points.
Minimize yes/no answers in favor of viewpoint questions that require further explanation.
Don't talk too much. Your goal is a one-sided, focused conversation.
- conversation = semi-spontaneous flow of communication.
- focused=your goal is information that will make your article sparkle.
- one-sided= your participation should be under 25%. Your own opinions and experiences will deflect focus and turn off the desire for the subject to like or even respect you.
How you ask is just as important as what you ask. Start with easy questions and work up so that you can relax your subject. Begin with basic questions that verify facts you already have -- how the subject would like his/her name to appear, which title or affiliation to use. This also serves to demonstrate your interest in being accurate. Use formal address until requested to do otherwise.
Avoid linguistic hot buttons. Be updated on preferred idioms, and avoid questions that convey moralistic or judgemental phrasing. You want the subject to feel you are on their side, even if you aren't. ("Explain it to me so that I understand it better.")
Use leading questions sparingly and phrase them neutrally so as to avoid suggesting answers and skewing your article to represent your views rather than the views of the person you are interviewing. Your loyalty to your readers will drive you to produce a well-rounded article.
Convey approval. Encourage the subject. "What an interesting point." "That will make a great quote." When the subject feels he/she is performing well, it encourages them to keep talking.
Don't be afraid to convey ignorance. If you don't understand, your audience probably won't either. Don't hesitate to ask for further explanations and definitions and persist until you grasp the point.
Don't be afraid of silence. Some interviewers anxiously jump in to keep the ball rolling when a few moments of silence can give the subject a chance to gather thoughts or pull up anecdotes or insights you might otherwise miss.
Common kinds of questions:
- Request facts. The 5 W's--Who, where, what, why, when. Expand on basic facts by getting details.
- Ask for anecdotes: Follow up boring generalities with requests for anecdotes, examples, and case histories.
- Opinions and predictions often make good quotes
- Elicit Emotions: "how did you feel. . ." If the subject is touchy, and your subject is hesitant to talk about feelings, ask the question so that it pinpoints someone else: "How do other (women, officers, etc.) feel when they go through something like this. . . ."
- Ask for vivid descriptions. Try to conjure up scensory detail.
Selecting the Quotes
The quotes you choose should leap off the page. They will enhance your article in such a way that it would be less appealing without them. So look for vivid description, pithy advice, maybe some humor. Guard against using quotes out of context.
Additonally. . .
When your source asks to approve the interview, offer to check the accuracy of the quote and other information with the subject, but don't agree to show them the full article. You run the risk of having the subject nitpick at irrelevant portions and/or insist that you remove honest quotes. Reading back a source's quote at the time of the interview can save from misinterpretation and can sometimes elicit additional details.
Homework
If you have an article topic in mind, consider where you might turn to find experts to interview on the subject. If you have enough structure to your article to do an outline and want to conduct a interview or two, go for it! Let us know how it turns out!
© 1998 Carolyn Dekat
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