Interviews: Put Yourself in Their Place
Posted: September 8, 2011 Filed under: interviews | Tags: interviews Leave a comment »Interviews are a key component of research for nonfiction writing projects. They can also be one of the most challenging. I was reminded of that at a recent interview where, no matter what I asked, the person never gave a straight answer. Mostly he complained about how people weren’t supporting his work, spoke in jargon that only people in his field would understand and tried to control the interview by telling me what to write. This is not unusual. We show up with our notebooks and recorders, hoping to get straight answers, but it doesn’t always happen.
Some people are great interview subjects. Ask them a question and they answer at length in wonderful quotable statements that provide just what you’re looking for. Others don’t have much to say, or what they say is not helpful to what you’re writing.
Before you decide they’re just no good, think about how you would feel if you were the one being interviewed. Having been on both sides of the notebook, I know that it’s a lot more uncomfortable than one would expect. Imagine yourself being asked questions, often questions that are based on wrong assumptions, and having someone write down every word you say. Some people are used to being interviewed, but most of us will feel at least a little stage fright.
What to do? Do your best to relax the person. It should be more like a friendly conversation than an inquisition. Make sure your questions are clear and that you have the facts as straight as you can when you arrive. If you don’t understand something, be honest about it. Ask their help in clearing things up. Also, let them talk. Don’t be so agenda-bound that you don’t take time to listen. You might not use everything they say, but let them say what they want to say. Allow enough time, so you don’t have to rush.
In an interview, you both have an agenda. The subject wants publicity (or to satisfy a friend/boss/co-worker who does), and he wants someone to hear what he has to say. You want a good story. Looking at both sides and empathizing with the subject will help you come up with an interview that works for both of you.
I welcome your questions and comments.
>Sound like a pro wherever you are
Posted: September 22, 2009 Filed under: cell phones, interviews Leave a comment »>Everybody’s on a cell phone at the airport. Grandmas, teens, businessmen and businesswomen, everyone. If you’re a freelance writer, you may need to keep your phone handy, too.
I traveled to Sacramento last weekend to give a talk to the local branch of California Writers Club. I had planned to do a phone interview Friday morning before I left, but the gentleman was not in, even though he had said he’d be there all day. I left a message and kept waiting for a call back. I had to be ready to jump into interview mode at any time. Obviously some times are better than others. Please don’t call while I’m in the bathroom, I thought. Don’t call when I’m checking into airport security. Don’t call during my speech or while I’m driving on the freeway.
When I was waiting to fly out of Portland on Friday, I found a cozy cubicle in their “business center” and thought “call now.” But no. It was Monday at the Sacramento airport. The timing was good. I had over an hour to kill before our flight boarded, but that terminal in Sacramento had no quiet place to conduct an interview. I had chosen a seat as far from people as I could get, but as more passengers arrived, I was soon surrounded by three men working on their computers, a family with two little boys, and an endless stream of Starbucks customers doctoring their lattes at the counter nearby. The overhead speakers chattered with flight announcements.
I listened to a man reschedule his doctor’s appointment and watched a woman pace as she demanded to know who was responsible for some screwup at the office. The Southern-accented man across from me made one call after another. I heard him asking his boss to please clarify his status. The airport is a great place for eavesdropping.
Then my phone rang. I saw the number and grabbed my pen and notebook. “Hello, this is Sue.” And the interview was on. I turned the phone volume all the way up, trying to hear as I went down my list of questions and scribbled his answers. I had no access to a tape or digital recorder or to my folder full of information on the subject. The man was probably four miles from where I live, but I wasn’t there. I was sitting on a plastic seat in Sacramento, bent over my notebook, writing as quickly as I could while the world went on around me.
At one point, my phone went silent. We got disconnected somehow. I don’t know what happened, but I dialed the number and continued the interview. I needed to sound professional and unrattled, and I think I pulled it off. It only worked because I was prepared. I had done lots of research before I left, and I had a full page of intelligent questions to ask him. I got my answers, I got my quotes, and now I’m ready to write my story.
The moral: a freelancer has to be ready to work at any time, anywhere.
>Ever Try a Q and A?
Posted: July 1, 2008 Filed under: interviews, Q and A articles, queries 3 Comments »>Interviews published as question-and-answer pieces are popular these days. You see a lot of them in newspapers and magazines. As a writer, I feel they’re a copout because they don’t require you to put the whole picture together as a real story with setting, dialogue and beginning, middle and end, but as a reader, I enjoy them. Why? They’re easy to read.
How do you do them? Record the interview, type it out and turn it in? Nope. I tried that the first time I got a Q and A assignment. The editor bounced it right back. She said: This is an educated man, but he doesn’t sound like it here. I want you to smooth out the language, remove the excess verbiage, and generally edit it to read better. Gasp. Change what the man said? That’s not kosher in other types of articles. But yes, that’s what the editor wanted, and I suspect that’s what most editors ask for in a Q and A. After all, few of us speak in perfect sentences unless we’re reciting a memorized speech.
So, transcribe the recording, but then use it as the raw material for your piece, revising and rearranging to make it work. Usually you’ll have pages more than you need, so you’ll have to pick the quotes that offer the most value to the readers.
How do you get Q and A assignments? First, look for newspapers or sections of newspapers that use them. If they never publish a question-and-answer piece, they’re not going to start a new trend for you. But if they do use them, come up with an appropriate subject and e-mail them a query. If time is short, say George Clooney is going to be in town for one day–and they cover things like visiting movie stars–telephone the editor. He’ll probably still want to see a written query, but you can save yourself some time by asking if he’d be interested.
If you’ve never done a Q and A before, start looking for them and studying how they’re put together. What kinds of questions are asked and how many questions are there? How much introduction precedes the questions? Try doing an interview and putting it into Q and A form just for practice. Who knows? You may be a natural at it.
>Interviewee comes to the rescue
Posted: March 18, 2008 Filed under: dog trainer, interviews Leave a comment »>Often after an interview, writer and interviewee never speak again. If they meet on the street, they may stare at each other for a moment, thinking, I’ve seen this person somewhere before, but it’s lost in the blurry past.
Sometimes, however, interviews can provide connections that help in real life. For example, when I interviewed a local dog trainer, I had no expectation that I would need her services. My old dog was perfectly behaved, and I had done my time in doggie school, thank you very much. I chose to profile the dog trainer because she fit the criteria for my column, and I loved dogs.
But things change. Four months after our old dog Sadie died, we adopted Halle. Although the shelter claimed she was quiet and well-behaved, perfect for any family, they were wrong. She faked them out. If you ever read the book Marley, she’s a Marley, hell on wheels. One minute she’s eating the remote control, the next she’s on the bed tearing up my pillows, the next she’s jumping up behind me licking my ears, her massive paws on my shoulders.
We quickly reached the point where it was us or the dog. But before we took the long sad trip back to the shelter, I called the trainer. By 2:00, she was here.
It was like having the Supernanny come for a visit. Our problems are not solved. Halle and I are not speaking to each other this morning, but the trainer did show us a lot of tricks we didn’t know, including how to work the door on the massive crate we had spent a fortune on but were not using because we couldn’t figure out how to get the dog in there and lock the door.
I believe having interviewed the trainer gave me the leverage to get her out to my house right away, not in a few days. It helped that I already knew a lot about her and her classes,that I already had her helpful handouts in my file cabinet, and of course I knew whom to call.
I still don’t know whether it’s going to work out with Halle. I may not have the energy to keep up the hand-to-paw combat until she calms down, but I do know that having interviewed the dog trainer worked to my advantage when I needed her expert help in real life.
Now I wish I’d interviewed a plumber so I could do something about that leak in the bathroom.
I’m not saying you should interview people so that you’ll have special advantages with them later. Remember, most of the time they won’t remember you personally; you just represent the newspaper for which you’re writing. And I still had to pay the dog trainer for her time. But sometimes making a connection through an interview comes in handy.
>Blog, blog, blog
Posted: August 16, 2007 Filed under: blogs, Blue Plate Special, Freelancing for Newspapers, interviews, NYU Leave a comment »>I’ve been working on an article about blogging for writing-world.com, a terrific site for freelancers. The general idea is that blogs can be useful as: places to express oneself and show off one’s writing; handy resources for research; and ways to get into the minds of newspaper editors who blog online. Frankly I’m sick of the subject at the moment. Know the feeling? However, I wanted to share an amazing site put out by the NYU journalism department. It’s the Blue Plate Special.net. They have conducted a survey of newspaper blogs and come up with a list of the 100 best newspaper blogs. It includes links to the blogs put out by these papers. You could read all day. Sometimes editors say things in these blogs that give valuable clues to what they’re looking for from freelancers. Give it a click.
I was interviewed about my Freelancing for Newspapers book again, this time by phone, for another website. I’ll give you the link when it comes out. I learned from the last interview that I need to be careful about my grammar because they may quote me verbatim. I was very careful, professorial even. When he finished, I wanted to scream, “That’s all? There’s so much more.” Something to think about when interviewing. It’s okay to take the time to be thorough.
Sue
>Do as I say, not as I do
Posted: August 13, 2007 Filed under: column, Freelancing for Newspapers, interviews Leave a comment »>Friday I drove almost 300 miles, got stuck in horrible traffic, wound up at the wrong Starbucks and when I finally got to the right Starbucks, embarrassingly late, I really didn’t get what I needed out of the interview. I learned (or relearned) three important lessons: 1) Prescreen your interviewees before you offer to meet them in person, 2) Don’t let them choose a meeting place away from what you’re writing about unless there’s a very good reason, and 3) Ask if there might be more than one Starbucks in the same shopping center. I still can’t believe there are two in this Portland-area center. She did mention that it was next to Barnes & Noble, and I didn’t see Barnes & Noble, but it was Starbucks. Who knew?
At both Starbuck’s, I wound up asking strangers, “Are you Jennifer? Are you Jennifer?” I’m afraid I looked like a desperate lesbian on a blind date. So, here’s one more tip: describe yourself and ask what they’ll be wearing or carrying.
It wasn’t all bad. I came home down the coast, avoiding the traffic, and the scenery was gorgeous. I also found something on the way that would make a great story. Still, a phone interview would have been a better idea.
A full-length column on this experience can be found at http://www.suelick.com/wrongstarbucks.html.
Sue
