Mary Rosenblum

Hello all!

Mary Rosenblum

Welcome to our Friday After Hours Forum.

Mary Rosenblum

I hope you've all had a very good week and are enjoying the first week of official fall.

Mary Rosenblum

I wanted to talk about the art of the interview tonight, because interviewing is a big part of writing, whether you do fiction or non.

Mary Rosenblum

In the nonfiction arena it is hugely important. You don't have to have any expertise at all...you can interview an expert as the main source for an article.

Mary Rosenblum

And editors do want original source material...if you are not an expert you need to find one.

Mary Rosenblum

They don't pay you to do research on the internet or in books that their readers could do as well.

Mary Rosenblum

I get interviewed pretty regularly, either via email, by phone, or in person.

Mary Rosenblum

Most have been good, but some are pretty bad...I usually try to help out a bit. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

It's easy as a novice to sort of waste your time and that of your interviewers if you don't do some prep work.

Mary Rosenblum

Let's say you're writing a murder mystery and you need information about how a detective handles a murder case.

Mary Rosenblum

You get hold of a detective from your local police department. He's busy, brusque, but he'll meet you for lunch for an hour.

Mary Rosenblum

So you go. By the time you meet and greet, order, and get food, you've only got say forty minutes or less left.

Mary Rosenblum

So you start. So...how do you investigate a murder.

Mary Rosenblum

Blat!

Mary Rosenblum

Not a good start.

Mary Rosenblum

Do your homework. You can find books out there that will give you all the basics of how a murder is investigated in general.

Mary Rosenblum

Answer all the questions you can with the available research. Now take the questions to a new level.

Mary Rosenblum

When you investigate a murder, is there a lot of time pressure?

Mary Rosenblum

Thinking about what you need to know for your mystery, you ask the quesitons that your previous research hasn't answered.

Mary Rosenblum

What is it like in the morning when you come in? Do you guys all kid around like on the TV cop shows?

Mary Rosenblum

You only have a limited time. Make use of it to get information you cant' find on your own.

Mary Rosenblum

Same thing if you interview someone for a NF piece.

Mary Rosenblum

What is your piece about? What is the slant? Now go do research on the subject and on the interviewee if you can find public information on this person.

pook

Is it ok to tape record?

Mary Rosenblum

Always tape record if you can.

Mary Rosenblum

Unless you can do shorthand, your notes are going to be hard to read as soon as you forget the actual interview.

Mary Rosenblum

Even if someone feels self conscious at first, if you set the recorder out of direct eye path -- off to the side -- most people will pay attention

Mary Rosenblum

to your face and forget about the recorder pretty quickly. Make sure your recorder has a good mic to pick up voice at a distance.

Mary Rosenblum

If you can't use a recorder for some reason it is imperative to transcribe those notes immediately into coherent sentences. :-0

Mary Rosenblum

When I've run across old field notes tucked away in files, I can't make ANY sense of them. Of course I transcribed them at the time. But now...not a clue.

Mary Rosenblum

Hand written notes mostly jog your memory. Once the memory is gone, they're pretty useless unless you do shorthand and are very good at fast writing. AND...

Mary Rosenblum

if you're writing you can't make eye contact and engage your subject.

Mary Rosenblum

You get the BEST interviews when the interviewee forgets that it's an interview and starts talking to YOU.

Mary Rosenblum

If you're writing you constantly remind the person that this is an interview and they're much more formal.

k c morlock

Serious Q- who buys the lunch?

Mary Rosenblum

You ALWAYS buy lunch.

Mary Rosenblum

And let the interviewee pick the place or if you pick, take that person to a nice and quiet restaurant.

Mary Rosenblum

This person is doing you a HUGE favor. And they're not getting paid for this generally.

Mary Rosenblum

But if that person picks a sports bar with six TVs gently see if you can steer him to a nice quiet steak house where you don't have to shout.

Mary Rosenblum

Go to an interview with an agenda.

Mary Rosenblum

You should know what you want to cover in your article before you do the interview.

Mary Rosenblum

Know your audience, your slant.

Mary Rosenblum

Now you can make sure to ask the questions that you'll need to answer for your article.

Mary Rosenblum

But remember...any topic can net you three or more published articles. Don't be afraid to chase a tangent.

Mary Rosenblum

Say you're talking with a zookeeper about her job. You're writing for a women's magazine and the focus of the piece is women in male-dominated careers.

Mary Rosenblum

But as you chat, she starts talking about wolves and how she volunteers her vacation time at a wolf rehab shelter out on the Olympic penninsula and how she raises money for the shelter to feed the wolves.

Mary Rosenblum

Wow...here's another piece you could write! Might sell it to the dog magazines, wildlife mags, or even outdoor mags.

Mary Rosenblum

Follow that thread!

Mary Rosenblum

Get lots of facts, contact info for the shelter (that's another interview and article right there) and everything you can squeeze out of her about her time spent with wolves.

Mary Rosenblum

Now, for the price of that lunch you have the original piece on a woman in a male-dominated career, another piece about this woman's devotion to wolf rescue and maybe another piece about this shelter.

Mary Rosenblum

Think on your feet. :-) And when your interviewee gets enthused, follow that thread. :-)

cpoetseye1

Do I try my best to keep the person talking?

Mary Rosenblum

Absolutely.

Mary Rosenblum

If you sit there and wait for this person to tell you everything, you may well end up staring at each other silently for an hour.

Mary Rosenblum

This is why you want to come prepared with questions you need to ask.

Mary Rosenblum

The answers may suggest new questions, as with our zoo keeper. But come with a list of questions that pertain to the article you want to write.

Mary Rosenblum

Especially when you're new at this, you will in all likelihood suffer a complete mental blank slate as soon as you sit down. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

Happened to me. After that, I learned to have those questions in my notebook.

Mary Rosenblum

I still have questions listed when I start to interview someone. I'll usually take off at a tangent, but I have those questions to fall back on if that person and I don't hit it off .

charie'

Prepare questions that can't be answered "Yes" or "No"

Mary Rosenblum

Yes, that's a good idea, although you may have some yes/no questions to answer. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

I did answer this Kolanda. It's better to use a tape recorder so that you don't have to keep scribbling. That way, your interviewee can forget it's an interview and talk to you.

Mary Rosenblum

If you can get that person to talk to YOU as a person, in a conversation, you'll get much more information.

kolanda

This may have been addressed already, I was late tonight. Do you write the notes by hand or take along a small tape recorder?

Mary Rosenblum

Oops, sorry. That was the question I was answering. :-)

cpoetseye1

Being a good people person helps a lot, right?

Mary Rosenblum

It does indeed, poetseye.

Mary Rosenblum

If you can make your questions conversational rather than reading from a formal and stiff list, you can get that person talking

Mary Rosenblum

and they'll usually volunteer WAY more than you ask.

rae

Can it be done only in writing? I have a speech problem

Mary Rosenblum

Absolutely.

Mary Rosenblum

Whle you can establish a nice rapport in person, it doesn't always happen. And if you send an email list of questions to a subject that person

Mary Rosenblum

now has lots of time to think about his/her answer. You get less spontenaiety but you may get more coherent answers.

Mary Rosenblum

I prefer a personal interview because I have good people skills and most of the time I'm able to create a rapport and get someone talking.

kolanda

Do you ever run into a real "dud", you just have to pull the information out? What is the best thing to do when that happens?

Mary Rosenblum

Oh, I certainly do have the occasional dud. :-) When I do the LR interviews those misfires really make me sweat in order to keep it interesting.

Mary Rosenblum

And sometimes you and the person just rub each other the wrong way.

Mary Rosenblum

This is where your list of questions really is invaluable.

Mary Rosenblum

You get through them as politely and positively as you can, you say thank you, pay the lunch bill and depart.

k c morlock

Are we obligated to let the person approve our work?

Mary Rosenblum

Not at all.

Mary Rosenblum

It's entirely up to you.

Mary Rosenblum

I don't offer to let someone look at what I'll write.

Mary Rosenblum

If someone is uneasy about what might show up in print and asks to see the article before it goes in, I'll agree.

Mary Rosenblum

Most of my interviewing is for works of fiction. I generally offer the person an aknowlegement in the book and a copy when it's published.

geezer

Seems it might be good to submit Q by e-mail and then do the live interview. He'd have time to think and also be spontaneous.

Mary Rosenblum

You could do that. It's extra time for your interviewee though.

Mary Rosenblum

Many people are reluctant to agree to an interview because they're busy.

Mary Rosenblum

To be honest, I would rather not send a subject my questions ahead of time.

Mary Rosenblum

I get some very interesting responsis at times when a subject reacts spontaneously to a question. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

You get some nice 'between the lines' insights.

destiny8

It's a good way to check your facts, though. Isn't it

destiny8

To let him/her read what you wrote

Mary Rosenblum

Absolutely. I do recheck facts if I'm at all uncertain about something in my notes.

Mary Rosenblum

But if you have that tape recording you have a good reference you can go back and check. The hand written notes are where you can end up unsure.

Mary Rosenblum

I did a LONG interview with a former CIA operative, a co-worker of James Tiptree/Alice Sheldon and even though I thought I was being SO clear

Mary Rosenblum

I had to recheck a ton of dates and details.

kolanda

Is there a beginning, middle and end in an interview and what happens if you are running out of time and you are still at the beginning?

Mary Rosenblum

That can sure happen, Kolanda.

Mary Rosenblum

When you organize your questions, list the 'must answer' questions first, then the 'background' questions

Mary Rosenblum

that would be nice to have answers to, but are not critical.

Mary Rosenblum

Some people are on a strict schedule, others are happy to spend an extra fifteen minutes or so and chat.

cpoetseye1

Should I routinely speak well of the person to relax them

Mary Rosenblum

Well, yeah. :-) If you have done your homework and you can comment on this person's career, body of work, whatever, that person is going to feel flattered

Mary Rosenblum

that you took the time to pay attention to him/her and will relax generally and be more forthcoming.

Mary Rosenblum

Use your conversational skills to make it pleasant and friendly.

Mary Rosenblum

And it won't always work.

Mary Rosenblum

Sometimes you just get someone who is wary, not talkative, who will answer only what you ask and as briefly as possible.

Mary Rosenblum

Get what you can, say thank you very politely, and depart.

rae

Is it better to have one long interview or a couple of short ones?

Mary Rosenblum

IF you can do it, an initial interview and then a follow up to patch any 'holes' in your information is best

Mary Rosenblum

but remember...this person is taking time from his/her life to do this for you.

Mary Rosenblum

This is our After Hours Forum, with me, Mary Rosenblum , your web editor I've published eight novels, more than 60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any questions you have. We're talking about interviewing tonight. If you're new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works better for you..

Mary Rosenblum

Try using /ask KC

k c morlock

How do you end an interview quickly when you discover the other person has an agenda?

Mary Rosenblum

Just end it politely. Well, that was very interesting. Thank you so much for your time. I really enjoyed chatting with you.

Mary Rosenblum

Hey, if you carry a cell phone, you can always act as if it's set on vibrate, glance at the face plate and say 'Oh, there's my next appointment. I've got to run, but I really appreciate the great information you shared with me.

cpoetseye1

If the person has become a friend, it's the road to success?

Mary Rosenblum

I"m not quite sure what you mean, poet. :-) But sometimes you do make new friends.

bud

Mary, aren't we all interviewing you right now/

Mary Rosenblum

Well, an interview is usually one person asking the questions with a particular agenda. So I guess you could say that you're all in the process of interviewing me. :-)

kolanda

Years ago I had a short community radio talk show and that is a place where you really learn to be prepared as you have a set time and usually a topic. Do you think listening to radio or watching TV interviews would be helpful.

Mary Rosenblum

Absolutely. I routinely listen to Terry Gross's interviews on NPR in the evenings...'Fresh Air'. I have a lot of fun analyzing them.

Mary Rosenblum

She's an excellent interviewer and you can compare the interviews where she and the interviewee have hit it off

Mary Rosenblum

with the ones that are very formal with the ones where the interviewee is prickly or downright hostile.

Mary Rosenblum

I've listened to her go to her list of questions once or twice. :-) Doesn't happen very often, but occasionally.

geezer

If you can get the Hugh Hewitt Show on radio, he is the very best interviewer I have ever heard.

Mary Rosenblum

Some of the high profile interviews are very agressive and combative and are designed to be so. That is not a particularly good way to get information from someone.

Mary Rosenblum

These are done that way FOR the tension and combativeness. That is the draw.

Mary Rosenblum

Generally you will get a LOT more information from someone by NOT being confrontational or asking direct questions

Mary Rosenblum

that reveal your agenda if your agenda runs counter to this person's.

Mary Rosenblum

It is much more difficult to effectively interview someone you don't agree with or don't like personally.

kolanda

Do you find it hard to bring the focus back when the interview gets off topic, what is the best way to do that without offending?

Mary Rosenblum

I don't, but that's simply a skill like roller skating. The more you work at it, the less often you fall on your butt.

Mary Rosenblum

I'm much better at interviewing than I was ten years ago, that's for sure. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

Generally you can see a path to get from this topic back to your desired topic. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

I always have an agenda when I do the LR interviews.

Mary Rosenblum

That's why I take questions out of order.

Mary Rosenblum

And some of my guests are better at staying on topic than others.

Mary Rosenblum

The more preparation time you put into an interview, the more you will get out of it.

Mary Rosenblum

Google everybody. You never know what will pop up.

Mary Rosenblum

If they have a website, check it out.

Mary Rosenblum

Find out all you can about their job so that you don't waste time on questions you could have answered for yourself.

Mary Rosenblum

rapidwrites asked: How do you know the best question to ask an interviewee?

Mary Rosenblum

You have to know first and foremost what you need. What are you gonig to do with that information?

Mary Rosenblum

Knowing what you need to find out dictates those questions.

kolanda

did you ever feel intiminated by someone you are interviewing because of who they are -- example former CIA...or is that something only us novices would feel

Mary Rosenblum

Oh gosh, I felt intimidated by EVERYBODY at first. Especially Sheriffs Department folk. And a DEQ agent. Talk about paranoid! Whew! But once these folk decided I really was what I said I was, some of 'em were a great source and a lot of fun to chat with.

rae

Is it okay to reinterview someone you have already interviewed?

Mary Rosenblum

If that person has time.

Mary Rosenblum

Remember THEY are doing YOU the favor.

Mary Rosenblum

Don't ask for too much, be polite, and be very grateful. They could say no.

Mary Rosenblum

If I walk into a Sheriff's department and ask for an appointment with someone to get some research material, I ask for fifteen minutes and you better believe I have my questions ready.

Mary Rosenblum

Sometimes I'm there an hour if the officer isn't busy and we hit it off.

Mary Rosenblum

Sometimes I'm out the door in fifteen minutes.

kolanda

Do you find that certain personality types make better interviewers than others?

Mary Rosenblum

Sure. Just as some people are easier to talk to than others. If you are flexible, you can be genuinely interested in your subject and convey that with your body language, you'll get better results

Mary Rosenblum

most of the time.

Mary Rosenblum

I do body language, facial expression, and tone of voice very consciously.

Mary Rosenblum

But if you're naturally outgoing and friendly you'll do better than someone who is stiff and formal and not terribly articulate.

Mary Rosenblum

You'll do better than someone with very dominant and threatening body language most of the time.

Mary Rosenblum

Make it a conversation but be sure to get your questions answered.

Mary Rosenblum

try typing /ask in your regular send bar, then your question, rae.

rae

Because of my physical limitations, would it be better for

rae

me to have someone else do the interview?

Mary Rosenblum

It could be. Or maybe not. A lot of it depends on you and how comfortable you are with your subject.

Mary Rosenblum

Well, this has been an interesting topic.

Mary Rosenblum

I'll certainly come back to it again.

Mary Rosenblum

A few quotes from an expert are a great way to get some of those short articles published.

Mary Rosenblum

And interviewing experts is a great way to end up selling feature articles.

Mary Rosenblum

Try interviewing friends. It's not a bad thing to practice.

Mary Rosenblum

Thanks for coming tonight. :-)

Mary Rosenblum

I'll post the transcripts in the usual place: Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts

Mary Rosenblum

I'll see you all on Sunday for our casual chat.

Mary Rosenblum

I should be back for it...I'll be at a dog show down in Corvallis but it should end early.

Mary Rosenblum

Thanks for coming all!

Mary Rosenblum

I'll see you on Sunday!