The art of the interview
Interviews aren't just for journalists!
This month, I’m writing a bit about my background as a magazine editor and current side-gig as a freelance dance journalist. Since 2004, I’ve been a regular contributor to a group of dance magazines and websites that currently fall under the umbrella of DanceMedia. As a lifelong dancer and dance-lover—and now as a certified Dance Mom (but with significantly less yelling and backstabbing than TV would lead you to believe)—I love that one of my jobs is to write about dance.
Last week, I shared how my years in magazine journalism have helped me learn to ruthlessly edit my own writing, making every word count. Read that post here!
This week, I want to focus on another important journalistic skill: the art of interviewing sources. Each article I’m assigned requires me to connect with at least one, but more often three or four (or even five or six, for a feature story) people in the dance field. It matters who I speak to—but it also matters what questions I ask.
Before every interview, I create a document with a list of questions. Sometimes, I’ll know or feel fairly confident in guessing what the answers might be; after all, I’ve been in the dance world in various capacities since I was three years old. With these interviews, what I want most from the conversation is a compelling quote that expresses the point I (or the magazine’s editors) hope to get across.
Of course, I also get assigned plenty of articles where I don’t already know the answers to my questions. For these stories, I think about what I’d most like to learn—what would be interesting or useful or surprising to the readership. I also consult with my editor to make sure I’m asking all of the questions they hope the story will answer. I often do some advance research, as well, so that I’m a little more well-versed in the subject matter before the call.
The questions I need to ask will also depend on what type of article I’m writing.
If I’m working on a profile of a dancer, choreographer, or educator, I’ll seek out historical details and interesting anecdotes from their life, as well as philosophies they adhere to (regarding performance, the creative process, pedagogy, etc.). If I can, I’ll interview not only the subject of the story, but also a few people who know them well and can speak to what makes them worthy of being featured or honored.
If I’m writing a more service-y “how-to” piece, on the other hand, I’ll likely be looking for expert tips that readers can put to use in their own life and practice. I’ll home in on a specific skill or task, asking each interviewee how they teach or advise others to tackle it. I want words of wisdom from people who know what they’re talking about.
Starting with a thorough list of questions keeps me on track during the interview. I can guide the conversation, to ensure that I get the information and quotes I need. I can also avoid unnecessary tangents—because, as I noted last week, I have to stick to the scope of the assignment.
But!
My prepared list of questions isn’t set in stone.
Sometimes, I’ll have written down a question that turns out to be irrelevant, and so I’ll skip it. In other instances, the person I’m interviewing will bring up a whole new topic of discussion—a point I hadn’t even considered. There are definitely times when I have to let my interviewees lead me, especially if they’re experts in an area of the field in which I am not.
Even if we go straight down my list of questions, I always, always, end a call by asking, “Is there anything else you’d like to say about this, that we haven’t covered?” They might reiterate the thing they feel is most important—which can give me another quote to pull from. They might suddenly recall a point they’d wanted to make, but forgot to mention earlier. Or they might think of something totally new to add.
Conducting an interview is about learning information based on someone’s life experience. It’s also about getting their unique voice and point of view into a story. I never want to miss out on an interesting or useable tidbit because I stuck too rigidly to my preconceived script. I’m guiding the conversation, but I’m not slamming doors.
What does any of this have to do with fiction-writing?
A lot, actually!
For a start, I have used interviews as part of my research process. For example, when drafting my second YA novel, How it Feels to Fly, I interviewed a psychologist who frequently works with young dancers. I wanted to be certain the fictional therapeutic camp setting where the book takes place was as accurate as possible. Many of the concerns this psychologist mentioned and techniques she offered appear in the book. For The Thirteenth Circle, meanwhile, I was writing a science-obsessed character in the midst of a rigorous investigation—and I am not a scientist. After my coauthor and I came up with various hypotheses about the origins of the mysterious crop circles at the center of the story, I interviewed a soil scientist to learn about some of the experiments the characters could run and some of the results that they might see.
But knowing how to conduct an effective interview isn’t just helpful for research.
Trying to get a better handle on who your characters are and what makes them tick? Try interviewing them! Come up with a list of questions you’d like to ask them, and as you answer each question, see if their unique voice leads you into any new discoveries.
I also sometimes think of the interview transcript as a sketchy outline for my article: the finished piece should answer X, Y, and Z. Whether or not you’re an outliner as a fiction-writer, you can write down questions you want your story to answer and use those to guide your writing. When you get to the end, you might also check back to see if you’ve succeeded.
And don’t forget to ask your characters, “Is there anything else you would like to say, that I haven’t covered?” There might be something quite important they’ve been meaning to tell you. Your job, as the writer, is to stay open to their voice.
That’s it for this week!
Have you ever used interviews as a part of your writing process? Any tips to share?
~Kathryn