2015interviewsandinfo
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This document provides guidance on gathering reliable information and conducting effective interviews to serve creative writing. It emphasizes that strong fiction and nonfiction rely on thorough research beyond just imagination. Methods discussed include reading widely on topics, immersion in subjects through participation, and interviewing sources in-person when possible to gain visual cues. Tips are given for preparing thoughtful questions, taking detailed notes, and obtaining impactful quotes. The document stresses seeking out expert organizations and specialized search engines beyond basic internet searches for credible information to support writing.
2015interviewsandinfo
- 1. Finding information to serve your story
- 2. Thanks to the Internet, we are glutted by information We are glutted by opinion And it’s not always clear what is reliable and credible And what is actually just a weird list of things about cats.
- 3. The best creative writing—nonfiction and fiction— relies not only on imagination and wordsmithing, but also on research (this includes fantasy writers too): “I use a “total immersion” method. Since I do not know going what particular nuggets I may need during the course of writing a novel, I try to learn as much as possible about the subject in question (the medieval world, in the case of A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, or the antebellum river and the steamboat era in the case of FEVRE DREAM) by reading everything I can get my hands on.” — George RR Martin
- 4. Methods of Gathering Information: Interviewing Reading (online and otherwise) Immersion reporting
- 5. “Journalism is kind of like dating. You have to be yourself but less. When I interview someone, I become smaller than him. I slouch down, and sometimes I get a bad neck. I look at him and I listen. Intension is important too, because your intentions come through. —Mike Sager, Esquire contributing writer Or at least some version of your self
- 6. Whenever possible, conduct an interview in person so that you, the writer, also have access to the elements of characterization: appearance, nuance, the person’s environment. Avoid email interviews except for factual information A telephone interview, like an email interview, may provide information and even quotes you can use, but it deprives you of any visual information.
- 7. Beneath a big tent hastily erected on a roof behind the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, a collection of modern gladiators gathers behind a portable stage, twenty-two broken noses and sets of cauliflower ears standing in a reverent semicircle around a familiar pug — the former bar bouncer, hotel bellhop, and personal fitness trainer who has, over the past decade, helped to turn the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a $1 billion business with fans across the globe. —Meet Dana White, the King of Mixed Martial Arts, Esquire Magazine, by Mike Sager “An assistant greets me and asks me to wait in the living room, which is suspended seemingly right over the crashing waves of the Pacific…after a few minutes, the assistant leads me up to the star’s bedroom. According toå Lawrence-Bullard, the bed originally belonged to Natacha Rambova, who was the wife of Rudolph Valentino. —Cher profile by Krista Smith, Vanity Fair, December 2010
- 8. Don’t hesitate to ask: you will be surprised how many people are willing to talk to you Send a clear (typo-free) email requesting an interview that states your needs. Dear Councilor X, I am writing a story on the City Council’s decision to ban nude bicyclists. You spoke against this decision based on your history as a nude bicyclist. I’d love to hear more about this. Is there a convenient time this week for an interview?
- 9. Read up on the subject or person Ask the person you’ll be interviewing to send you any info ahead of time he or she wants you to know. Have questions ready to go Familiarize yourself with other articles on your topic/person Crowd-source questions: Ask people you know what questions they have for the person/ on the topic.
- 10. The best way to have a spontaneous conversation is to have your questions prepared.
- 11. Open-ended questions are: Flexible Exploratory Can reveal more than the source realizes Closed-Ended questions are: Designed to pull specific information Can be yes or no May often be information you really need!
- 12. Confusing questions can create confusing answers. Make sure you understand what the person is saying. Ask them to repeat if you don’t. Type up your notes right away while they are fresh in your mind. Look for great quotes.
- 13. As with fiction, “great quotes” (or great dialogue) says more than it says and conveys emotion, reaction, rather than information: Compare: “We will vote on the nude bicyclist amendment on Thursday.” “I’m planning to stand up for every nude bicyclist in the city—naked is beautiful and I’ll vote naked if I have to.”
- 14. Information you gather can be presented as “direct quotation” as we just saw As summarized information As paraphrased information As with any type of writing, your information needs to be attributed Dynamic writing uses a variety of these techniques.
- 15. If you are listening when you interview, you may hear things you need clarified. Ask those questions. Make the source explain. Ask for additional sources to talk to, additional information. This will lead to stronger stories and additional stories. Takes notes, and tape record if you are not confident yet with your note-taking.
- 16. Consider the types of information we encountered in “Devil’s Bait” and “Fourth State of Matter.” Documents Books Newspaper articles Read widely; use selectively; quote from documents in the same way you would from people: for impact, not information.
- 17. Immersion simply means attending or being present at an event in order to gather, again, the type of ambient details that help amplify your writing with vivid description Immersion can also mean actually participating in an activity (think of Jamison at the Morgellon conference) At its most heightened, “immersion” can mean “embedding,” actually being a part of the action (as, for example, with war correspondents)
- 18. We will be returning to these after our arts assignments In the meantime, work on the information gathering portion Conduct an interview, do online research, find sources that may help with your writing of the piece
- 19. Google, sure, but Google’s limitations are (hopefully) obvious by now. You can’t rely on Wikipedia or About.com or any of the high- ranking popular sites for credible information. Look for expert sites: organizations, agencies, educational outfits that provide information on your topic. Or use news sites to create lists of sources.
- 20. Journalism Tool Box (has links to a variety of sources on numerous topics) Pro Publica (an amazing resource for statistics and other topics) Reporter.org (can direct you to a variety of organizations that cover particular topics) And, yes, our own library website (because specialized search engines are better and less junky than the regular Internet)
Editor's Notes
- #6: Shyness. Sometimes people who are shy naturally find they have a great affinity for interviewing because it allows you to take the pressure off of your own self-consciousness and focus on someone else. And it’s a handy skill down the line. Who has gone on a job interview?
- #11: Asking questions; why: no dead air, you can keep asking questions, you can pay better attention. Ask other people what they would like to know.
- #12: How you phrase a question matters. It’s the difference between the kind of answer you’ll get. The old joke is: “How long have you been beating your wife?” Implies a bias on the part of the reporter, and can put the source on edge. Sometimes reporters don’t ask questions at all; they make a statement. You passed a law banning nude bicyclists. That must be exciting.” Don’t put the answer into your question.
- #13: Interviewed Helen Cauldicott, Australian anti-nuke activist. One the phone because she was travelling, very strong accent, bad connection. I was in a bad way. I could barely understand a word she said. I muddled through. Taped the interview. Had to listen to the interview about 20 times to transcribe it.
- #16: This quote doesn’t make sense to me. What did he mean? I don’t know, that’s what he said. You’re not a human tape recorder.