Anyone writing a memoir, unless blessed by total recall (and perhaps the ability to read minds at a distance as well) will eventually need to start interviewing people about incidents in the past. Even if the memoir writer can remember the actual event quite clearly, she may be curious to know whether others saw it in the same light as she did. It can be quite an eye-opener to hear how different people perceived the same incident!
Unless writers are prepared, conducting an interview can be frustrating and yield little. The following tips should help ensure well-rounded answers that will make writing memoirs a breeze!
1. Prepare Questions for a Memoir Well Before the Interview
The very act of preparing a list of questions ahead of time opens up a writer's imagination, as well as ensuring that she doesn't forget something important. One question prompts thoughts about good related questions. Being prepared in this way avoids the embarrassing situation of having long silences while the interviewer and the interviewee sit with polite smiles, wondering what else to say!
2. Send Questions to the Interviewee Ahead of Time
Yes, it does mean that the writer has to be organised to ensure that the interviewee gets the questions in time to think about them (older people often don't have the internet, so questions sometimes have to be sent via surface mail). It's not only good manners to let interviewees have time to think about their responses: it's likely that this will result in more thoughtful answers and therefore better material for the finished memoir.
3. Why It's Important to Record an Interview
There's nothing worse than a stopping the interviewee as she is in full flow to say "Sorry, can you wait for a minute while I write that down?" Today's digital recorders are very powerful and unobtrusive. Just turn one on and explain with a smile that the interview is being recorded for several reasons: to make sure that the facts are right, and so that both of you can enjoy the conversation without interruption. (Note: interviews should not be recorded without the permission of the person being interviewed.)
The other benefit of recording the interview is that when the writer listens to it later, she might find that a casual comment is worth following up with a phone call. There are often 'stories behind the story' that readers would love to know about!
Tip 1: DO run a check before starting to make sure that the recorder is functioning properly, and DO remember to put it back on 'record' after checking! In addition, make sure that there are fresh batteries in the device.
Tip 2: If possible, have the interview transcribed by a professional transcription service. These days these services are available on the internet for a very reasonable fee, and it saves huge amounts of time!
4. Put the Interviewee at Ease
Some people freeze when they feel that they are in a 'formal' interview situation, and their answers become stilted. Take the time for a general chat before the interview starts, and assure that interviewee that if she feels uncomfortable or needs time to collect her thoughts, you can stop and start again. Try to keep the whole thing conversational in tone, and if someone seems ill at ease with a question, be prepared to say 'Let's skip that, shall we, and move on to xxxx?'
5. Have a Strategy for Keeping the Interviewee on Track
While some interview subjects are so reticent that it's hard work to get anything out of them at all, others love holding the floor and go off on tangents continually. One way of dealing with that is to say "We have only a limited time today, so we probably need to focus on the main questions... but is it okay with you if I just make a note of any other interesting stories so we can follow up another time?" Then, when the interviewee starts rambling, say something like: "Wow, I can see there's a story worth hearing there! I'll put that on the 'follow up' list. Now, if we can go back to...."
6. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Check the list of questions to ensure that they are 'open-ended' – that is, that they require detailed, full-sentence answers, rather than just 'yes' or 'no'. It's very difficult to encourage an interviewee to open up if the question doesn't encourage them to elaborate.
7. Share the Results with the Interviewee – but Nobody Else!
When the interview has been transcribed, send the transcript to the interviewee. (Let the interviewee know that you plan to do this before you start the actual interview. Most people will be more relaxed if they know they can make changes to their answers later.) Ask if there is anything that needs to be clarified, added or changed. Never pass an interview on to someone else without permission.
With every interview, the process becomes easier. The writer will develop a sense of the questions that encourage good answers, and will become more adept at reading body language to ensure that the interviewee continues to feel comfortable. The result will be a memoir with more depth, with plenty of vivid stories to flesh out the narrative.
Marg McAlister - Marg McAlister has tried on a good many writer's hats in her career, and has enjoyed wearing most of them. Her writing achievements ...
