Interviewing: Listening To Write

Listening to Write

In honor of Story Corps' National Listening Day, November 26th, which invites people to 'Celebrate by interviewing and recording people you care about...' I invite you to use interviewing: the act of questioning, as a tool, as well as a stimulus to write. Questioning brings about a thought-provoking intensity between the interviewer and interviewee, making the listening urgent, purposeful and a catalyst for more questions and stories.

I believe we write to find an answer to something we're grappling with, to understand a memory or theme in our life. And so we investigate it through writing. And through this process, we may, and quite probably will have an epiphany. 

In the questioning, we get to discover the core of the story, what is true for the narrator (or protagonist) and learn the perspective of other people or characters in the story.

 What happens when we are truly listened to? We may come up with answers that surprise us. Who would you interview? Consider not only what questions you'd ask but what would you chose not to ask. Who would you want to be interviewed by? What will you and your interview partner discover in the listening and being listened to?

Writing Guidance: The Interview- Actual Or Imagined

There are a number of ways to use an interview in your writing. Here are some possibilities:

YOU ARE THE SUBJECT

Consider interviewing someone who's known you for years and ask them their observations about you- what's their earliest memory or first impression? How would they describe your appearance, personality, etc? If you have access to anyone who knew you as a baby, toddler-this can be fascinating.

HISTORICAL

Interview people who were the generation that you're writing about. Perhaps they can offer eye witness accounts of an event or remember what their parents told them. Specific day -to-day details can give a rich context to the time period. And you don't have to know your interview subject. Go to a Senior Center. They will be delighted to share their experiences.

THE IMAGINED INTERVIEW

Allowing you to take the leap and 'create' an interview is a great tool to discover

a different perspective and an authentic point of view. Conduct an interview with a person or character in your story by writing down questions for them and then let your imagination run wild as you 'answer' the questions from their perspective-- WITHOUT WORRYING IF YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. Trust wherever the answers go. If you’re writing about an earlier time in your life, you can use the perspective of that younger 'You' to ask the questions.

THE SELF-INTERVIEW

Interview yourself from different time periods in your life. For example, the present day 'You' can interview the teenage 'You' (and vice-a-versa.)

After you've conducted the interview you can decide if you want to include it in your story*, use it as a jumping off point to write, or as reference to add details and context to your story. Interviewing is a way to capture the truth in that moment, for the truth, since it's based on our subjective memory changes and evolves. 

*The journalistic rule of thumb in getting permission to use the interview is to have the tape recording device in full view and hitting 'record' when the interview commences, so the subject knows the interview is being recorded. If it's a family member, you can discuss your intentions and impetus- be it preserving family histories, research, etc. or, you can just tell them I'm making you do it.

If you want to share your interviewing experience- you can post it here or Creative Rites on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Creative-Rites-Writing-Performance-Creative-Expression/136905296360119?v=wall//)

Keep giving and receiving stories!

Your faithful Creative Rite-er,

Terrie 

Watch me transform from writing coach to ballerina 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jweB7rskrw0