|
|
| Writing Information |
|
|
|
|
Interviewing an Author: Dont Be Left Speechless
Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nikki Giovanni. The names of authors (dead and alive) can go on and on. But I'll let you have first pick! You are in a room with some of your favorite authors. About ten of them. However, you are only allowed to invite one of them to Starbucks for a couple of chocolate mochas. Just you and your favorite author. It doesn't matter if the writer is deceased-use your imagination! After all, you're a writer, right? Oh dear, who shall it be? Should it be William Shakespeare with his purple pantaloons; Sylvia Plath who now vows to use an electric oven instead of gas; or should it be Maya Angelou and old playmates from her broken-hearted brothel? Finally, you have selected an author. You take him (or her) to Starbucks. You order the mochas. You sit down. As you open your mouth to ask the author questions nothing useful comes out. What's the problem? Often times we'll chance upon moments when we can interview an author. And, with technology nowadays, methods of research and brainstorming have changed slightly. 1. Research the Author Ask yourself, "Is the author self-published or published in a traditional publishing house?" Actually, does it really matter?! No. Why? Because you're going to need to treat all authors the same-with much respect. Be laid back, and in turn, the interviewee will become comfortable and open-up to you. After all, whether published or not, we're all human. Before the interview, however, use your investigative reporting skills and attempt to discover as much as you can about the author. Surf the Internet for any hidden agendas internet-published writings the writer may have. Not only do you want to know about the author's book, but the personal life as well. Find out what makes the author tick. 2. Research their genre and subject matter Does the author write poetry? Historical nonfiction? Dramatic nonfiction? Children's literature? Discover how easy or difficult it is to publish in that particular area of writing. Before you meet up with the author, you must know their genre, as well as the basic themes. If the author writes only historical nonfiction-what's their subject matter? Pre-civil war? Early African Slave Trade? Cuban artwork? Compare and contrast authors in similar subject matters. Learn as much as you can while you can. And, at the same time, be sure to formulate an opinion about the subject matter, whether it be pro or con. This will allow you to ask more in depth questions. 3. Don't Interrupt Remember to ask your question then shut up. This isn't a time for you to reminisce of your (waning) writing skills. This is moment for the author to be in the spotlight. Listen to their responses, and make sure that you have a rebuttal question prepared in the back of your head. After you are away from that particular topic, be sure to go to your next question. Though you may have your list of questions-it's okay to ask the questions out-of-order. Actually, I highly recommend to adlib the questions. This will make the questions seem a bit more unforced. In short, treat your interview as if it's just a regular discussion amongst friends. Above all, I highly recommend to record the interview. Before you display your trusty hand-held recorder, ask the interviewee for permission to record them. Keep and label all used tapes with the author's name, date and location of the interview. You never know when that once self-published novelist will become the next Best Seller. Edited by Jenny Wilson About The Author Stephen Jordan has five years experience within the educational publishing industry. Stephen was a freelance editor with such educational foundations as Princeton Review, The College Board, New York University, and Columbia University. Away from the office, Stephen promotes his creative writing with his home-freelance business OutStretch Publications and his artwork. Stephen holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in writing and literature from Alderson-Broaddus College of Philippi, West Virginia Available for reprint. Please keep bio and all contact information when reprinting article. Contact author so he can keep track of where his articles are being used.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting the Story Down Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and others. Top 5 Rules of English Grammar Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules make the written words understood. A writer should make the reader's job easier by communicating what he or she wants to communicate. If you also want to write, pay respect to your readers. Don't take them for granted. Learning and understanding the basic rules of English Grammar, you will surely be able to avoid ill-formed, confusing sentences. Hence, following and applying the rules of English Grammar and thereby producing a good writing can help the readers save their time from trying desperately to guess what you mean. This article covers the top 5 rules of English Grammar. Mexican Living: Lets Be Perfectly Clear Readers often send me interesting and exciting e-mails about the op-ed pieces I write and manage to publish. As a writer, I get all sorts. Some are actually encouraging. Then there are those who say, "This is YOUR fantasy, not the reality I have seen." Or, they ask, "Your point is?" Five Golden Rules for Writers Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how much you love to write, there are probably days when you'd rather clean ditches than face another blank page. When I Run Out of Ideas I do on occasion run out of ideas for my column writing. I do this after finishing a huge writing project like a book. I am just plain "written out" and am fresh out of things to say. When this happens, I turn to the news and am rarely disappointed. Teachers Should Write, During Their Summers Before I became a teacher, I was a sports writer. Working for a newspaper taught me a lot about writing, especially dealing with the pressures of deadlines. I enjoyed the writing so much that I started writing fiction about 10 years ago, during my time off. Hero?s Journey ? The Herald Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's Journey. Realize Your Book Dream In 2005! If you haven't realized the success you wanted last year, here's a way to reap the harvest with 86% improvement! Web Writing: Create Writing Flow With Four Uncommon Connectors Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers to process information promptly by creating balance and relationships between sentence parts. The connectors are performing the same work as verbs, objects, modifiers and multiple subjects. Make Your Readers Cry You know, I really hate it when someone catches me crying over a book. Do The Unfamiliar To Keep Your Writing Going One of the best ways to blow someone's winning streak during a tennis game is to comment on how great they are doing. Your comment will kick in their left brain's inner critic which will zap their flow and change their focus. In tennis this is an underhanded type of gamesmanship. Reasons for Recording Your Life Story 1. No one else will do it for you. How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn?t a Turkey When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through. Benjamin Franklin: His Ageless Writing Tips If Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be...uh, very old. But his writing style would be as current as e-mail, yet as timeless as the man himself. Self-Examination Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations, while self indulgence hide the obvious and absorbs any illumination before it occurs. Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation ADAPTATION 101 Top Ten Ways to Write a Book That Sells Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why don't you write it? Or, if you've already written a book, wouldn't you like to sell more? So many of you have a great idea for a book, even a dynamite title, but much more is needed to write a book that sells. Here's the top ten ways to write a book that sells: Writing Styles for Fiction: Which Voice to Use I recently set up a website to promote a new suspense novel. Once it started receiving hits I began getting questions about why I chose to write in third person. The truth is, I didn't make a conscious decision to write that way. I just sort of happened and I went with it. As I got through the manuscript, I found that writing in the third person "flowed" better than any other voice since throughout the story I used a lot of dialogue between characters. It just fit. Other people wrote and asked what difference it makes which voice you write in and that's what I'll try to address here. Sense of Place What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a scene's environment evoked by the writing. The author becomes an artist; the book page is the canvas, sentences and phrasing are the brushes; words give color. Writing Made Them Rich #2: Charles Dickens Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office,stationed at Portsmouth. Although his job was wellpaid, his father had a weakness for spending money andspent much of his life in chronic bankruptcy.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |