Do you sometimes interview people for articles or for a book you\u2019re working on? How is it going? Are you getting the quotes you want? When you put your piece together does the quote make a point, validate your material and\/or fit into the flow of your article or chapter?<\/p>\n
I see articles and book manuscripts where the author has attempted to use quotes, but some of them just don\u2019t work. They don\u2019t give depth to the concept, they don\u2019t provide credibility to the statement, nor do they add anything profound or even interesting to the chapter or article.<\/p>\n
I often suggest that authors go back to the interviewee and ask more questions\u2014form questions that will prompt the exact response you need. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
Betty wrote, \u201cLen lived in Bakersfield, in 1966, when the robbery took place. He recalls the day it happened, \u2018Oh yes, I lived there with my wife and 6-year-old daughter. We had gone to the park that day.\u2019 The robbery took place across the street from the park.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this case, the author was really stretching to get a quote, any quote. I would advise her not to use a quote at all unless it can add interest or credibility or move the story forward in some way. If this is all she has, Betty really should go back to Len and ask a few more question, such as:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tWhat else do you remember about that day?
\n\u2022\tDid you hear the sirens?
\n\u2022\tDid you see the robber run past the park?
\n\u2022\tWere you questioned?
\n\u2022\tWas anyone you know involved in the robbery?<\/p>\n
Betty may actually learn, in her second round of more pointed questions, that Len saw the police pursuit on foot, that the robber ran past him as he pushed his daughter on the swing and Len saw him drop a few bills on the path or that the robber got away and the police questioned Len.<\/p>\n
Of course, then, Betty will want to crank up the nature of her questions:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tHow close did he come to you?
\n\u2022\tWere you frightened?
\n\u2022\tDid you see a gun?
\n\u2022\tDid the police have their guns pulled?<\/p>\n
Len might, then, talk about how unnerved he became after hours of being questioned by police. He might talk about how his daughter began to scream when she saw the police running full force with their guns drawn.<\/p>\n
Can you see how much more interesting a story becomes when you get more graphic, emotional and meaningful responses from an interviewee? <\/p>\n
Likewise, when you need to make a point in an article, lead your interviewee in a direction so that he or she is likely to help you make that point through an interesting or provocative statement.
\nYour piece might be on parenting mistakes. Perhaps you are interviewing a few parents and a child behavior expert. You want to report on some of the more common parenting mistakes, why they are considered mistakes\u2014what are the possible dangers\/repercussions and how to correct the mistakes\u2014how to change your parenting techniques. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ll probably do some research so you know something about parenting mistakes and then you\u2019ll interview your expert. Ask him what he believes are the most common mistakes and why. Find out what kind of behavior is involved in these mistakes. Ask him for anecdotes and examples. And then ask him what he would advise to parents who may be making these mistakes. Then go to parents. Bring up some of the expert\u2019s statements and ask the parents to comment. Find out if they feel they\u2019ve made some of these mistakes and how they feel about having done so (always get an emotional point of view). <\/p>\n
Now go home and create an article or chapter around the best quotes that you got, making sure that everything fits tightly and logically together. Use the quotes to make your points, add interest to the information and to give the concepts credibility. <\/p>\n
If you feel that something is missing\u2014the piece is heavy with pros and you\u2019d like to balance it with more cons, for example, or you lack good quotes on one aspect of your story, go back to one of your interviewees with questions pointed in the direction you want him or her to go.<\/p>\n
Another thing I see authors do is to state what the interviewee said as a way to introduce the quote. Don\u2019t say, \u201cLen says that the day of the robbery was a day he will never forget, \u2018I\u2019ll never forget that day.\u2019\u201d Oh no, this will never do. Do not use quotes just for the sake of using them. If Betty questioned Len further, she might be able to say this, \u201cAccording to Len, the day of the robbery was unforgettable, \u2018It\u2019s strange how something like this can shake a town into action. I\u2019ll never forget how the community came together to comfort the poor tellers and customers who were in the bank at the time it was robbed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
If you own a copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em><\/strong>, read more about interview techniques for authors on pages 169-173. If you don\u2019t have this book yet, order yours at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you sometimes interview people for articles or for a book you\u2019re working on? How is it going? Are you getting the quotes you want? When you put your piece together does the quote make a point, validate your material and\/or fit into the flow of your article or chapter? I see articles and book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t