A had an email from a former student who is
about do a series of interviews for a non-fiction book she’s writing. She asked
me whether there are any questions I’ve found to be especially revealing. There
are three that will usually give you interview gold:
1.What do you wish you’d known when you were starting out?
2. What’s the one thing you do that gives you the best results or most success?
3. What’s the biggest myth or misunderstanding about your field?
I’ve stated these in general terms, of course you would individualise them depending on what you’re asking about. The answers you get often will also suggest follow-up questions so you can get more details.
The other thing I’ve learned is to keep my tape recorder running after the official interview is over because sometimes in the few minutes of chit-chat that follows, the interviewee mentions something more interesting than what was in the actual interview. Then I ask, ‘Can we talk about this for a minute?’ Naturally I make sure they are happy for this additional material to be on the record.
(For more on how to write both fiction and non-fiction books, see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and the accompanying website, www.yourwritingcoachc.com)
