Interviewing for Articles that Sell

by Beth Fowler

Interviews provide the basis of personality profiles and background information for feature articles. Quotations obtained during interviews ignite a spark of life in both types of articles, setting them apart from encyclopedic rehashes, not that you won't be perusing an encyclopedia.

Doing the Homework
Before interviewing people, research the subject thoroughly. Read newspapers, magazines, press releases, text books and, yes, encyclopedias. Gather basic facts, unique insights and opposing views from sources before interviewing the key person.

Thorough research yields several advantages. First, you'll be armed with questions that couldn't have been answered simply by looking in a reference book.

The second advantage of research is you'll be able to pose deep questions to penetrate beneath rehearsed "party line" responses. This sets you apart from amateurs.

When I asked the director of a national association what she thought about newspaper articles alleging the government wasted money using her firm's services, she responded vehemently and in detail. She obviously wanted to set the record straight. Had I not researched the topic, I would not have known about the allegation.

What about the query letter? Query letters preview coming attractions, therefore, I write query letters after I've gained adequate knowledge about the topic. This enables me to insert enticing tidbits. I also list whom I plan to interview so the editor knows whose expertise and experience I will incorporate in my article. I review my query letter as I write the article to ensure I deliver the promised goods.

Finding Interviewees
After thoroughly researching the topic, you are ready to request an interview. Find someone unusual about whom others would enjoy reading. My most delightful interview was with my 53-year-old neighbor, a falconer. I sold an article about falconry to a retirement magazine.

Libraries and phone books are excellent resources. When I wrote a business article about consulting, I found interviewees' addresses in a library index of consultants. For another assignment, I called the Malaysian Embassy to locate expatriate Malaysians willing to talk about their experiences in a foreign country. Each person led me to another resource: "You should talk to Mr. Hamed." I packed the article with anecdotes.

Computer networks and search engines provide yet another means for researching, locating interviewees and conducting interviews electronically.

I always tell the person the purpose of my article, the magazine I will submit the article to and the audience. I also state the benefits of published articles to interviewees and their pet causes.

Conducting the Interview
If a prospective interviewee is reluctant to grant an interview, probe his or her reasons. The president of an international company finally agreed to an interview contingent upon two ground rules: that I not portray his employees as being foolish and that no proprietary information will be revealed. Fair enough.

Of course, refusal to grant an interview or to answer specific questions is informative in itself. Who among us has not drawn conclusions about the harried politician who uttered, "No comment," as he ducked into his limousine?

Some questions solicit yes/no and one-word responses, however, most questions should be open-ended. Open-ended questions begin with What, Why and How. Ask: How does that compare to . . . ? What is your reaction to . . . ? What misconception do people have about . . . ? Why do you want to change? What else would you like to say?

Reflective phrases like, "It sounds as if you're dissatisfied," and "You're saying your life changed at that point," keep dialogue flowing. Allow pauses. They indicate the person is thinking and might elaborate a point.

In the 1960s David Attenborough visited Australian aborigines. In The Quest Under Capricorn he described his interview technique: "I tried not to ask leading questions, nor to force the story into a neat plot; not to require happenings to have causes nor to connect events into the logical sequence of action and consequence demanded by our own fictions."

While you want to remain open, as Attenborough did, you also want to focus the conversation. So, if your subject prattles about her Siamese cat, ask, "How does that tie in with your Pulitzer Prize?" Then again, you can submit an article to Cat Fancy and another version to ByLine.

Some authors advise against taking notes in the presence of interviewees. Others, like me, must take notes during the interview. I jot key phrases, not a word-for-word transcript. Your preferred note-taking method depends on your memory retention.

I was in a glitzy restaurant interviewing a glamorous rising star. The server interrupted ten times (twice for each course), it was difficult asking questions while slurping linguini, espresso jangled my taut nerves, we quibbled about who should pay the bill. But, clever me, I taped the interview, freeing my hands to twirl pasta.

Later I listened to the taped interview. The mini-cassette faithfully played back Muzak, clanking silverware, clinking china and the sometimes discernable voice of the celebrity. A gap in conversation was testimony to problems flipping the tape to side B.

Lessons learned: Conduct interviews on the person's turf. This way you can describe his or her interactions in a typical environment. If possible, hang out with the person for a day. Or choose quiet settings -- a comfortable hotel lobby, someone's home, an office. Learn to use the tape recorder with a magician's proficiency.

You can conduct interviews via telephone, send a cassette and have the interviewee record their answers at their leisure, or send a questionnaire to be completed. Include adequate return postage for the latter two methods.

I always ask interviewees what questions they have. Invariably people ask, "When will the article be published?" and "Will you send me a copy of it?" The answers are, respectively, "I don't know," and "Of course!"

Using Information from Interviews
Show body language, gestures, speech mannerisms and surroundings to portray a person. This example is from an "Independent" article by Angela Lambert: "In a light-filled, graceful room tumbled with cushions, rugs and sofas, Doris Lessing is talking. Even though her conversation flits and strays there is - as there is in her writing - an immense concentration of energy in every word."

To prevent articles from becoming impersonal, add personalizing details, even if (especially if) you never met the person. How did the interviewee sound during a long-distance interview? "Helen's voice spiralled angrily when she talked about milk-fed veal." What has the interviewee done, seen, thought? "Dave gazed out his office window toward the capitol, wondering, 'Can I win the next election?'"

Before composing your article, study your targeted magazine for style preferences. Do published articles use past or present tense (said or says)? Does the magazine present people in a flattering or controversial vein? Do articles cover one view or several sides of an issue? What per cent of each article contains quotations versus narrative? Who is the audience and how does that affect your article's slant? Does the editor require written releases from interviewees? Model releases for photographs?

Putting It All Together
Organizing research and interview notes can seem daunting, plus it's tempting to cram in as much data as possible. Following a structure helped me condense facts and figures from four books, two essays, an interview and an outing with a falconer to a 1000-word article.

In the first or second paragraph use a quote containing a surprising or unusual fact and another quote which captures the essence of the person or topic. Avoid opening with a quote because many magazines print the first letter of the first sentence in fancy fonts and colors. The first set of quotations marks become stylized, enlarged or lost.

Put the subject in context. What is so unusual about this person? What led up to this situation? What bearing does this have on readers? So what?

Weave historical facts, background information, statistics and emotions (if appropriate) and others' views in with quotations. Develop a rhythm by alternating pro and con views, or direct quotations with description.

Wrap-up with a quote summarizing the article's theme and with another quote that looks to the future. An article by Annette Spahr in Apprise magazine begins, "Captain Kathryn E. Doutt sits at her desk rolling a glass ball." The article ends, "Perhaps a crystal ball should be consulted."

Not only does Spahr's article end with a reference to the future, it also recalls the image of the crystal ball from the first paragraph. This creates a pleasing roundness.

As you write, you'll decide which quotes to use and which to toss out. Use quotes that only the interviewee could have said. Anybody familiar with weight lifting can say, "Stretch first." It's a well-known fact. Only the champion weight lifter said, "After I stretched, I started with 135 pounds."

Let the subject's voice show through. This means quoting their specialized vocabulary, idioms and even incomplete sentences. Your narrative will define unfamiliar jargon. Avoid preaching or moralizing (unless that is your job.) Let quotations do that.

Vary repetitious he-said-she-saids with partial direct quotes, as in, Mary described herself as an "optimistic fatalist." Summarize the conversation: Carlos reviewed his plans for reorganizing the department.

Calling interviewees to verify what they said is standard. When possible, verify information with a second source. If Joe said his dad opened the first hotel in Craver County, check county records.

Submitting the Manuscript
Submit the manuscript with a cover letter reminding the editor he or she had expressed an interest in it, on-spec, based on your query. If the article was commissioned, mention that. On a separate page list each source's name, position or job title, interview date(s), telephone number and email address.

Maintaining objectivity is an interviewer's primary goal. Unfortunately, it doesn't always help writers win friends, but it does influence people. The minute the newspaper with my article about the previous night's school board meeting hit the streets, the school principal called me. She objected to the way I had written my brief. Still disgruntled, she complained to my editor. He asked her, "Are the facts as reported correct?" "Yes, they are," the principal admitted.

That saved me. The editor learned he could trust me to report the facts and that I didn't succumb to real or perceived pressure.

We all appreciate articles brimming with facts, animated by interesting personalities. Conducting interviews can be your route to writing articles readers crave and editors buy.

-- BF
©1999 Beth Fowler

Hundreds of Beth Fowler's articles and short stories have been published in five countries, and two children's anthologies of classics stories are currently used in Southeast Asia's school reading programs. An American, Fowler has lived in Malaysia, England and Taiwan and has traveled extensively. In addition to being a freelance author, she has held jobs ranging from state park janitor to English teacher to human resources director for an international company.