Put Interviewing in Your Writer's Toolbox

by Sue Heavenrich

Nonfiction author, Patricia Newman has a new book coming out next week:  Sharks Unhooked, The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger. Illustrated by Becca Hall, this picture book is meant for kindergarteners through fourth-graders. The combination of engaging text and illustrations invites readers into the life of Cristina who, from an early age, dreamt of protecting her shark friends. 

It’s a great story, complemented with plenty of back matter … and tucked into that back matter was a source note citing an interview that Patricia Newman had with Cristina Zenato.

“Wait, you interviewed Cristina?” I asked Patricia.*  “How did you decide that an interview was the best way to gather information?" And with that, we were off on an interview!

Patricia: I often write about scientists and other people living and working in the world, and interviewing is almost always the best way to gather primary source material for my books. Interviews help me tell my story from different perspectives, and often bring me to the location where the research happened and give me some familiarity with the actual tools used. 

At the beginning of most middle-grade projects, I schedule a twenty-minute interview with my subject to explain the book-making process and help the subject understand the time commitment involved. I also ask some basic questions that I’ve developed after checking out several online sources, such as newspaper articles, scientific studies, videos, etc. After this first interview, I usually have enough material to write a proposal for my editor. If I receive a contract, I either schedule an in-person research trip or Zoom interviews.

Picture books don’t normally require proposals, and I did not write one for Sharks Unhooked so my first interview with Cristina lasted about an hour. Afterwards, I read more widely including the resources she suggested before booking a second interview with her.

As nonfiction writers, we’re obliged to gather as much primary source material as possible. Most internet sources provide great background, but you really want to find the unpublished, the new, the different. There’s no substitute for meeting your subject and developing a personal rapport.

Sue: What did you do to prepare for your interview with Cristina Zenato?

Patricia (photo from her website)

Patricia: I usually start by scouring the library and the Internet for books, articles, media interviews, reports, websites, photos, videos, maps, diagrams – anything I can get my hands on. I want to be as informed as possible to use my slotted interview time wisely. 

When I first started, I made up long lists of questions. But interviewing a subject in the field while walking and holding a digital audio recorder and a notebook is not practical! I find it best to ask a few large-concept questions to get the ball rolling. My interviews are much more like conversations. I let my subjects talk as long as they like, trying to keep interruptions to a minimum. Most people don’t think in succinct interview responses; they wander, add detail, and often go off on tangents. That meandering is where the good stuff is!

With Cristina, I began with two main questions: how did your fascination with the ocean develop? And why did you want to learn to dive? As she talked, her passion bubbled to the surface. All I needed to do was clarify details and ask follow-up questions.

Sue: I love that you think of interviews more like conversations. So did you just pick up the phone and talk? 

Patricia: I researched and wrote Sharks Unhooked in 2021, so the pandemic put a major crimp in my research travel. I relied on Zoom (as most of us did), and of course, recorded the interviews using Zoom’s record feature.

  

Recording interviews is essential. After each interview, I listen to the recording while making notes in my research notebook. I mark the parts I like and also make a list of any follow-up questions that I’ll ask during the next interview. 

Depending on the scope of the book, I usually interview each subject at least twice. Two shorter interviews are usually easier to schedule than one marathon. As I begin writing, I often send short emails with easy clarification questions.

Note: Patricia mentioned that when she’s out in the field doing interviews, she uses a hand-held digital recorder that connects directly to her computer via USB so she can download interview files at the end of each day and charge the recorder.

Sue: I didn’t notice any direct quotes in the book. How did you integrate Cristina’s interview responses into the picture book text?

Patricia: When I write middle-grade nonfiction, such as Giant Rays of Hope, I integrate several quotes that scientists have shared with me in our interviews. And all the quotes are sourced at the back of the book.

But Sharks Unhooked is a lyrical picture book, and integrating exact quotes gave the text a clunky feel. Except for one. “You have sharks!” is a direct quote from our interview. Basically, I listened to the poetic, flowing way Cristina spoke about sharks and their underwater world, and I tried to mimic that poetry with the cadence of the text, alliteration, and line breaks. I do, however, include direct quotes in the back matter.

Sue: One of the things that happens during an interview is that folks veer off track. How do you make sure you get the information you need?

 

Patricia: I welcome those winding twists and turns! When I write a book, I give myself the luxury of time when I interview an expert. I’m not a journalist on deadline trying to churn out five column inches. I want a deep dive.

My conversation with Cristina covered her childhood, her adolescence, and her young adulthood before she ever swam with sharks. I needed that information to build a solid case for why sharks were so important to her. Life’s winding road makes our subjects who they are. That’s where you find the nuggets to hook your readers and connect them to your story. 

Every expert I’ve ever interviewed is excited to talk about their life’s work. Let them!

Sue: Thank you so much for sharing your interviewing tips, Patricia. You can find out more about Patricia and her books at her website, www.patriciamnewman.com

Of course, not everything I asked Patricia made it into this post – just as not everything she asked Cristina made it into her book. As for citing interviews for bibliography or sources, Patricia keeps it simple. Here’s how she cited one interview:  

Zenato, Cristina, interview by Patricia Newman. 2021. (August 3).  

*our conversation happened via email!

If the idea of interviewing someone is scary, here are four resources to help you get started:

Anatomy of Nonfiction, by Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas (Writer's Institute Publications, 2011). Chapter 4 has a huge section about doing interviews. 

Talk to Me: How to Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro, by Dean Nelson (Harper Perennial, 2019).

“10 Interviewing Tips for Journalists,” by Alison Hill. Writer’s Digest,  Apr 27, 2022.

https://www.writersdigest.com/journalism/10-interviewing-tips-for-journalists

“An illustrated guide to the basics of interviewing,” by Annie Aguiar. The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, October 31, 2023. It’s short, visual, and to the point.

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2023/illustrated-guide-interviewing-basics-journalism/