Day 28 - Interesting Interviews - Preparation

Today is the first interview Tuesday, which I am naming Interesting Interviews for now. It's not just authors, it's bloggers, unpublished writers, and perhaps even random but interesting people who I feel may be helpful to everyone for one reason or another. The title may change if I think of anything less corny.

I technically do not have an interview for you to read today. As you know, it has been a crazy week, and I simply forgot to arrange one, think of questions, figure out format, or anything else. I tried to tell myself this morning I would get one somehow, but then my father was accepted into the Huntsman Cancer Institute and I was arranging for his transfer, which is tomorrow hopefully. So I don't feel guilt, because I was doing something good.

That said, let me give you an idea of how I plan to conduct interviews:

1) I will have spent at least some time researching the person to be interviewed: readings some of their books or articles, their blog, and any other legitimate methods of stocking or study.

2) Prepare a short list of questions. These are for guiding the conversation and are not meant to act as the actual interview itself.

3) Interview will ideally be conducted in a chat setting. If the interviewee has Google Chat, we will use that, or any other handy chat system. In the future, I will set it up for live author chats wherein everyone can ask questions at the appropriate time I open up the room and release my silencing  power.

4) Should a chat interview not be available due to time constraints on either my part or the interviewee, it will be done by email exchange and edited to move follow up questions in line with their appropriate starting question.

5) If you have someone you would like me to interview, or would like to be interviewed yourself, drop me a line and we'll see what we can arrange.

Questions will not be limited to strictly book or writing questions, but will also include meet the author type inquiries about favorite foods, books, implements of doom, and similar mundane topics.

So next week, rain or shine, look for the first actual author interview!

Categories: Author Interview , Interesting Interviews , Matt Tandy , Matthew Tandy , Writing Technique , writing tips