interviewing people

[doeraymee]

Has anyone interviewed people for their research? I am planning to do some research through interviews but I am feeling a bit awkward about it. I have done a few interviews for non-fiction articles before, but they were all for pieces that I knew would eventually be published, so I could tell that to the interviewees up front.
With a novel, it's different. It may be published some day. It may not. I feel nervous about taking someone's time for something that may never be published. Anyone else feel this way? how do you overcome it? What do you say when you approach the interviewee?
I know this must happen to writers all the time...
thanks for any help.

[Carmy]

I once approached a gun-toting guard at a train station. LOL He looked nervous until I asked him for information on a gun I wanted to use in a story. I just said, "Excuse me, but I'm a writer and I wondered if you would give me some information."

I've found that most people enjoy talking about what they know.

[pdr]

Don't worry about the lack of a publishing date. A lot of what you learn will come in very handy for many things you will write about and if you pay the expert with a gift, money or some kind of 'fair exchange' offer then they will be very happy. You don't have to say 'Well, actually I'm just being hopeful about a publisher.'

Interviewing experts is just like interviewing someone for a non-fiction article. You know: Be polite, well prepared, and use a tape recorder, or whatever is the modern equivalent, as well as scribbling notes down. And a camera is also handy for photos of interesting things the expert shows you.

If you are talking to people about, say the 1940s Labour movement, then an Old Folks home is a great resource and you will find many elderly people who have no visitors and will talk to you for hours. In fact be nice and make a visit there a regular part of your week. Often you will hear marvellous tales or tidbits of what life was like that will make your novel that much more 'real'.

Use a good tape recorder and let your old folks know that you want to make stories from what they tell you about life in the 40s, or your home town in the 20s or whatever. You'll have a problem stopping them talking! In fact they will queue up to talk to you. One way of paying them is to make a little story about one incident each person has told you about and present it to them as a professional looking, desk-top published booklet, with photos if you can. The ones without family are embarrassingly grateful to be remembered. And actually writing up those incidents is not a load of extra work but a great help as part of your research so if you are short of writing time don't fret, doing the good deed is also part of your 'writing up the notes' time.

[doeraymee]

thanks for the great suggestions!
doeraymee

[Misty_Blue]

Yes! I recently emailed a dentist of all people as part of my research for my book, as I required more in-depth detail on a particular mouth disease.

This was the solitary reply:

"My research was found on the internet. YOU can find more by using the browser Internet Explorer by combining it with Google for your searches."

Shucks, whatever rocked his boat was large! Lesson Learnt: Don't expect everyone to be forthcoming, or fall over themselves to lend a little of their knowledge.

[pdr]

His bad day?

Maybe though he thought your question was very basic and you should have researched the basics first then approached an 'expert' like him?

Trouble is 'basic' to an expert is gobbledegook to us.

[Misty_Blue]

His bad day?

Maybe though he thought your question was very basic and you should have researched the basics first then approached an 'expert' like him?

Trouble is 'basic' to an expert is gobbledegook to us.

Yeah, that's the thing it wasn't basic, and the last thing we want is to make 'assumptions' when taking our work seriously. I think we all know that google exists, and thats where we'll go first! He was just a miseryguts. :Soapbox: That wasn't even a respectful reply was it.
Never mind tho, have contacted my own dentist, whose lovely, and quite willing to give me some info! (Maybe I'll get a free check up too if I smile enough :)

[Misty_Blue]

PS: Don't let my rant put you of doeraymee, plenty of nice helpful people about too! :)