Another excerpt from my new program Living as a Ghost.
I like doing interviews for books I’m ghostwriting because some people say such surprising things – especially if you tell them to be a blabbermouth and to just say anything that pops into their heads. I tell my clients not to worry about wasting my time. Interviews can go off in unforeseen directions, and some of the most colorful passages in books come from off-the cuff remarks or the spontaneous “oh that reminds me of a story…”Nevertheless, I can’t just ask general, open-ended questions like “What was that like?” or “Describe your grandmother.” Because most people are not blabbermouths and they sometimes suffer from brain freeze. Then I will usually get answers like “It was nice,” or “She was sweet.”
I must ask specific questions designed to elicit details. For instance, if I’m writing a memoir, I don’t ask the question “What were you doing in 1985?” (Could you answer that question?) Let’s say my client is from Florida. I might ask him this question instead – “Do you remember the Florida citrus crop failure in 1985?” Even if he doesn’t remember the citrus crop disaster, he might have something to share about food prices in his lifetime, crop distribution or the grocery-store system in America, or even draw a comparison with what’s happening with food prices today. Or it might bring up marginally related memories, such as Anita Bryant, who was the Florida OJ spokesperson at the time, and her militant anti-gay crusade. In other words I might get other stories.
When you ask specific questions, you will get specific answers. Details are what make a book come alive.
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