Supaproofread Blog

Interviewing a Subject

It has struck me that having to interview a subject as part of an assignment is something that is not as straight forward as I thought. Interviewing someone for a job is not the same as interviewing a subject that you are then going to use to write up a piece, and in either case, interviewing is something that takes practice to get what you want out of the meeting.

Here are my thoughts on how to approach and conduct an interview with a subject. Note that these are born out of minimal experience interviewing a subject as part of my writing career so pitch in with your criticism and suggestions.

What is the Purpose of the Interview?

Establish what the objective of the interview is to be. Are you interviewing the subject because you are writing about them or will be featuring them in your commission? Are you looking to use the subject’s knowledge and experience to support or counter the position you are taking with your commission?

Do You Have Your Writer’s Voice?

Read a paragraph from one of your favourite novel writer – then do the same with another.

Can you tell the difference between the two?

I like science fiction and Iain Banks is a favourite. I also like John Grisham novels when I’m on a transatlantic flight. the two writing styles are very different irrespective of the US/UK spellings.

The difference is their voice.

It may seem strange to ask if you have a voice as a writer – after all you are not speaking.
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I or Me?

One trick to use when checking your grammar is to remove part of your sentence and see if it still makes sense.

I find this useful when considering if “I” should be used instead of “me”.

Think about the sentence I have just written and substitute “Me” for the initial “I” – “Me find this useful…” just does not make any real sense in that context and “I” is correctly used.

Now think about this sentence:

“They gave my father and I drinks at the pub.”

That sounds natural and correct to me but it is not correct – remove “my father” and you would have “They gave I drinks at the pub.” which sounds wrong and indeed it is – using “me” is better, so:

“My father and me were bought drinks at the pub.”

Now look at this example:

“My son and I went to the park.”

Removing “My son” leaves us with “I went to the park.” and that is correct – in this instance “I” is correctly used rather than me.

I see “myself” used to get around this grammatical conundrum but that just seems clumsy.

Blue Grammar

Periodically I research for myself on the subject of “writing”; that is a bit of a shocker as it is my chosen means of earning a crust.

I came across a site which you can find here – www.grammarbook.com – an American site again but informative and helpful if you just watch for those Americanized spellings.

One recommendation I found useful is avoiding the overuse of “there is”, “there are” and “it was”; something I am perennially guilty of.

Remember one of the Supaproofread writing tips – if you can dispose of a word in your piece then remove it as long as your message is not affected. This is simply good practice to impart your ideas with economy so the message is not lost in an overgrown bramble of words.
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What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

Proofreading is a final check on your work to ensure accuracy, correction of grammatical errors and general presentation are within the specifications you have been given.

Editing is much more than this as it combines proofreading together with revisions that should improve the flow and structure of your work to maximise the impact of the piece.

Some may disagree as Nabakov (he of Lolita fame) once said “By editor I suppose you mean proofreader.” Indeed, editing is often referred to as the “butcher’s trade”.

Editing requires a thorough grasp of English whereas proofreading requires an ability to simply spell. It is also fair to say that editing requires the exercise of the little grey cells to a far greater extent as they will be actively considering the subject matter and how well the piece will communicate with the prospective reader. This contrasts with simple proofreading which is a more mechanical process.
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Copywriting: Emotional or Intellectual Approach?

I worked as a salesman for many years and I was good at it – good enough to build my own company and flog it for enough beer tokens to keep me happy for the rest of my days. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to selling.

Writing good copy is something I have never mastered and I have a constant battle within myself when it comes to expressing the emotional nature of intellectual facts and features. I am by nature an analytical individual, I like facts and figures when it comes to making a buying decision and rarely does the emotional aspect of a purchase strike my consciousness. That flies against the general doctrine of advertisers and copywriters who believe that facts and figures only help to justify a purchase and the real decision is based upon emotions and feelings.

You can see this dichotomy all over the place – how many times have you come across web copy such as this for Sean Nalewanyj and his bodybuilding course. Very emotionally based, playing to the desire to be ripped and muscled, referring to “getting the girl” and a reader’s feelings of self-esteem and perception.
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