Interviews

I was nervous to interview this person because as soon as I saw her I knew that she was a live wire. While interesting, this makes writing and observing simultaneously challenging. Writing from a journalist's perspective is challenging for me because, like a ticker tape running through my mind, I think about how else to see, hear, question any given situation. If I was writing about her from a creative perspective I would've walked into the room and observed her very closely and my agenda in the conversation would have been more of a character sketch. Because I was not writing entirely creatively, I went a bit early so I could watch her during the event and get a feel for her person. Then, during the interview, I focused more on information at first. Once I loosened up, I asked questions that moved the conversation into her personal experiences. During the interview her friend and friend's son serendiptiously stopped by to chat with her. They ended up staying and engaged in full fledged conversation. Their conversation stayed on my topic which gave me a chance to write as they spoke to each other. I could get away with chiming in or redirecting the conversation with questions. I know that I am new to this, but I definitely feel that I need to practice more. Today was an easy day, because the topic is about a subcultural group in this town, but if the topic was more pressing my nerves would've been an issue.I do love the whole process of research, interviews, and putting everything together. I like not really knowing what the day's conversations will be. I like speaking to people who I have nothing in common with other than being human. While change is always welcome and always temporarily distressing, this path is also comfortable in some way.