| p>While we all like to think that our memoirs are | | | | Does 2 PM to 4 PM work for you?" |
| faithful, the fact is that they are not. Interviewing | | | | If you say, "Is there a room in your house where |
| people who were witnesses to our lives or to the | | | | we can talk quietly?" it is possible that your |
| lives of people we are writing about is an | | | | interviewee will say yes in spite of the fact that |
| important step in ascertaining the veracity of our | | | | she knows someone will be watching television or |
| recall. | | | | working in that room. ("They'll just be watching |
| 1. Make clear preliminary arrangements with the | | | | their program!") You would do better to say, "We |
| people you will interview. Be specific about the | | | | have to have a space where no other activity will |
| meeting time, the length of the interview, the | | | | be going on-no TV, no radio, no telephone |
| place where it will occur, and the conditions | | | | conversations, no work." |
| necessary for its success. It is often effective | | | | If your interviewee says there are no such |
| and efficient to have the interviewee gather | | | | rooms in house, perhaps you can suggest |
| memory jogs (photos, clippings, mementos) that | | | | meeting at your place--if necessary, you can add, |
| can be used as warm-ups. | | | | "I'll pick you up and bring you back." You cannot |
| 2. Be very specific in your requests. Vague | | | | be too specific about the logistics. A detail left out |
| requests like "We'll need a good amount of time" | | | | of planning, or ineffectively decided upon, can |
| can be interpreted so differently that they are | | | | sabotage your interview. |
| useless in making arrangements. Instead say, | | | | Good luck writing your memoir! |
| "We'll need a two-hour block on Tuesday the fifth. | | | | |