As a journalist, you are not allowed to be star struck. I’ve interviewed people like Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Edwards, and even John Kerry. The key is to not giggle like a little girl during the interview (on the ride home, however, do what you like) but instead present yourself as a professional. Someone who is good at her job and who knows how to behave with a certain 
amount of decorum.
It takes skill and practice not to utter the Oh. My. Gods., when you meet someone big or someone important for the first time. After all, these are the people you read about in the news. There are thousands of people who want to get near this person and here you are getting their one-on-one attention. How cool is that?
When I interviewed Michelle (call me Michelle) Obama, it was during the Primaries in New Hampshire. Even back then it was pretty clear that this guy named Barack was going to win the Presidential election. Sitting down in front of her and her friend (want some carrots? Um no thanks) I realized that I was most likely going to be asking questions of the next First Lady of the United States.
Take a breath.
I was impressed, definitely impressed. But as I pulled out my notebook I focused on her shoes, yup, I’ll bet that woman put her shoes on one at a time just like I did. From then on, I could talk to her, look her in the eye and even appreciate her joke or two. On some level, she was just another mom, another woman who worried about her kids and who juggled ballet lesson driving with her friends. The only difference was that this mom was married to the man who would most likely be the next President of the United States.
But then I had to remember that she was not me. It was not my job to be her friend but instead to be an interviewer, I needed to get answers to my questions (by the way she loves Lawry seasoning on french fries.)
It all comes down to you being just a tiny bit schizophrenic. You have to distance yourself from, while at the same time relating to, the other person. It’s a juggling act and a skill used not only by journalists but by all writers. We have to remember that our characters are not us but we also have to use our experiences in life to give our characters their life.
It’s kid of like falling into the looking glass.
Over and over and over.
Next time you write (or conduct an interview) pay attention to how you position yourself against your character or that person. How is it that you relate? And also, just as importantly, how is it that you keep your distance?
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Wendy Thomas is an award winning journalist, columnist, and blogger who believes that taking challenges in life will always lead to goodness. She is the mother of 6 funny and creative kids and it is her goal to teach them through stories and lessons.
Wendy’s current project involves writing about her family’s experiences with chickens (yes, chickens). (www.simplethrift.wordpress.com)
When asked if she prefers diamonds or pearls, Michelle chose diamonds.
I can relate to this, Wendy. I’ve recently needed to interview a whole bunch of C-level players at multi-billion dollar, global companies. Was I intimidated? Hell, yes. But then – like you – I remembered that they are just human beings. I reminded myself that I am good at what I do and that although they may know WAY more than me about running their companies, I know way more than them about writing.
It’s so important to get in the right mindset for these kinds of things. TKS for the great reminder!
Good point Jamie, reminding yourself that you also know what you are doing is soooo important.
Write on.
Wendy
I’ve been on both sides, a political reporter and a communications advisor to a member of Congress. On the reporting side, it takes a gifted person to gain a seasoned politician’s trust to get them to REALLY talk to you.
Very true, I think that one of the things that works in my favor (and why I love being a journalist) is that I *really* am interested in hearing what other people have to say.
You have to be able to ask good questions as a reporter but you also have to be able to have the skill of listening.
Yes, some politicians are much better than others at staying on message … and that message is pounded into their brains by the advisors. It’s so fun to move a politico through an interview, and to gradually get him or her off message. They all WANT to speak from their hearts, it’s just a learned process of making that happen on a consisted basis. You have to love it, and you obviously do.
I’ve never had to do an interview before (unless you count those silly things you do with older relatives in grade school), but I think this idea translates very strongly toward my type of writing as well (fiction). When writing a main character it’s hard not to let your own feelings and ideals leech into the story. I love cats, but if my character is supposed to hate animals then it won’t do to have her snuggling with kittens in the story. That’s a dumb example, I know, but you get the idea.
I got to read and understand, in my way, how dificult to talk with a politician who wants to take good care and certainly uses formed frases from their ghost politicians writers. That´s life! Some of us are used to walk a way that certainlly was not created for us, well, for people like me. That´s it! So, I promisse i´ll not go on with this comments…
Celina Bittencourt.
Highly creative minds have unique characteristics of their own, for sure. There is lots of research now to show this… very creative types may not only have to pretend “schizophrenia” as you say, but may be more at risk for said illness, as well as depression, social anxieties, etc. Interesting way of looking at the role of a journalist. Love your blog.
Reblogged this on Mi Casa.
I believe to be successful in our writing careers, we do indeed need some level of Schizophrenia! “Simplyenjoy”, you’re absolutely right as well. Most writers do face forms of mental illness, most often depression of some level. I think it has to do with creative people using mostly the right brain…
I’m embarking on a new phase of my writing career that will include interviewing. Although I won’t be interviewing anyone on Michelle Obama’s level, I found this post helpful and grounding, thank you!
Tami
I’ve never interviewed someone famous and don’texpect to, but I DO treat my characters like they are real people. Never related it to being schizophrenic – more like demonic possession! haha
When I sit at my desk I feel like an actor, let the character take over. I think THEIR thoughts and feelings, especially as they interact with secondary characters in my book (which gives me a different angle on those other characters). Sometimes I put them in front of a mirror and “see” them looking at themselves to get a visual of their “physical” body.
Sometimes this gets intense during creative moments, because I have a hard time immediately ejecting the character. They still “possess” me for awhile after I leave my desk. Takes some time to wind down, perform an exorcism, so to speak. I get annoyed when interrupted during this kind of developmental stage because it’s preciously rare when you become fully immersed, and as TraceyLynn commented, not “letting your own feelings and ideals leech into the story.” These types of moments are great for extracting backstory too and learning the “secret thoughts” of your character to help portray nuances of personality in a character.
I think your experience as a journalist must be extremely helpful to you when you write creative pieces, as well as during revisions, because separating yourself – being DEtached in addition to being attached – is an important part of being a succcessful writer.
Very, very good article. But there’s an easier solution to the “Starstruck” dilemma rather than collectively gathering one’s breath before sitting down with a celebrity. Become a server at a reputed restaurant in a big city.This experience will teach you how to fit all manners of royalty- musicians, actors, politicians- into a category not unlike your own.
Wonderful advice that I need just now in writing my allegorical narrative poetry series: how to maintain the necessary symbiosis with a couple of my characters but maintain a sufficient distance not to imprint them so much of myself. In other words, let my characters breathe fresh air. I, myself, would have been so tempted to just become buddies with Michelle, First Lady of the United States of America!
Reblogged this on christinaow.
Thanks for sharing.
While I see what you mean, I think it’s a little offensive to compare the slight dissociation necessary for journalistic integrity to the VERY disconcerting, serious, and stressful dissociation that is often a symptom of schizophrenia. Just a really poor and insensitive analogy.
I work as a facilitator for a caregiver’s support group for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) – (my daughter suffers from a serious ORGANIC mental illness)…and Wendy’s analogy is spot on. She is not being insensitive but using the comparison to symptoms (“tiny bit”) to give sense of how she needs to dissociate to get herself through the process. If she were being insensitive I would have jumped on that one. If someone said something like “My writing is blemished like a teenager with acne”, no one would blink an eye. There was no personal or demoralizing attack directed at an individual or the disease. I give a thumbs up to the comparison!
Note: I don’t know Wendy on a personal level, but I do follow this blog and am one of the “regulars” and can assure you, her style of writing IS quite sensitive and observant and, above all, respectful.
The English term schizophrenia comes from two Greek words that mean “split mind.”
I see NOTHING wrong at all with the analogy that Wendy used for this topic. As great writers, we ALL have to have split minds at the best of times in order to be successful at our craft. Jac, I’m actually sorry for you that you took something so figurative, and had to try to turn it into an inflammatory statement. I’m glad you felt able to express your thoughts, however, I don’t think it was necessary.
Wendy, I agree… the DISASSOCIATION, was relevant, as was the older definition I pasted above… “split mind”. In order to be good at what we do, we NEED to mirror mental illness on many levels. Almost to the point of MPD in some situations. *Puts on her bulletproof vest*
Jac,
First of all I don’t believe in any kind of censorship (and that includes being politically correct) *as long* as what is being said is responsible.
Although you may feel that my comparison was poor and insensitive, I, who have much experience with advocating and working with the disabled community and with families of children with learning disabilities, disagree with you.
I took a known medical condition of disassociation and applied it to *my* experiences of how *I* write. And as the moral of my story is that this is a state to which you should strive to attain as a writer, I see no insensitivity implied.
While disabilities, diseases, and conditions certainly have their down sides, they also have their strengths and can teach us many lessons.
Schizophrenia remains in my vocabulary.
Wendy
Thanks for the reply. ^.^ Although we will continue to disagree on this issue, I do absolutely love this blog and hope to read more of your posts in the future. ^.^
Happy to have stumbled upon your website, in fact I’ve been pondering on how to conduct an interview since the last interview I’d conducted was over twenty years ago for my high school news paper. Thanks so much.