THE INTERVIEW.  Since the material for many articles is obtained by means of an interview, it is often convenient to put the major part, if not the whole, of the story in interview form.  Such an article may consist entirely of direct quotation with a limited amount of explanatory material concerning the person interviewed; or it may be made up partly of direct quotation and partly of indirect quotation, combined with the necessary explanation.  For greater variety it is advisable to alternate direct and indirect quotations.  A description of the person interviewed and of his surroundings, by way of introduction, gives the reader a distinct impression of the individual under characteristic conditions.  Or some striking utterance of his may be “played up” at the beginning, to be followed by a picture of him and his surroundings.  Interviews on the same topic with two or more persons may be combined in a single article.

The interview has several obvious advantages.  First, the spoken word, quoted verbatim, gives life to the story.  The person interviewed seems to be talking to each reader individually.  The description of him in his surroundings helps the reader to see him as he talks.  Second, events, explanations, and opinions given in the words of one who speaks with authority, have greater weight than do the assertions of an unknown writer.  Third, the interview is equally effective whether the writer’s purpose is to inform, to entertain, or to furnish practical guidance.  Romance and adventure, humor and pathos, may well be handled in interview form.  Discoveries, inventions, new processes, unusual methods, new projects, and marked success of any kind may be explained to advantage in the words of those responsible for these undertakings.

In obtaining material for an interview story, a writer should bear in mind a number of points regarding interviewing in general.  First, in advance of meeting the person to be interviewed, he should plan the series of questions by which he hopes to elicit the desired information.  “What would my readers ask this person if they had a chance to talk to him about this subject?” he must ask himself.  That is, his questions should be those that readers would like to have answered.  Since it is the answers, however, and not the questions, that will interest readers, the questions in the completed article should be subordinated as much as possible.  Sometimes they may be skillfully embodied in the replies; again they may be implied merely, or entirely omitted.  In studying an interview article, one can generally infer what questions the interviewer used.  Second, he must cultivate his memory so that he can recall a person’s exact words without taking notes.  Most men talk more freely and easily when they are not reminded of the fact that what they are saying is to be printed.  In interviewing, therefore, it is desirable to keep pencil and paper out of sight.  Third, immediately after leaving the person whom he has interviewed, the writer should jot down facts, figures, striking statements, and anything else that he might forget.