How Do You Write an Interview in Narrative Form?
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Writing an interview in narrative form presents the information in a story-telling style rather than as a transcript of the questions and answers. This style is popular with newspapers and magazines, and it includes more details of the person being interviewed, the situation and the interview itself than a question-and-answer style interview.
When writing a narrative-style interview, follow these steps:
- Introduce the situation and the interviewee Begin the narrative with an introduction of the situation, the interviewee and the purpose of the interview. This introduction should summarize the main idea of the new story or the interview itself and describe the interviewee in a way that connects with the interview.
- Use direct quotes Integrate the quotes throughout the narrative of the piece where they are appropriate. Be sure to use proper attribution, using quotation marks to contain sections that are the interviewee’s exact words. Support the quotes with other details rather than presenting them in a list form.
- Shape the story around the quotes As the interviewee answers questions, record not just the quotes, but also the emotions, body language, style of speech and other details. Use this information to shape the narrative when writing it. The goal of the narrative interview is to present the entirety of the story with first-hand accounts, not to provide just a list of questions and answers.
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