my new friend is a homicide detective
a few interview tips for when you're researching for a book
I’m writing a book that requires at least some rudimentary knowledge of how a crime scene investigation operates. Having never seen one, I turned to my 15 years of freelance journalism experience, and I reached out to the Maine State Police to see if I could interview an investigator. And guess what? They said yes.
I exchanged a few friendly emails with the media contact, and we set up a day and time when I could call a recently retired homicide detective who, I was assured, would be happy to share stories and answer questions. When the day arrived, I nervously dialed his number, and within two minutes of ice-breaking conversation, we were deep into the weeds of dissecting old cases. It was, by far, one of the coolest interviews I have ever conducted.
Interviewing comes fairly easily for me since I have been doing it for a long time. As I’m coming off the high of that fascinating conversation with my new detective friend, I thought I would share some of my go-to strategies for how to guide an interview so that you get the most out of the time allowed.
Map Out Your Story Ahead of Time
Before you even start a conversation, it is helpful to know what you need before you ask for it. Sure, there are times when it is best to let a conversation flow naturally, but to get the most out of what will likely be precious little time, you will want to have your must-asks ready.
What is the general shape of the kind of information you are looking for? For example, I was looking to learn about the timeline between when a murder happens and when the police have a suspect in custody. That’s a lot of territory to cover, and I only had one hour to ask questions.
A strong interview begins when you are clear on your intent. Weak interviews happen when you show up to a conversation with a foggy goal in mind and zero prep work.
The question you are ultimately answering is, "What problem in my manuscript am I trying to solve that this expert can help with?”
From there, it is helpful to ask different types of questions to form the scaffolding to get the information you really need. For example:
Scene details: What happens minute-by-minute? Who needs to be there? What are they doing?
Character details: What kind of personality survives in this profession? What are some common personality flaws?
Texture details: What’s annoying? What’s routine? What’s the vibe?
Be Ultra Curious
Get back to your basics: who, what, when, where, why, and how? But don’t lean on asking questions like a robot. You’re not using these questions to fill in answers like you’re studying for a quiz. Rather, you want to use questions to help encourage your subject to keep talking.
For example:
Asking about process: “Walk me through a typical day/shift/experience from the moment you arrive/start.”
Asking about deviations from the norm: “Talk me through the moment something goes totally sideways.”
Asking about perception: “What part of your job do people misunderstand the most?”
Asking about stand-out moments: “Can you describe a day that you couldn’t shake when you got home?”
The most important feature of these questions is that they give you the ability to follow a thread of storyline. If your interviewee says something surprising, follow that thread, even if it doesn’t fit your pre-determined questions.
Listen More Than You Talk
If you are talking more than 20% of the conversation, you need to step back and start listening more. Even if you prepared a killer list of questions, you still want to let your subject wander while answering. Some of the best moments in an interview come from surprisingly unexpected answers. That is a golden opportunity to follow the story they are giving you. If you’re too focused on your list of questions, you could easily miss it.
Silence is universally awkward. You can use that to your advantage by intentionally waiting a beat after your subject finishes speaking. Oftentimes, that small pocket of silence encourages them to keep going and fill the empty space with more details or clarifications.
Don’t Be Afraid to Sound Dumb
During my interview with the investigator, I asked, “Let’s say I call the police to report a murder. Who am I calling, and who actually shows up?” Turns out that was a great question because the answer actually surprised me, and I learned a lot about how law enforcement is structured in Maine.
If something doesn’t make sense, ask about it. Even if you think you know the answer, or it feels obvious or basic. Chances are pretty good that if you’re wondering about it, your readers will be too.
Respect the Clock But Don’t Rush
Time limits are real, and you don’t always get to extend them, no matter how amazing your conversation is going. Keep an eye on the clock so you can ensure that you hit all of your must-ask questions. But balance that with the natural deviations so that you can capture any little nuggets of information they offer through natural conversational flow.
You can always leave the door open by asking if you can reach out with more questions once you get started writing. Two cool things can happen if you do this: first, you just made a new expert friend. And second, you just got the opportunity to make your writing feel lived-in and authentic because you now have a trusted voice that can guide the accuracy of what you’re writing.
A final thought…
When you’re interviewing an expert for your manuscript, remember that the goal isn’t about gathering facts (although it could be!). What you’re trying to do is collect details to help your writing become believable. Listen for all the quirky stories, offhand comments, or the surprising contradictions that you think can help shape your work.
It also helps to include your experts in your acknowledgments to thank them for their expertise and time. You can build an impressive circle of experts that you can turn to for future projects by showing your curiosity and enthusiasm for having their voice included.
Good luck with your writing!