In some earlier
posts on conducting interviews, particularly the one on Developing Interview Questions, I stressed the importance of doing your homework
beforehand. Every writer has to be knowledgeable about a topic to begin
writing, and often this requires some research. Occasionally I see the opposite
problem, however; some writers let their enthusiasm for a topic lead them to research
too much. Any topic can spark further
ideas that point to more information, but unless your project is going to be
book length, stay focused on the main points you want to articulate.
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| Glacial ice, Canada Photograph by Gail M. Pfeifer, RN, MA |
Some dangers of
over researching include asking interviewees too many off-topic questions, amassing
so much information that you lose your article’s focus, or creating a lot of
editing work for your editor. In these cases I’ve found myself cutting the
writer’s word count, refocusing the article, or, worse, rejecting it. You can
also alienate professionals who have little time to give to interviews. So gather
enough information to write an informed and intelligent article but beware of
drowning yourself, or your readers, in it. Clarity is everything.
