David Baldacci’s 7 Writing Tips for Interviewing Subjects

David Baldacci is a bestselling author whose books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Baldacci’s most popular works fall into the thriller genre and often discuss the inner workings of law enforcement and the national security apparatus. Baldacci considers in-depth interviews an essential part of his writing process.

David Baldacci grew up in Virginia where he also attended college at Virginia Commonwealth University and Law School at the University of Virginia. After law school he lived and practiced law in Washington, D.C. before transitioning to becoming a full-time writer. Baldacci’s first book, Absolute Power, was adapted into a film of the same name starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Since then he’s published numerous bestsellers. Some of his popular book series include:

• The Camel Club series (The Camel Club, The Collectors, Stone Cold, Divine Justice, Hell’s Corner)
• Shaw series (The Whole Truth, Deliver Us From Evil)
• John Puller series (Zero Day, The Forgotten, The Escape, No Man’s Land)
• Will Robie series (The Innocent, The Hit, The Target, The Guilty, End Game)
• Amos Decker series (Memory Man, The Last Mile, The Fix, The Fallen, Redemption, Walk the Wire)
• Atlee Pine series (Long Road to Mercy, A Minute to Midnight)
• Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series (Split Second, Hour Game, Simple Genius, First Family, The Sixth Man, King and Maxwell)

Baldacci has also dabbled in young adult fiction. His two YA series are:

• The Finisher series (The Finisher, The Keeper, The Width of the World, The Stars Below)
• Freddy and the French Fries series (Fries Alive!, The Mystery of Silas Finklebean)

Interview research is a great tool for fiction writers because it provides you with necessary context and background information that will inform the story you are about to write. The purpose of the interview is to ask subjects specific predetermined questions about the world in which you are setting your story as well as possibly glean narrative elements from their own lives and experiences. Before you dive into an interview, it’s important to have a well-thought-out interview method and a carefully constructed list of questions.

Here’s David Baldacci’s interview guide, for the kinds of questions you should ask during structured interviews and general guidelines for a face-to-face interview process.

1. 1. Use your network as a source. From securing a meeting to conducting the interview itself and ensuring that you’re gathering all the information you need, interviewing is a consuming task. But the benefits of interviews go way beyond the simple gathering of information. You’ll be meeting real-life people who can inspire story elements, provide unexpected inspiration, and, crucially, connect you to others for further research. If a meeting with someone is done as a favor for a mutual friend, you’ll already have established a connection, and chances are good that they’ll give you a bit more time and energy.
2. 2. Never go in cold turkey. Prepare for your interview by learning as much as you can upfront. It’s respectful to get as much general background as you can about the person you’re interviewing, about their job and their area of expertise. It also means you’ll spend less time covering the basics during the interview. This will probably win the respect of your subject and encourage a deeper level of dialogue from him or her.
3. 3. Prepare your goals. Make a list of the things you’re hoping to learn. Consider the following goals: the subject’s behavior at work, their knowledge as well as their opinions and feelings about it, what their sensory experience is like, their past experiences, and their future goals.
4. 4. Bring the right tools. You’ll probably want to record your interviews. This will make it easier for you to comb through the information later and will free you from having to write everything down (which can distract you during the interview). Always confirm with your subject that you have their permission to record them. Invest in a good recording device or use a good voice-recording app for your phone.
5. 5. Courtesy is key. Don’t assume that the subject will give you everything you need. They may be busy or bound by confidentiality about certain subjects. Respect their boundaries—if they say no to recording the interview, then don’t do it. If they can give you only 15 minutes when you asked for an hour, take it, and be sure to make the most of your time. When the interview is over, don’t assume you can continue contacting them. Instead, ask if it would be all right to reach out with follow-up questions, and confirm the best way to do that.
6. 6. Respecting confidentiality is essential. In many interviews, it’s important to address terms of confidentiality both before and after the interview. You should make it plain what your intentions are, so feel free to explain a little about your novel and your goals, and confirm with the subject that you’ll be using what they tell you as inspiration for your writing. If there is ever a moment when they ask for secrecy, respect it.
7. 7. Use open-ended questions. Generally speaking, there are two types of interview questions: Closed-ended questions, which invite a response of either “yes” or “no,” and open-ended questions, which encourage a subject to speak in more depth and detail. David has found that open-ended questions work best for his own research purposes: He’ll choose topics that he’d like to discuss and try to guide the conversation toward those things. This tactic allows your interview subject plenty of space to talk freely and share whatever information they’d like, which can often reveal things you may not have thought to ask.

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