Recently, I sat down with my imagination to conduct an interview with a character in my current manuscript. As we "chatted", I realized that it was progressing very like the sort of therapeutic interview I might have with one of my clients in my psychological practice - talking, and listening really hard, and picking up on nuances and silences and defence mechanisms, to deepen understanding.
It was fabulous! I learned things about him that I never knew I knew, including some interesting family dynamics. They’ve really deepened my understanding, and therefore hopefully my writing, of him and the story in general. Plus, he made a shocking confession! It’s an excellent twist and it’s going into the plot. I’m certain he wouldn’t have opened up if I’d asked him, “What’s your biggest secret?”. Certainly, most clients in the consulting room would baulk at that. You have to come at it sideways.
Here is a part of the interview (spoilers redacted) in case you fancy reading it. I really recommend you try it in your own writing.
An interview with Quinn
J: So for the record, how old are you?
Q: 18. I’m turning 19 soon.
J: You have an older brother?
Q: Yes, Connor, he’s 23. It’s quite a gap between us, and then another big gap between me and my little sister.
J: Tell me about Connor.
Q: He’s amazing, strong, a real leader. He doesn’t buy into any of the BS the government puts out, he knows the truth. He’s a lot like my mother in that way, she was in the IRA – so rebellion runs in his blood.
J: But not in yours?
Q: No, of course it does. I’m following in his footsteps, aren’t I?
J: Do you always?
Q: I did hero-worship him when I was young. I wanted to do whatever he did.
J: Remind me, how old were you when [spoiler catastrophe] happened?
Q: 14 ½
J: And Connor would have been 19, almost your age now.
Q: What’s the fixation with Connor? I thought you were interviewing me!
J: Does that always happen – Connor getting all the attention?
Q: … It sometimes feels that way.
And later,
J: How are you currently feeling about x?
Q: Man, that wench has my head turned inside out and my heart turned upside down. I don’t know what to think or feel. She was special, you know. When I saw her that first day opposite me in the transport, she looked so young – too young and too fragile for what they had planned for us.
J: You wanted to protect her?
Q: Yeah, and then she was toppling into my lap and I wanted to do other things to her. She’s a mongrel, too – an odd mix of naïve innocence and tough survivor. I admired her until I found out what she was doing. And then what she did two weeks ago - that’s unforgiveable.
J: And yet she helped you.
Q: Yeah, I’m mixed up about that, too. I mean, why’d she do it?
J: Maybe she really cared for you?
Q: No way. She said she did, but if that was true then she would never have [spoiler].
J: What would you want to do, or say, if she was standing in front of you now?
Q: Slap her? Kiss her? Ignore her? I dunno. I’d probably tell her to eff off and then regret it afterwards.
J: No chance of a reconciliation, then?
Q: I don’t trust her anymore. That’s the bottom line, man, I don’t trust her.
*-*
What do you think of the method? Sound off in the comments :)
Friday, April 25, 2014 at 3:47PM 
Easter Sunday was a strange day to be talking about my sinister thriller, Dark Whispers, but that was the day I was invited on to the Morning Live Show on SABC's TV2. Samm Marshall was a great interviewer. He'd read the book (doesn't always happen) but not the ending - he confessed to me that he's gotten into trouble in the past by blurting spoilers, so now he only reads the ending after the interview! He loved the book and encouraged me to write a series because he figures it would make a great TV programme :) (From your lips to God's ears, Samm!)
I enjoyed the whole experience - from hanging out with the musos in the green room, to getting a spit and polish from the lovely make-up artist, to the excitement of a live-to-air interview - such a great adrenalin buzz!
