If you’re an aspiring writer, one of the most exciting experiences would be to interview a fellow writer, especially one who has written a bestseller or at least achieved the level of success you’d want for yourself!
But how do you decide which questions would be the best to maximize the time you’re given for an interview?
In this post, you’ll find a few questions that can let you pick a writer’s brain in the most efficient way possible.
50 Unique Questions to Ask a Writer
Here are some of the best questions to get a writer to share valuable insights for other aspiring writers:
About past experiences
1. What was your most memorable literary pilgrimage?
2. What was the first book that you couldn’t put down?
3. What were three of your favorite books in your childhood?
4. What would you say were your first early experiences that showed you the power of language?
5. What are the most common pitfalls for amateur writers? Or, what are some pitfalls you wish you could’ve avoided as a beginning writer?
6. What experiences would you say inspired you to become a writer?
About writing practices
7. How does writing affect you?
8. What do you think is the effect of ego on a writer’s success?
9. What do you think are the benefits and disadvantages of using a pseudonym?
10. Do you think writers should write books according to what readers want, or according to what they are passionate about?
11. Which authors are you good friends with? How do you help each other become better writers?
12. What would you say are the most important magazines or websites that a writer needs to subscribe to?
13. What would you recommend as the best way to market your books?
14. How do you maximize your writing time?
15. How do you deal with negative book reviews?
16. Do you normally think of the plot first or the characters first? Can you describe the process?
17. What are three things you must have in your writing space to stay focused?
18. What do you think about writing challenges like NaNoWriMo? Would you recommend it to newbie writers?
19. How often do you take risks in your writing? Can you share some experiences when a risk you took brought a favorable result? An unfavorable one?
20. What would you say is the most valuable advice you’ve received about writing?
21. Whom do you trust the most to give you objective, constructive criticism for your writing?
22. How do you balance your other responsibilities with the demands of writing?
About ideals and goals
23. At what point do you think someone can call themselves a writer?
24. What would you say are the differences between an author and a writer?
25. If there’s one thing you could change in the publishing industry, what would it be?
26. What theme would you like to write about for your magnus opus?
27. What period of your life would you like to write about more?
28. What would you say are things that we need to bear in mind when writing about real people or historical figures?
29. What is one thing you would be willing to give up in order to be a better writer?
30. If you weren’t a writer, what would you choose for a career?
31. How do you deal with writer’s block?
32. What are benefits and disadvantages of modeling a fictional character after someone you know in real life?
33. What are three tips you want to give to a writer working on his first book?
34. What do you think should be the role of social media in the life of an author?
35. What is your favorite part of the publishing world? Your least favorite part?
36. If you could pick one famous author (dead or alive) to mentor you, who would it be?
37. What book or books have you read over and over again the most?
38. How would you define success as a writer?
About their books
39. What triggered you to write this book in this particular way?
40. Which of your books would you say is your favorite? Why?
41. What would you say was the hardest scene that you’ve written? The most fun?
42. Which characters in your book do you relate to the most? Why?
43. How different is the final book from your first draft? Can you describe some of the changes?
44. Which character was the hardest for you to flesh out?
45. What surprised you the most in this book?
46. What are some scenes that you struggled to edit out of this book?
47. How have you changed after writing this book?
48. If you were to write another book focusing on a supporting character from this book, which character would that be? Why?
49. If you got the opportunity to get your book turned into a movie, which actors would you want to portray your main characters?
50. What made you choose the genre you currently write in? What are three things you love about this genre?
Tips for Interviewing a Writer
Before we go into details, here are some important tips to remember when interviewing an author:
Do your research.
One of the biggest pitfalls of interviewing an author is not even knowing what genre he or she is writing in!
Do your research before you meet up. Failing to do so is not only embarrassing, but will also mean that you’ll lose precious opportunities to dig deep into that writer’s strengths.
Understand what your audience wants.
If you’re interviewing an author for a podcast, it’s equally important to know just what your audience expects to learn from the talk.
That way, you can focus your questions to themes you know will add value to your audience.
Ask open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions are just that: they leave room to the imagination, allowing for more personal responses.
Stay away from yes or no questions, because unless the author you’re interviewing is naturally talkative, it will leave both of you stumped with nothing to talk about.
Keep the focus on the author.
Some interviewers love talking and unconsciously make the interview about themselves or their own experience reading the author’s book.
Sure, it’s good practice to talk about the book, but make sure you keep the spotlight on the writer, not yourself as the reader!
Comprehensive Questions to Ask a Writer
We hope this list of comprehensive questions can help you before your next author interview. Pick the ones that resonate the most with you or your audience, and let the author’s insights shape the interview.
In the end, a great author interview will be one that offers a glimpse into his or her thought process, and hopefully, into their heart.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Become a Better Writer: 15 Steps for Improving Your Skills
- How to Become a Journalist: 6 Tips for Aspiring Reporters
- How to Co-Author a Book: 7 Tips for a Productive Partnership
- How to Become a Ghostwriter: Everything You Need to Know
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
