Creative Reviews discussion
?'s for the Members of CR
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If you were being interviewed...
Tell me and maybe I'll use your question on one of my Romance Radio Network shows!
One cool idea for written interview is a character interview. I enjoyed the one I did as Tom Crayder, but it was tough!In general, I want to know if the author is interesting. Then I want to know if the book might be good for my tastes. It's best when the author talks most...unless they are boring of course lol
Everyone always wants to know where ideas and inspiration come from.
Oh, and I need to know where they shop but that may be a conditioned response by now lol
Splitter
If they are English and over about 30, you should always ask them "Daddy or chips?"Honestly...
JAC
J.A. wrote: "If they are English and over about 30, you should always ask them "Daddy or chips?"Honestly...
JAC"
'Splain.
Splitter
I love off the wall questions!It let's the person being interviewed the opportunity to show both their personality AND their creative side.
Like, why are manhole covers round?
What fairy tale would you re write and why?
I was lucky enough to do the character interview with Splitter/Tom and it was a blast.
Because he made it so easy.
Some authors tend to be very reserved and interviewing them is like pulling teeth!
This thread is great! I have such a hard time coming up with questions sometimes b/c I want every interview I do to be personal! I tend to try to stalk the author for a while and learn everything I can about them so that I can ask questions that will share that info with my readers... And I always ask the authors if there is anything in particular they want to talk about that was not in my interview. I have had authors give me one of their own questions so that they could share something in particular.
Cassie - Gathering Leaves wrote: "This thread is great! I have such a hard time coming up with questions sometimes b/c I want every interview I do to be personal! I tend to try to stalk the author for a while and learn everything..."I used to do that too, then I started googling questions!
I have found some good ones and then I also think to myself what would I want to be asked?
One I like to use for authors is to ask them what genre their life would be categorized as..
That's a great one! Ya, I've Googled and searched on other blogs. If I catch an interview they've done somewhere else, I try not to ask too many of the same questions... I have a doc saved with a bunch of q's I've found and used, for when I get stuck.
Cassie - Gathering Leaves wrote: "That's a great one! Ya, I've Googled and searched on other blogs. If I catch an interview they've done somewhere else, I try not to ask too many of the same questions... I have a doc saved wit..."
ME TOOOO!
I don't want to get blamed for copying people.
Cambria comes up with some pretty good questions too.
Lemme look and see what else I got that's my fave...I love music and listen to it all the time esp when I read.
Sometimes I even hear a song and it makes me think of a book so I also ask what they would classify as a theme song for the book.
Another one is who they would cast as the leads because it gets you into their head on what they envision their characters looking like.
Ask what they always get asked; then ask what they never get asked and wish they had been. Then if you're feeling evil, ask what they hope to never be asked!Suggest that you know what they did when they were six, and when they react, ask them to justify it.
heheheh
JAC
Splitter, it was a great ad.There are 2 kids sitting at a table and the mother puts down a plate of food in front of each of them. The first boy picks up a chip, a lovely golden one, (English chips, not crisps, right?) and looks at it musingly before biting into it. When he's eaten it, he looks at his brother and says "Daddy or chips?"
The other boy looks contemplative.
"Daddy or chips..." he muses, chewing a chip while the adults are striding round doing busy things in the kitchen behind them.
The Dad comes up, tousles the boy's hair, nicks a chip and leaves. The little boy looks highly offended, nods decisively to the other in agreement and says with great finality
"Chips."
It's one of those stupid catch-phrases that are an advertiser's dream, as every kid in the country was saying it for months and it still gets quoted occasionally on chat shows and stuff by comedians of the right age.
Actually, I bet if you Google "Daddy or chips" it will be on Youtube somewhere (no access to Youtube on this comp). I'm prepared to put money on it that it's really naff, seen these days, too...!
JAC
J.A. wrote: "Ask what they always get asked; then ask what they never get asked and wish they had been. Then if you're feeling evil, ask what they hope to never be asked!Suggest that you know what they did ..."
Lol, that's great
Great thoughts on this everyone.How about these:
What would you do with a million dollars?
What did you eat for breakfast?
How may licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Character interviews are always fun too!
I write fantasy set outside of Earth, so I normally don't do character interviews... they don't have TVs or newspapers and wouldn't know what it was all about, haha! But I did one for one blogger: http://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/20...And then when I prepared my 10 questions I visited other writers blogs. JC Martin has this cool thing of the Kapow question at the end: http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/20...
Now, I still have some spots to fill in October with author interviews... anyone?
Cambria wrote: "Great thoughts on this everyone.How about these:
What would you do with a million dollars?
What did you eat for breakfast?
How may licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie po..."I've thought of doing the tootsie roll pop before!!!
May I ask at this point what manner of deviance a tootsie pop / tootsie roll is? In the UK a "tootsie" is a jokey slang word for toes, so you can probably understand that licking one is a niche activity here. Not saying it doesn't happen, of course, just that it really doesn't appeal to me....
JAC
J.A. wrote: "May I ask at this point what manner of deviance a tootsie pop / tootsie roll is? In the UK a "tootsie" is a jokey slang word for toes, so you can probably understand that licking one is a niche act..."Lmao! I freaking love you!
It's a fruit sucker with tootsie in the middle....tootsie being choclate candy
And now JAC has ruined that candy for me! lolWho would your main characters heroes be?
What's the hardest thing about writing?
Are you nervous?
Best movie scene ever (answer has to be Gunny Hartman's introduction in Full Metal Jacket, btw.)
Least amount of gas you ever purchased?
Mary Anne or Ginger?
I just threw that last one in for me.
Splitter
C.S. Splitter wrote: "And now JAC has ruined that candy for me! lolWho would your main characters heroes be?
What's the hardest thing about writing?
Are you nervous?Great questions!
Best movie scene ever (answer has to be Gunny Ha..."
The best movie scene question is great. I'll have to remember to use that one sometime. I used to do radio interviews with musicians coming to our local coffee house. We were getting bored of the routine questions so I threw in, "If you had a hammer, would you hammer in the morning or hammer in the evening?" We spent about five minutes riffing on that. You really got a picture of the group's creative side. Random ridiculous questions are always the best.
Adam wrote: "The best movie scene question is great. I'll have to remember to use that one sometime. I used to do radio interviews with musicians coming to our local coffee house. We were getting bored of th..."I completely agree.... What would you do to survive from an invasion of zombies
Jenn, did you read the mumsnet discussion about that? SO funny! My mate is a member and sent me the link, ages ago...Check this out:
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_c...
JAC
What book/movie can you read/watch over and over and never get tired of
Mod
One question I asked on an upcoming guest blog post was..What do you think about hobos?
What is your favorite way to get in trouble on a Friday night?
On JournalJabber, we like to ask about hidden talents and what pet they would own if they could own any type of animal (real or fake).
Trust me, I got a million stupid questions...LOL
Amy wrote: "See, I love this because I get tired of reading the same old questions all the time...I love to shake things up...LOLOne question I asked on an upcoming guest blog post was..What do you think abo..."
Those are great!
Amy wrote: "On JournalJabber, we like to ask about hidden talents and what pet they would own if they could own any type of animal (real or fake)."I'll have a unicorn, thank you!
Mod
I'll have a unicorn, thank you!"
I think I would take one of the nice, friendly, mind-bonding dragons. :)
Amy has an endless supply of questions. Her brain is a carniverous hole full of random.
I interview a lot of authors on my blog, and also have done a whole lot myself... sadly the questions are so often the same.Recently I had the chance to interview author Marian Allen, her book Force of Habit had me grinning ear to ear the whole time. I just couldn't give her the standard questions- so made up a 'wacky' interview. She loved it and it was received very well!
http://jlwylie.wordpress.com/2011/09/...
Cambria wrote: "Amy has an endless supply of questions. Her brain is a carniverous hole full of random."Omg, that was wicked cool!
One question I would like to ask an author is, "Why this story?"
I mean out of all your ideas, what made this one so different that you wanted to/had to write it?
Also, "How did you feel when you learned that Pluto had been downgraded from a planet to just another large object in the Kuiper belt?"
That oughta get them stuttering. :)
I mean out of all your ideas, what made this one so different that you wanted to/had to write it?
Also, "How did you feel when you learned that Pluto had been downgraded from a planet to just another large object in the Kuiper belt?"
That oughta get them stuttering. :)
Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like those 12 years were useless...
Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like those 12 years were useless..."Lmao!!!!
Frankinnj wrote: "One question I would like to ask an author is, "Why this story?" I mean out of all your ideas, what made this one so different that you wanted to/had to write it?
Also, "How did you feel when yo..."Great question!!!!!
Is it me or have like two questions been asked on this post? lol. I'd want to be asked what inspires me to write, have I always had a passion for it and if or not I believe in my work.
I asked three in my one post. LOL. Those are good questions Justin!!!
How about these:
Who was your hardest character to write?
Which character in your book are you most like?
If you could be any character in your book who would it be?
Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like those 12 years were useless..."I love Pluto too! I was bummed when it wasn't a planet anymore. ;(
Mod
LMFAO!! Ok, i teared up a little bit...I really did. That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about me. :)
Cambria wrote: "Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like those 12 years we..."You are seriously so very weird.
Amy wrote: "Cambria wrote: "Amy has an endless supply of questions. Her brain is a carniverous hole full of random."LMFAO!! Ok, i teared up a little bit...I really did. That has to be the sweetest thing a..."
Dude, I LOVED your interview with Brett on Cambria's blog, it rocked hard!
Mod
Jenn aka Texas Long Hair wrote: "Cambria wrote: "Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like t..."Yup! Here's another example of weirdness: if I was interviewing an author, one of my questions would be, "Do you use the Scrubbin' Bubbles Shower Cleaner or do you just rinse of the curtain?"
My brain does NOT shut up and tries to drive me crazy on a moment-to-moment basis. :)
Sara wrote: "Jenn aka Texas Long Hair wrote: "Cambria wrote: "Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around..."Lol
Cambria wrote: "Sara wrote: "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart! I went to school and learned the planets, scientists don't need to be changing stuff around like that. Makes me feel like those 12 years we..."I'm with both of you. Pluto is still a planet, as far as I'm concerned. What would a bunch of astronomers know anyhow? More than 90% of their universe is made of stuff they don't understand and can't see anyhow.
Not to change the subject but I just thought of a good question, what is the one song in your iPod/playlist that you are embarrassed you have?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlV...Oh....we're just speaking rhetorically? :)
I don't care, that song makes me feel good when I sing along to it.
Could be "In the Navy" too.
Or "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
I got a bunch.
Splitter
C.S. Splitter wrote: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlV...Oh....we're just speaking rhetorically? :)
I don't care, that song makes me feel good when I sing along to it.
Could be "In the Navy" too.
Or "Do You ..."Oh I love boy George!
Anything by Tom Jones. I have most of them.
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This could be a great topic for everyone who has blogs and may be looking for new ways of spicing it up!