Your Dream Interview
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- 12/7/2008 |
- 10:00 am
We can all name someone from the past who either inspires us or intrigues us. Well, what if you had the chance to sit down with them and ask any questions you want? That's the idea behind this month's writing prompt...
In the April, 2007 Writing Exercise we talked about interviewing. It's a great tool for any writer, whether you write fiction or non-fiction. This time, however, we're going to go the creative route.
Pick any historical figure, preferably one that you find personally fascinating. Now imagine that you're invited to sit down with them and interview them. Let's say that you're writing an article for a magazine, and your assignement is....fill in the blank. Is it someone like Abe Lincoln? Or maybe somebody from the arts, perhaps a legendary movie star, or a star from the music world who is no longer alive. What about someone from the ancient past, like a pharaoh, or Jesus, or Caesar?
What would you ask? Better yet, what would their answers be? This is the element of creative writing that helps you to build your own characters later, because you're taking an actual historical figure - where you already know a little bit - and learning how to embellish, or exagerate. What is their personality like? Are they serious? Playful? You get to experiment.
I once tried this exercise with a group of high school writers, and their 'articles' were fantastic! Once you understand that your imagination has no limits, you'll be amazed at what you come up with. And, after you've completed this exercise, you'll find that you're able to really create interesting characters on your own.
