Autobiographical interview

An interview plan:

Imagine you were writing your autobiography…

  • What would the table of contents look like?
  • What vivid memories you would want to include?
  • Who are some of the personalities who would appear in your story? What do you remember about them? Why did they matter to you?
  • What places would be mentioned? What do you remember about them? Why did they matter to you?
  • What objects would be mentioned? What do you remember about them? Why did they matter to you?
  • What else has been important to you? Activities? Foods? Stories? Songs? Why did they matter to you?
  • When in your life have you had your strongest emotions? When were you happiest? Saddest? Angriest? Most excited? Most hopeful? Most surprised? Most in love? Most betrayed?
  • When have you felt most at home in a group or place?
  • When have you felt most alien?
  • How would you conclude your story?
  • What do you hope the reader would take away with them?

Tips:

  • Probing questions should be posed as requests for more information: “Tell me about…”, “Describe what happened when…”, or invitations to interpret or explain, “What if…?, or “Why…?”
  • With memories, try to draw out concrete sensory content: What was seen, heard, felt, smelled or tasted?
  • With recollection memories, probe for both 1) the earliest and 2) the most vivid memories.
  • It is likely you will never make it past the first question. Incorporate the other questions into the first.

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