In narrative interviewing, the final stage involves capturing details that will create vivid scenes from a specific point of view. Author Kim Cross, writing on July 25, 2024, discusses her process as she prepares to write a story after solidifying its structure and identifying key moments.
Read More
Before delving into scene-specific interviews, Cross emphasizes the importance of story structure, which she defines as a "deliberate sequence of revelation"—essentially, what information is revealed to the reader and when. To facilitate this, she suggests thinking of a narrative akin to a necklace strung with scenes, summary, and exposition. Scenes illustrate pivotal moments in real-time using imagery and dialogue, while summaries compress time for transitioning purposes. Exposition, meanwhile, provides critical context to enhance the reader’s understanding of the narrative.
Cross prefers to visualize her work as a "story map" rather than a traditional outline, using tools like 3x5 notecards to organize her scenes. This method enables her to clarify the sequence of events and identify which moments convey greater drama or tension.
As part of her detailed inquiry into scenes, she employs specific questioning techniques that elicit rich details from her subjects. For example, during an interview for her work “In Light of All Darkness,” Cross questions an FBI agent during a pivotal moment, pushing for precise details about evidence collection. This approach reveals the importance of clarity in descriptions, asking for specifics like colors, actions, and objects involved to paint a vivid picture for the reader.
Cross likens this technique to courtroom procedures, where lawyers seek thorough narratives for jury understanding. She aims to grasp not just the visual elements of the scene, but also the characters’ thoughts and emotions, hoping to glean internal dialogue through probing questions.
To enhance her scenes, Cross also engages her subjects with visual aids, such as photos or drawn floor plans, which can prompt significant details relevant to the narrative. Additionally, she maintains focus on a singular point of view, avoiding confusion in perspective, to ensure that the readers experience events through the lens of one specific character.
The final phase of her narrative interviews includes fact-checking, where she reads back her drafted scenes to the subjects. This step involves ensuring that the language used accurately represents their experiences. Cross believes her work is successful when the subject finds her portrayal both accurate and true.
Kim Cross, a respected journalist and author of three nonfiction books, including "In Light of All Darkness," teaches feature writing at Harvard Extension School and is a founding instructor at the Hemingway Center's Sawtooth Writing Retreat.