Listening Revisited
On September 15, shortly before heading to the National Writers’ Forum, I posted here on listening in relation to writing, including confessing to be a shameless eavesdropper. 😉
During the course of the Forum I attended UK author Chris Cleave’s masterclass on “Writing Psychology” — and was intrigued when he spoke of exactly the same thing: the importance of listening, not only to what people say but how they say it. And what they don’t say, as well…
It felt like a coincidence at the time, but I realise it probably wasn’t since being a writer is all about paying attention. Listening is just one of the ways in which you can do that, but it’s an incredibly important one.
Chris Cleave takes the art of listening a step further, however, because he also interviews real people in order to garner the material for his books about fictional characters.
Interviewing is all about paying attention, as well, and listening—but in a much more active way, because the interviewer gets to ask questions on specific topics, i.e. she or he can direct the conversation.
Intriguing stuff. Fantastic, too, to get an insight into another writer’s process.