Interviews and Insecurities

Trust me to tempt fate. Just when I thought I could get stuck into the novel, along comes an interview that will need a lot of preparation. I'm interviewing Patrick Gale, prior to the publication of his latest novel, The Whole Day Through.

As with any interview, I am concerned that I prepare well, which means trawling through old interviews, learning about his background, thinking up new questions, and reading his new novel. I'm currently cross eyed from staring at the computer screen and my brain's reached saturation point.

Before any interview, I am always nervous. Rather like stage fright. Another journalist friend thinks this is a good thing. “It keeps you focused and means you don't get complacent,” she said. “It means you end up doing a good interview.” (I can only hope.) In fact, preparation is the key to a good interview. Compiling the right questions.

But my nerves usually filter into a bad case of sudden insecurity - can I do this person justice? Will he/she – and I – be pleased with the end result? Will my editor be pleased?

There's also the matter of the recession which has hit the main magazine I work for. Redundancies have been made, cuts implemented and many rumours flying around. Obviously as a freelancer I can't be made redundant, but the threat of No Work is always there.

Having said all that, would I swap jobs? Go back to working in an office, or juggling bureaucracy? Would I hell....