"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia"

I e-mailed many authors and have received replies from two so far. Both interviews went better than I'd imagined they would. The best advice I have for others concerning their interviews is to be respectful, confident, and patient. When you try to contact someone for an interview, you need to be mature. A key point is to believe in yourself and what you're doing. The more time you spend practicing your interview, the less nervous you'll be. Try to relax. It's not the end of the world, and your interviewee is just as human as you are. If you feel awkward, chances are they will too. If you're confident and polite, then chances are the feeling will be mutual. The only hard time I had with this first interview was with my nerves, and lack of patience. I reread my e-mails to both authors over and over, I kept wondering if maybe I spelled something wrong, or if I came off as rude. And once I'd sent them, I'd keep thinking that no one would reply. It'd only been a day or two and I was worried. I didn't have patience and I see that now. They both replied in about three days, and considering that other authors could take MUCH longer to reply, that's nothing short of a miracle. It was all in my mind, I was psyching myself out. The interview was fine and really, the main thing that can make your interview a bad one is if you go into it THINKING it will be bad. Mindset is everything. Be yourself, and be engaged. If you're passionate about the topic and you're presence is noticeable it'll make things easier. Lastly, ask questions that you normally wouldn't. Think outside the box. Don't make assumptions about careers - there's a lot of factors that you'd never think of. These interviews opened my eyes a little wider to writing, and I now KNOW that this is what I want to do. It's what I will do.