“To Transcribe” or “Not To Transcribe” Interviews?

One of the unwritten rules of writing a book, an article, or any sort of material that requires the writer to interview experts or people “in the know” is to tape record the conversation. Whether the recording occurs via phone or in person is irrelevant. This rule is a good one.

This leads to the following questions:
* Do you transcribe every tape?
* Who owns the transcription?

The answer to these questions does have an “it depends” solet me 離婚したくない場合の奥の手 explain. It depends on your state’s or countrieslaws on the tape recording issue. It depends on the howmuch you’re getting paid for the project. It depends onwhether you can use the interview notes more than once. Itdepends whether you are using interviewing as an escape — aprocrastination technique because you enjoy that interviewprocess more than the writing.

Okay, we got the “it depends” listed and out of the way.Let me present a few of my secrets — the things I havelearned as a writer and teacher over the last many years.

Secret 1: Just because you tape recorded the conversationdoesn’t mean you have to transcribe the tape. The tape is agreat safety net for reviews.

Secret 2: You don’t need to transcribe the whole tape.Many times all you need are the important parts.

Secret 3: Tapes are cheap, buy plenty instead of reusing,and keep them for a few years.

Secret 4: Create a tape master finding system. MicrosoftExcel is a great way to track with a numbering system.Include the year somewhere in the numbering. Color codingadds visual effectiveness. Large colored dots are availableat most office supply