Interview

Purpose

Draw out the writer's observations, experiences, questions, language, and reasoning so they have enough writer-owned material to build an outline.

The interview is an elicitation stage, not a developmental edit. Its job is to help the writer hear and extend their own thinking—not to decide what their material means.

Goal

Can the writer describe what they want to explore, and is there enough material to take a useful next step? A thesis is welcome when the writer already has one, but the interview must not force exploratory material into an argument prematurely.

Authorship Boundary

The writer owns the meaning, claim, stakes, tension, framing, and intended transformation.