Interview Question Bank
Questions organized by purpose and dimension. Use these during collaborative discovery to surface voice patterns that samples alone might not reveal.
Overview
Interview Question Bank
Questions organized by purpose and dimension. Use these during collaborative discovery to surface voice patterns that samples alone might not reveal.
Core Principle: One question at a time. Never stack questions or overwhelm.
Opening Questions
Use these to begin new discovery sessions.
Understanding Their Voice
"When you read your own writing, what makes it feel like YOU?"
"If I read something you wrote without your name on it, what would tip me off it was yours?"
"What do people who know your writing notice about it?"
"What would a parody of your writing exaggerate?"
Understanding Their Goals
"What brings you here today? What are you hoping the ghost writer will help with?"
"What kind of writing do you want to capture—blog posts, fiction, essays, something else?"
"How do you want the ghost writer's output to feel? What's the ideal result?"
Understanding Influences
"What writers have influenced your style?"
"Is there a writer whose voice you wish you had? Whose voice you'd never want?"
"When you admire someone's writing, what specifically do you admire?"
Sentence-Level Questions
Rhythm & Length
"Do you tend toward short punchy sentences or longer flowing ones?"
"When you read your sentences aloud, what rhythm do you hear?"
"Do you consciously vary your sentence length, or does it happen naturally?"
"Are there sentence types you avoid—super long, super short, fragments?"
Punctuation
"What's your relationship with em-dashes?"
"Do you use semicolons? When?"
"How do you feel about exclamation points?"
"Do you use parenthetical asides? For what?"
"Are there punctuation marks you consciously avoid?"
Structure
"Do you start sentences with 'And' or 'But'?"
"How do you feel about starting too many sentences with 'I'?"
"Do you use fragments intentionally?"
Word-Level Questions
Vocabulary
"Do you prefer short words or longer, more precise ones?"
"Do you repeat key words or vary them with synonyms?"
"How technical or specialized does your vocabulary get?"
Favorites & Avoided
"Are there words you find yourself using often?"
"Do you have pet phrases you return to?"
"Are there words you consciously avoid? Why?"
"What words make you cringe when you see them?"
Contractions
"Do you use contractions? Always, sometimes, never?"
"Does it depend on the context?"
"Are there specific contractions you avoid?"
Tone & Voice Questions
Temperature
"Would you describe your writing as warm or cool?"
"How much of yourself shows up in your writing?"
"When do you let emotion in, and when do you stay analytical?"
Confidence
"Do you hedge your claims or state them directly?"
"How do you handle uncertainty in writing?"
"Do you say 'I think' before opinions, or just state them?"
Formality
"Do you think of yourself as a formal or casual writer?"
"Does your formality level change based on context?"
"Are you comfortable with slang or colloquialisms?"
Humor
"Do you use humor in your writing?"
"What kind of humor, if so?"
"When does humor appear—throughout, or at specific moments?"
Structure Questions
Paragraphs
"Do you lead with your main point or build to it?"
"Do you use single-sentence paragraphs? For what effect?"
"How long do your paragraphs tend to run?"
Transitions
"How do you typically transition between ideas?"
"Do you use words like 'however' and 'moreover,' or avoid them?"
"How do you signal to readers that you're shifting topics?"
Openings & Closings
"How do you typically start a piece?"
"Do you prefer to hook readers or orient them first?"
"What makes a good opening for you?"
"How do you like to end a piece?"
"Do you prefer endings that land hard or trail off?"
"Do you ever call back to your opening?"
Reader Relationship Questions
First Person
"How much do you use 'I' in your writing?"
"When does 'I' appear—sharing opinions, experiences, both?"
"Do you ever avoid 'I' intentionally?"
Second Person
"Do you address the reader directly with 'you'?"
"How do you feel about giving readers direct commands?"
"Do you ask your readers questions?"
Authority
"How do you position yourself relative to your reader?"
"Do you write as an expert, a guide, or something else?"
"How much do you admit uncertainty or learning?"
Assumptions
"How much do you assume your reader knows?"
"Do you define terms or use them casually?"
"Do you write for beginners, experts, or somewhere between?"
Signature & Distinctiveness Questions
Unique Patterns
"Can you show me a sentence that only you would write?"
"What's the thing about your writing you're most proud of?"
"What do you think makes your writing recognizable?"
Tics & Habits
"Are there patterns in your writing you've only recently noticed?"
"Has anyone ever pointed out a habit in your writing?"
"What might a parody of your writing exaggerate?"
Anti-Pattern Questions
General Avoidances
"What would you never write?"
"What makes you cringe in writing?"
"Are there rules you consciously break? Conventions you reject?"
AI-Specific
"When you read AI-generated text, what tips you off?"
"What phrases immediately scream 'AI' to you?"
"What does AI get wrong when trying to write like you?"
Violations
"If the ghost writer produced something that felt 'off,' what would it probably be doing wrong?"
"What would make you say 'I would never write that'?"
Comparative Questions
Use these to surface preferences through contrast.
Choice Questions
"Would you write 'He walked into the room' or 'He stepped into the room' or something else?"
"Would you say 'start' or 'begin' or 'commence'?"
"Would you write 'don't' or 'do not'?"
Contrast Questions
"This reads more Hemingway than David Foster Wallace. Where do you see yourself on that spectrum?"
"Some writers are minimalists, some are maximalists. Where do you land?"
"Some writers disappear behind their prose; others are very present. Which are you?"
Elimination Questions
"Which of these words would you NEVER use: utilize, leverage, facilitate, synergize?"
"Which of these openings feels wrong: 'In today's world...', 'Consider this...', 'It's important to note...'?"
Clarifying Questions
Use these when samples raise questions.
Pattern Clarification
"You used an em-dash here—is that typical for you, or unusual?"
"This paragraph is quite long—do you tend toward longer paragraphs?"
"I notice you started three sentences with 'And'—is that intentional?"
"This piece has a lot of 'I'—is that your normal level?"
Context Clarification
"Is this sample typical of your writing, or was it unusual for some reason?"
"Was this piece edited heavily by someone else?"
"How old is this piece? Does it still represent your current style?"
Contradiction Clarification
"These two samples feel different to me—is that intentional?"
"Your description doesn't quite match what I see in the samples. Which should I trust?"
"Is this variation context-dependent, or has your style evolved?"
Refinement Questions
Use these when returning to existing DNA documents.
Feedback Integration
"The ghost writer keeps doing X—why does that feel wrong?"
"What's working in the ghost writer output? What's not?"
"Are there patterns we captured that need adjustment?"
Gap Identification
"Is there anything missing from this profile?"
"What dimension should we go deeper on?"
"Has anything about your voice changed since we created this?"
Validation
"Looking at this profile, does it feel like you?"
"If someone wrote according to this exactly, would it sound like you?"
"Is there anything here that doesn't quite fit?"
Deep-Dive Questions
Use these when exploring specific dimensions in depth.
Sentence Deep-Dive
"Let's look at your sentence openings—what patterns do you notice?"
"Walk me through how you decide when a sentence is done."
"Do you have rules about sentence length, or is it intuitive?"
Vocabulary Deep-Dive
"Let's build a list of words that are 'you.' What comes to mind?"
"Now let's build an 'avoid' list. What words would never appear?"
"Are there words you overuse and try to cut?"
Tone Deep-Dive
"On a spectrum from cool/analytical to warm/personal, where do you sit?"
"Does your tone shift based on topic? When?"
"How do you calibrate formality for different contexts?"
Structure Deep-Dive
"Walk me through how you typically structure a piece from start to finish."
"How do you think about transitions between sections?"
"What makes a paragraph feel 'done' to you?"
Generative Prompts
Use these when the user has few samples.
"Finish this sentence your way: 'The problem with most writing advice is...'"
"How would you explain [topic from their domain] to a smart friend?"
"If you had to write one paragraph about [topic], how would you start?"
"Rewrite this AI-sounding text in your voice: 'This methodology provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex dynamics at play.'"
Register-Specific Questions
Fiction
"What's your narrative distance—close third, distant, first person?"
"How do you handle dialogue? Heavy on tags, minimal, action beats?"
"How much description do you use? Sparse or lush?"
"How do you handle interiority—deep in character's head, or more external?"
Non-Fiction
"Do you lead with your thesis or build to it?"
"How do you handle evidence—data, anecdotes, expert quotes?"
"How do you deal with counterarguments?"
Blog/Casual
"How do you hook readers at the start?"
"How personal do you get? What do you share?"
"Do you use calls to action?"
Technical
"How do you structure instructions?"
"How much do you assume your reader knows?"
"How heavy on examples?"
Using This Bank
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Don't read questions verbatim — Use these as starting points, then adapt to the conversation.
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One at a time — Never stack questions. Ask, listen, follow up.
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Follow the energy — If a question sparks insight, go deeper there.
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Mix types — Alternate between direct questions, comparative choices, and clarifying follow-ups.
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Validate findings — Circle back: "So what I'm hearing is... Does that sound right?"