Personal accounts are one of the most valuable tools in illustrating the message you are trying to convey in your writing. They may come in the form of books, memoirs, letters, diaries, recordings, and personal interviews.

Whilst written accounts are often prerecorded and you have no influence in their subject matter or suitability for your own requirements, the ability to interview the subject or a participant in, or witness to, an event enables you to add unique value to your writing.

In an...