One Great Moment

“… it’s not terribly unusual to see grown men crying …”

Cynthia Barnes of Denver Westword in her obit of a local bartender

By Erik Ness • June 2, 2023

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Story Annotations

Reconstructing a murky maze of blame

Lauren Smiley of Wired spent four years tracking the first pedestrian fatality involving a bicyclist, Uber and a self-driving car

By Chip Scanlan • June 1, 2023

Story Craft

Climbing the “ladder of abstraction” to evoke empathy and elevate your message

A concept adapted from theories of rhetoric can help writers choose details that add both intimacy and universality to a story

By Korrina Duffy • May 31, 2023

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From the Editor

End notes: The neglected art of story walk-offs

By Jacqui Banaszynski
May 23, 2023

The editor reflects on the temptation to keep typing long after the story has reached a conclusion

Story Craft

Endings: How to leave readers satisfied ~ and wanting more

By Lauren Kessler
May 19, 2023

In Narrative Elements 4, Lauren Kessler pays practical attention to the oft-neglected challenge of story endings

Notable Narratives

“Poetic explorations” in a podcast from inside and outside prison walls

By Julia Barton
May 18, 2023

The final post in the revived "Audio Danger" series gives voice to the moments and memories of imprisoned people

From the Editor

Journalism prizes as motivation, not destination

By Jacqui Banaszynski
May 17, 2023

The editor reflects on how aspiration for journalism awards can be used to stay out of career ruts and keep learning

Story Craft

Character: The beating heart of narrative

By Lauren Kessler
May 11, 2023

In Narrative Elements 3, Lauren Kessler outlines the reporting tools that turn predictable profiles into compelling character studies

Story Craft

2023 Power of Narrative: Revving the story engine

By Madeline Bodin
May 10, 2023

Atavist editor Seyward Darby on the writing craft that drives readers through a story to the end: Plot, characters, scene

Notable Narratives

A true crime podcast that is more about truth than crime

By Julia Barton
May 8, 2023

The third post of the revived "Audio Danger" series explores the reporting that revealed indigenous lives "Stolen" in a residential school in Canada

Story Craft

2023 Power of Narrative: Prepping for profiles

By Madeline Bodin
April 27, 2023

Washington Post profile writer Geoff Edgers loads up on advance research and background interviews in advance of interviewing a celebrity

Notable Narratives

A podcaster follows a then-cop into the breach of the U.S. Capitol

By Julia Barton
April 26, 2023

The second post of the revived "Audio Danger" series analyzes the powerful storytelling behind an episode of the podcast "Will Be Wild"

From the Editor

What happens to the investigators who see what the rest of us don’t — or won’t?

By Jacqui Banaszynski
April 25, 2023

A daring and likely controversial story in The New York Times Magazine profiles the crime detectives who studied the mass shooting of 20 children

Strictly Q&A

Six profiles and a first-person approach give dignity to the many faces of homelessness

By Trevor Pyle
April 21, 2023

A reporter for the Chicago Reader teams with a freelance photographer to document the personal cost of society's "lattice of failure"

Story Craft

Reporting and writing scenes: The foundational building block of stories

By Lauren Kessler
April 20, 2023

In Narrative Elements 2, Lauren Kessler explores the multiple methods of reporting required to collect the raw material for meaningful scenes

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