From the Editor

#3 rule of pitching: Flyspeck your copy

In story pitches, first impressions count

By Jacqui Banaszynski • November 20, 2020

Read More

Story Craft

A master of sports journalism tackles a new writing challenge: narrative on Facebook

National Sports Media Hall of Famer Dave Kindred's posts about visits to his ailing wife, his late grandson and life during COVID hit a chord with readers

By Greg Bowers • November 18, 2020

Strictly Q&A

Writing past politics to a “female way of approaching things” in commentary

Schmoozing with 2012 Pulitzer winner Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune on interviewing sensitive subjects, sharing her life, and aging

By Bonnie Miller Rubin • November 17, 2020

Featured Contributors

Chip Scanlan

Julia Shipley

Roy Peter Clark

More contributors

Featured topics

Writing tips The Pitch Freelancing Pitching stories Story structure
Show section navigation Hide section navigation ⨂

One Great Moment

“… a common appreciation for truth.”

By Tom Warhover
November 13, 2020

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin

Why's This So Good?

A profile of one place that echoes all places

By Kim Cross
November 12, 2020

How evocative imagery and telling details paint a portrait of a singular landscape that holds universal emotions and memories

Story Craft

Challenges of sourcing, safety and reporting for narrative in China

By Kristen Chin
November 11, 2020

Ten-plus years reporting from China has taught Sui-Lee Wee to work around obstacles and lean on the local press for help

From the Editor

Writing history as we live it

By Jacqui Banaszynski
November 10, 2020

Daily coverage of political chaos in the U.S. is telling the deep narrative of our times as they happen

One Great Moment

E Pluribus Unnerved

By Constance Hale
November 5, 2020

A fleeting headline on an Election Day story by the New York Times

Strictly Q&A

What happened when a journalist tracked the origins of the rape evidence kit

By Monique Brouillette
November 4, 2020

Pagan Kennedy dug beyond stories about the backlog in rape kit testing to reveal the woman who invented the kit and how she was shelved by history

Strictly Q&A

The fashion critic of The New York Times sees clothing as an extension of culture

By Cat Woods
November 3, 2020

A "lucky mistake" made Vanessa Friedman become a major voice in fashion

Strictly Q&A

How the road led out of and back into journalism

By Julia Shipley
October 30, 2020

The Pivot: A young journalist was dumped out of newsrooms, found a new life, then was lured back with better boundaries

One Great Moment

“His work is a parable …”

By Jacqui Banaszynski
October 28, 2020

Kurt Streeter in the New York Times, writing about Minneapolis cop and high school football coach Charles Adams

Personal Essays

Authenticity and imagery in songwriting, outlaw country style

By Wade Livingston
October 27, 2020

Learning an enduring story language through the music of Jerry Jeff Walker

Story Annotations

The project pitch that won funding from the International Women’s Media Foundation

By Carly Stern
October 23, 2020

"Don't start from the grant; start from the story," says reporter Ylenia Gostoli

Strictly Q&A

Pitching the IWMF: Focus on undercovered issues, think big and dare to stretch

By Carly Stern
October 22, 2020

For 30 years, the International Women's Media Fund has helped fund women journalists and ambitious projects around the world

More stories