A new podcast episode and a Pulitzer Prize-winning story, annotated

I think of a pivotal moment as a moment when something happens, usually externally to the character that changes what happens next. There's a cause-and-effect relationship between that pivotal moment and something they choose to do next or something that happens to them next.

A defining moment is more internal. It's like an a-ha moment when the character realizes something, and that realization causes them to change the course of action.

CROSS: I spent a whole era of my career learning to write pure narrative without breaking scene — to show, not tell, letting readers draw their own conclusions from the constellations of facts presented in the story. But this kind of exposition requires a higher level of courage and skill. Please share some advice for those of us who are still developing the confidence and wherewithal to state clearly: Here’s why I think this matters.

WARREN: I agree with you that as a general rule in narrative, showing is blessed and telling is tedious. BUT: One must narrate. Sometimes the material alone will not give the story the depth of meaning and layers of dimension it needs, especially when the story that you’re telling has a larger resonance than the mere facts. In this case, I felt that an element of essay was not only good, but required, to pull out the thesis on private facts, technology, culture war and malign actors through the piece.