One the best things about writing, or any storytelling, as a career is also one of the worst: You're never as good as you can get. Sourcing, research, interviewing, story structure, pacing — all that and more are things to be learned over and over, and in greater and greater depth. That might explain why some of the best among us just keep getting better: They haven’t stopped, but keep returning to the basics, like the basketball player who practices free throws or the pianist who plays scales. They keep strengthening the foundation of their craft, then experimenting with ways to elevate the ceiling.
They keep learning.
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Practical tools, pro survival tips and poetry led Nieman Storyboard’s top posts of 2020
A very few of my favorite reads of 2020
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That also likely explains why the most popular posts on Nieman Storyboard get down to the nitty-gritty of how-tos. A story we feature can inspire by demonstrating that our craft can reach the level of art. But it’s best when it includes some sense of how that happens.
Almost all Storyboard posts, going back 11 years, are replete with lessons. When journalists help us annotate their stories, or weigh in on Story Craft, or simply answer our questions about their work, they are letting us into their process. They are showing, at some level, how the work is done. Those are lessons that never get old, no matter how often they are repeated.
Below we offer a non-scientific list of some of the best posts from 2020 that offer essential tools you can use tomorrow and throughout your career. It’s a subjective list: No metrics were involved. And there is no ranking: Posts are mentioned in chronological order. We hope it gives you an end-of-the year gift of craft brush-ups, and perhaps prompts you to scour back through the site for more help.
Start with some general site searches. Post categories are listed on the home page, on a left-hand menu below the most recent posts. Story Annotations take you deep into the text of stories. Why’s This So Good offers professional analyses on what makes a story work. Story Craft posts often include direct tips about some aspect of reporting and writing.
We also recommend searching “The Pitch.” It pulls up a range of posts about the common problems in story pitches, and interviews with editors about what works in pitches to their publications. Knowing what works in a pitch is a doorway to knowing what works in a story.
Other posts to read that offer immediate help and also demonstrate the range of skills involved in good storytelling:
They keep learning.
[sidebar style="right" head="Related reading"]
Practical tools, pro survival tips and poetry led Nieman Storyboard’s top posts of 2020
A very few of my favorite reads of 2020
[/sidebar]
That also likely explains why the most popular posts on Nieman Storyboard get down to the nitty-gritty of how-tos. A story we feature can inspire by demonstrating that our craft can reach the level of art. But it’s best when it includes some sense of how that happens.
Almost all Storyboard posts, going back 11 years, are replete with lessons. When journalists help us annotate their stories, or weigh in on Story Craft, or simply answer our questions about their work, they are letting us into their process. They are showing, at some level, how the work is done. Those are lessons that never get old, no matter how often they are repeated.
Below we offer a non-scientific list of some of the best posts from 2020 that offer essential tools you can use tomorrow and throughout your career. It’s a subjective list: No metrics were involved. And there is no ranking: Posts are mentioned in chronological order. We hope it gives you an end-of-the year gift of craft brush-ups, and perhaps prompts you to scour back through the site for more help.
Storyboard as a lifetime learning guide
Start with some general site searches. Post categories are listed on the home page, on a left-hand menu below the most recent posts. Story Annotations take you deep into the text of stories. Why’s This So Good offers professional analyses on what makes a story work. Story Craft posts often include direct tips about some aspect of reporting and writing.
We also recommend searching “The Pitch.” It pulls up a range of posts about the common problems in story pitches, and interviews with editors about what works in pitches to their publications. Knowing what works in a pitch is a doorway to knowing what works in a story.
Other posts to read that offer immediate help and also demonstrate the range of skills involved in good storytelling:
- Free writing: Releasing your inner artist Published: January 25, 2020 | Shop Class: Moving your fingers to get out of your head and into your story.
By Jacqui Banaszynski - In good writing, clarity is job one
January 30, 2020 | A retired newspaperman teaches to learn, and introduces the next generation the parallel pillars of effective writing: Keep it simple and clear.
By Chuck Haga - Using narrative digression to weave backstory, context and suspense into stories
February 5, 2020 | A narrative writer binges on "The West Wing" and contemplates the value of taking the reader on short detours from the primary plot.
By Chip Scanlan - The shift of “branches” in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning
February 21, 2020 | Writing guru Roy Peter Clark shows how a single, long sentence reveals the power of an overlooked writing tool: the placement of the main clause.
By Roy Peter Clark - Six core questions to spark fresh ideas
April 1, 2020 | Shop class: What we can learn about finding and focusing original enterprise stories from watching the early days of coronavirus coverage.
By Jacqui Banaszynski - How to wed personal experience and journalistic discipline
Published: April 3, 2020 | Narrative master Dan Barry of The New York Times draws on five universal techniques to write about his family's decision in the time of coronavirus.
By Jacqui Banaszynski - Teaching narrative in the time of coronavirus
Published: April 16, 2020 | A former Washington Post editor retrofits a journalism class at Stanford — and finds many of the best reporting tools still fit.
By R.B. Brenner - Reverse engineering your story or project
Published: May 26, 2020 | Sometimes the best way to go forward is to think backwards.
By Jacqui Banaszynski - How a viral tweet led to a sensitive story on family, race and America
Published: Sept. 30, 2020 | A Los Angeles Times reporter used new and old tools (listening!) to gain access and trust.
By Trevor Pyle
