Articles

What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

Janica Johnson flipped her reporter’s notebook open to an empty page as she and her team prepared for an interview with Donna Shows, a cell biologist from the Benaroya Research…
How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

A veteran journalist discovers the role of story in America's prison system — and "human resilience and grace in the face of adversity"
The shift of "branches" in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

The shift of “branches” in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

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
A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

While there are no dearth of journalism textbooks on the market, many skim over well-trod territory rather than dive deep into a specialty field. And those that do take that…
"Iowa is a fairy tale."

“Iowa is a fairy tale.”

—Dan Zak of the Washington Post in a story about the 2020 Iowa caucuses
How writers show you the love

How writers show you the love

It’s a predictable moment: A reporter needs some relevant emotion for story, so — recorder running and notebook poised — asks: “How does it feel?”You can insert the situation of…
A blocked writer rediscovers her voice as she discovers America's national parks

A blocked writer rediscovers her voice as she discovers America’s national parks

Dan Zak of the Washington Post toured 800 miles of Iowa in five days to explore the real place behind the political headlines and cultural cliches
Using narrative digression to weave backstory, context and suspense into stories

Using narrative digression to weave backstory, context and suspense into stories

I’m bleary-eyed as I write this. Late last night, I finished several weeks of binge-watching “The West Wing,” all 156 episodes of the nostalgic political series which ran on television…
"If you think of all these words just staggering around, grammar is their social order, their government."

“If you think of all these words just staggering around, grammar is their social order, their government.”

—From "The Grammarians," a novel by Cathleen Schine
In good writing, clarity is job one

In good writing, clarity is job one

After 40-some years of practicing journalism, I decided there was much I still had to learn about the craft. So I became a teacher. Any of you who have gone…