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Pacific Standard's executive editor shares some do's and don'ts on pitching stories

Pacific Standard’s executive editor shares some do’s and don’ts on pitching stories

Jennifer Sahn also mounts a defense of the overwhelmed editor, and why you might not hear back right away when you email
March 6, 2018

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Why is it so great? The writing in this famous passage is so good that George Orwell wrote a parody of it designed to ridicule the bloated writing of his day:“Objective…
March 1, 2018
What Journalists Need to Know About Writing Screenplays

What Journalists Need to Know About Writing Screenplays

Narrative writers on the similarities—and crucial differences—between journalism and screenwriting
February 28, 2018
The thing with feathers: Burkhard Bilger and his haute-couture "plumassier"

The thing with feathers: Burkhard Bilger and his haute-couture “plumassier”

In his profile of a fashion creative who works exclusively with feathers, The New Yorker reporter shows off his own plumage in the beautiful writing
February 27, 2018
Peter Stark and “As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow – First – Chill – Then Stupor – Then the Letting Go –”

Peter Stark and “As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow – First – Chill – Then Stupor – Then the Letting Go –”

Twenty years on, this wonderful second-person narrative about hypothermia, a writing tour de force, is still one of Outside magazine's most-read stories
February 22, 2018

“An ordinary life examined closely reveals itself to be exquisite and complicated and exceptional, somehow managing to be both heroic and plain.”

Why is it great? This line is beautifully constructed, yes, but what stands out for me is the sentiment conveyed. It could be my journalism mantra. The sentence comes from…
February 21, 2018
How to break into The California Sunday Magazine

How to break into The California Sunday Magazine

Editor Douglas McGray doles out a million great tips and insights, including the possibly scary, "We really put a lot of weight on the pitch."
February 20, 2018
Finding the story in the parentheses and other adventures with Jeffrey Stern

Finding the story in the parentheses and other adventures with Jeffrey Stern

In this Vanity Fair piece, a freelancer takes readers on a wild ride in a bulletproof car with a Kurdish fighter turned savior
February 15, 2018

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”

Why is it so great? For Valentine’s Day, we had to go with One Great Sentence on love (even if the holiday makes you go harrumph). This one is a…
February 14, 2018
William Langewiesche and "Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight"

William Langewiesche and “Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight”

The prize-winning magazine writer's first book is a blueprint for the world as he sees it, exploring themes to come in the next 20 years
February 13, 2018