Author

Chip Scanlan

@chipscanlan

After two decades as an award-winning journalist, Chip Scanlan taught writing at The Poynter Institute from 1994-2009. His credits include The New York Times, NPR, The Washington Post Magazine and The American Scholar; two essays were listed as notables in Best American Essays. He lives and writes in St. Petersburg, Florida, and publishes Chip’s Writing Lessons, a newsletter of tips and inspiration.

One cold case murder. Two narrative forms.

One cold case murder. Two narrative forms.

A magazine writer and a documentary filmmaker discuss how storytelling platforms shaped their coverage of the same cold case hate murder
Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

A book captures the obsessive habits of great authors — quirks that writing coach Chip Scanlan says help writers focus and summon the Muse
Triple profile: A mountain town, a beloved newspaper, and an unlikely hero

Triple profile: A mountain town, a beloved newspaper, and an unlikely hero

A veteran foreign correspondent finds a hero tale in a tiny California town: "A story is a story no matter where it takes place."
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…
An investigative journalist takes a yearly "leap out of the comfort zone" into fiction

An investigative journalist takes a yearly “leap out of the comfort zone” into fiction

Every journalist has an unfinished novel or a screenplay tucked in their desk drawer or hard drive. Of course, that’s not true in every case, but there’s no doubt a…
When the story we cover becomes our own

When the story we cover becomes our own

It’s an all-too-familiar story. Another American factory closes, the latest in a long line in the last three decades that has seen American manufacturing devastated by foreign competition. This time…
The 1619 project: Tracing steps backwards to find a way forward

The 1619 project: Tracing steps backwards to find a way forward

Four centuries ago this year, a privateer named the White Lion anchored off Point Comfort, an English colony in what is now Hampton, Virginia. In its cramped hold, it carried…
Singular moments, timeless questions

Singular moments, timeless questions

Sunday, December 28, 1986. An ordinary day, much like any other. Except in two operating rooms at Fairfax Hospital in suburban Virginia, where something extraordinary was about to happen.In one…
When gun violence visits, a pastor finds faith and a reporter finds those not noticed

When gun violence visits, a pastor finds faith and a reporter finds those not noticed

“Pittsburgh. El Paso. San Bernardino. Las Vegas. Aurora. Orlando. Sandy Hook. Isla Vista. Gilroy. Colorado Springs.”David Montero’s voice trails off.  “I just feel like there are obvious ones I’m missing.…
When gun violence visits, a workaday mayor — and hard-working journalist — respond

When gun violence visits, a workaday mayor — and hard-working journalist — respond

By early August of this year, 253 American cities had been added to the map of mass shootings. For a day or two after yet another event, officials in these…