From the Editor

Four questions mine for bottomless wisdom

Writing coach Chip Scanlan brings back "Chip on Your Shoulder," which features formatted interviews that yield a surprising range of answers

By Jacqui Banaszynski • July 10, 2020

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Story Annotations

Navigating ethics, culture and safety to immerse in immigration and Covid

Pulitzer Prize winner Hannah Dreier writes an "unusually quiet story" that presented challenges of access, health risks and structure

By Trevor Pyle • July 8, 2020

Strictly Q&A

Rejecting the simplified news narrative

Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr probes the complexity of the human psyche in well-known criminal cases

By Kristen Chin • July 2, 2020

Featured Contributors

Chip Scanlan

Diana K. Sugg

Roy Peter Clark

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Storytelling Free writing Gay Talese Longform narrative Writing tips
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Story Craft

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While much of the world has altered its pace during the coronavirus, deadline demands have not

Story Craft

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Shop class: What we can learn about finding and focusing original enterprise stories from watching the early days of coronavirus coverage

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Story Craft

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By Roy Peter Clark
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

Story Craft

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By Jacqui Banaszynski
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Shop Class: A Valentine's Day special on putting emotion into your stories

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How a daily free write from the open road unlocked the door to stories

Story Craft

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

By Chip Scanlan
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A narrative writer binges on "The West Wing" and contemplates the value of taking the reader on short detours from the primary plot

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