Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: “I’m in service of you, the writer”

Effective editing: “I’m in service of you, the writer”

Author Glenn Stout has built a following as a freelance editor, giving writers confidence, solutions and sometimes channeling their voice
Effective editing: Get on the phone to talk through ideas and problems

Effective editing: Get on the phone to talk through ideas and problems

After a decade of editing, The Atlantic's Family Editor Julie Beck is going to apply her experience to full-time writing of her own stories
How a reporter glimpsed the future of America in a crystal-ball city

How a reporter glimpsed the future of America in a crystal-ball city

Atlantic writer George Packer takes readers to the grounded realities of America's battles over growth, race, climate change and water
Effective editing: Trust and Ted Lasso-style cheerleading

Effective editing: Trust and Ted Lasso-style cheerleading

For the ProPublica deputy managing editor Alexandra Zayas, emotional intelligence is as important as journalistic craft skills
Effective editing: Mutual trust and knowing the heart of a story

Effective editing: Mutual trust and knowing the heart of a story

For the Washington Post's Lynda Robinson, "The goal is to say ‘yes’ as much as possible and ‘no’ as little as possible."
Effective editing: Word skills, listening skills and people skills

Effective editing: Word skills, listening skills and people skills

Story editor Mike Wilson of St. Petersburg, Dallas and New York Times: "You learn a lot of empathy from being an editor."
What makes an effective editor? Flexibility, mutual trust and chocolate chips

What makes an effective editor? Flexibility, mutual trust and chocolate chips

A new Storyboard series starts with Atlantic national editor Scott Stossel talking about what he brings to stories and writers
Following an unfinished story: A year in the life of a post-Roe family

Following an unfinished story: A year in the life of a post-Roe family

After Tennessee's strict anti-abortion laws left a pregnant woman and her fetus at risk, ProPublica stayed to chronicle failed promises of a safety net
A first-time war correspondent finds human stories in a devastated Ukraine

A first-time war correspondent finds human stories in a devastated Ukraine

Washington Post reporter Lizzie Johnson volunteered for a Christmas-month rotation in Ukraine, where she filed intimate narratives as well as news
David Grann Part 2: Craft wisdom and breaking into narrative nonfiction

David Grann Part 2: Craft wisdom and breaking into narrative nonfiction

The renowned author shares insights on vetting story ideas, meticulous research and revision, the value of editors and pitching The New Yorker