Story Craft

Foreshadow forward; echo back. How writers harness the power of the callback

Foreshadow forward; echo back. How writers harness the power of the callback

The art of the callback in comedy, film, literature and journalism: When repetition isn't redundancy, but theme and structure
A young journalist is inspired by fickle spring weather (and an old newspaper story)

A young journalist is inspired by fickle spring weather (and an old newspaper story)

How a 300-word assignment, and a quick read of Ken Fuson's "What a Day!" from 1995, was channeled into a nonfiction prose poem
Learning from what seem the unkindest cuts

Learning from what seem the unkindest cuts

A science journalist comes to terms with what is lost — and not — when favorite passages are edited out of her long-form story
Hitting home runs with story pitches

Hitting home runs with story pitches

Agents and editors at the 2019 Power of Narrative conference lob feedback and advice in a live pitch session
Probing dark corners and dark souls

Probing dark corners and dark souls

The risks and rewards of covering society's monsters: Insights from the 2019 Power of Narrative conference
Ripping up the narrative arc and fumbling your way to structure

Ripping up the narrative arc and fumbling your way to structure

2019 Power of Narrative: Dave Cullen on how he wove time and perspectives to tell a fuller story of the Columbine High School shootings
High notes from the keynotes

High notes from the keynotes

Quick hits from featured speakers at the 2019 Power of Narrative Conference
Golden nuggets from the rich river of narrative nonfiction

Golden nuggets from the rich river of narrative nonfiction

Big Ideas from small sessions at the 2019 Power of Narrative Conference
Can a soundtrack ease you through a story?

Can a soundtrack ease you through a story?

A veteran journalist tuned into music to turn on her writing
Forget the chocolates. Tell a story instead

Forget the chocolates. Tell a story instead

I‘m not much on Valentine’s Day. I liked the grade school tradition of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards with classmates. (Is that just a U.S. thing?) Each of us was supposed…