Story Craft

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
April 5, 2019
Julia Shipley
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
April 4, 2019
Monique Brouillette
High notes from the keynotes

High notes from the keynotes

Quick hits from featured speakers at the 2019 Power of Narrative Conference
March 29, 2019
Caren Chesler
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
March 28, 2019
Caren Chesler
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
February 21, 2019
Jessica Wapner
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…
February 14, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
More on nut grafs: A sweet addendum

More on nut grafs: A sweet addendum

EDITOR’S NOTE: Storyboard recently revisited the long-standing debate over the ‘nut graf’ — variably called the summary nut, the billboard, the transition, the significance graf, the so-what passage, the foreshadow. Veteran writer…
February 12, 2019
Thomas Curwen
A nutcracker suite: How top journalists interpret the dance of the nut graf

A nutcracker suite: How top journalists interpret the dance of the nut graf

Perspectives from more than 20 top journalists on what the "nut graf" really means
February 1, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
A nut graf by any other name might taste sweeter ~ and be more digestible

A nut graf by any other name might taste sweeter ~ and be more digestible

A defense of the summary nut as it is used in variations by Ken Burns, the Beatles and Shakespeare
January 31, 2019
Jacqui Banaszynski
Nut grafs: Overused, misused — or merely misunderstood?

Nut grafs: Overused, misused — or merely misunderstood?

When a summary nut beeps like the back-up horn on a truck or blinds like a searchlight, it can ruin the magic of a narrative
January 30, 2019
Chip Scanlan