Story Craft

To gather the goods for a successful narrative, a central focus of interviewing needs to track the journey of situation or event

A narrative journalist and nonfiction author shares how she pre-reports to find a viable story and a compelling central character

Nonfiction journalist, author and teacher Kim Cross explores the techiniques she uses in interviewing for narrative stories

A college journalism student and aspiring writer shares what she's learning about the power of both factual and descriptive reporting

Practical tips from nonfiction author Elizabeth Mehren on how to create compelling nonfiction from mounds of research and interviews

From pool drownings to school shootings, John Woodrow Cox shares lessons on reporting violence through the voices of children (and others)

A reporter/editor/teacher recommends stepping back to take a crucial first step of thought and planning to ensure effective interviews

Separating empathy from advocacy, and practicing it as a tool of better listening and more complete stories

In a long feature story, two related or resonant threads can be woven to make a piece that is both complex and clear

How The Wall Street Journal has produced the daily narrative podcast "The Journal." for five years with focused content and a classic story structure