Story Craft

Jaimee Rose on a personal mystery, guiding forces, the importance of fripperies and the meaning of life

Jaimee Rose on a personal mystery, guiding forces, the importance of fripperies and the meaning of life

In “Question of a Lifetime,” our latest Notable Narrative, Arizona Republic features writer Jaimee Rose tells a moving story about her grandfather’s search for answers regarding a top-secret mission he…
June 22, 2012
Paige Williams
David Grann on the making of "The Yankee Comandante"

David Grann on the making of "The Yankee Comandante"

From the moment David Grann’s “The Yankee Comandante” appeared in the New Yorker last week, readers have been talking about it, hailing the tale of political intrigue, passion and heartbreak…
June 8, 2012
Paige Williams
Kiera Feldman on investigative narrative, trauma reporting, true believers and tricky description

Kiera Feldman on investigative narrative, trauma reporting, true believers and tricky description

In “Grace in Broken Arrow,” our newest Notable Narrative, Brooklyn-based freelancer Kiera Feldman unfurls an investigative story about child sex abuse and institutional accountability at a private evangelical Christian school…
June 1, 2012
Paige Williams
Buzz Bissinger on heart, luck, honesty, critics and the importance of switching things up

Buzz Bissinger on heart, luck, honesty, critics and the importance of switching things up

When Buzz Bissinger visited the Nieman Foundation last week, in some ways he was coming home. Twenty-six years ago, he finished his Nieman year inspired to do new and different…
May 25, 2012
Paige Williams
Wright Thompson on identity, clarity, editing, voodoo and the deadline virtues of Lionel Ritchie

Wright Thompson on identity, clarity, editing, voodoo and the deadline virtues of Lionel Ritchie

We chose Wright Thompson’s ESPN.com piece “The Kid Who Wasn't There” as our latest Notable Narrative because the story added a chilling layer to the odd life story of Guerdwich…
May 11, 2012
Paige Williams
Multimedia storytelling at The Atavist: One year in, how's it going, Evan Ratliff?

Multimedia storytelling at The Atavist: One year in, how’s it going, Evan Ratliff?

It’s been a little over a year since The Atavist debuted as a groundbreaking digital platform for long-form multimedia storytelling. Narrative journalists had been bemoaning the shrinking storytelling acreage, so this…
May 3, 2012
Paige Williams
Kevin Sack on kidney transplants, kickers, the myth of the daily/narrative disconnect and “The Little Mermaid”

Kevin Sack on kidney transplants, kickers, the myth of the daily/narrative disconnect and “The Little Mermaid”

For our latest Notable Narrative we chose Kevin Sack’s “60 Lives, 30 Kidneys, All Linked,” a New York Times story about an unprecedented chain of kidney transplants. We admired the…
April 27, 2012
Paige Williams
Harding in the house: a Pulitzer-winning novelist on rhythm, revision, rejection and a hundred other things

Harding in the house: a Pulitzer-winning novelist on rhythm, revision, rejection and a hundred other things

We promote narrative nonfiction here at Storyboard but occasionally look outside the genre for storytelling inspiration. Paul Harding, who won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “Tinkers,”…
April 20, 2012
Paige Williams
Getting the story: Luke Dittrich and the tornado

Getting the story: Luke Dittrich and the tornado

In Thursday’s post we excerpted nice lines from the five National Magazine Award finalists in feature writing. These included Luke Dittrich’s “Heavenly Father!...,” from Esquire, about survivors of the Joplin,…
April 13, 2012
Paige Williams
Shaun McKinnon on deadline narrative, soundtrack inspiration and re-engaging readers in a saturated news story

Shaun McKinnon on deadline narrative, soundtrack inspiration and re-engaging readers in a saturated news story

To follow up on our latest Notable Narrative we flagged down Arizona Republic reporter Shaun McKinnon this week as he boarded a plane from Washington, D.C., back home to Phoenix,…
April 6, 2012
Paige Williams