Story Craft

In Narrative Elements 4, Lauren Kessler pays practical attention to the oft-neglected challenge of story endings

In Narrative Elements 3, Lauren Kessler outlines the reporting tools that turn predictable profiles into compelling character studies

Atavist editor Seyward Darby on the writing craft that drives readers through a story to the end: Plot, characters, scene

Washington Post profile writer Geoff Edgers loads up on advance research and background interviews in advance of interviewing a celebrity

In Narrative Elements 2, Lauren Kessler explores the multiple methods of reporting required to collect the raw material for meaningful scenes

By Caren CheslerEssayist and poet Hillery Stone lost her 4-year-old dog not long ago. A door was opened. The dog ran out. Several people who tried to steer the dog…

By Don NelsonWhen we first meet Carl Bernstein (as portrayed by Dustin Hoffman) in the opening minutes of “All the President’s Men,” he’s a shambles. Shaggy hair, tieless, frayed shirt…

Timed free writing — no stopping, no correcting, no fretting — can leapfrog mental paralysis to a "shitty" but valuable first draft

Writing scholar and author Roy Peter Clark responded to a quirky (and somewhat brash) letter with a lifetime list of writing wisdom

Chuck Haga and his students exchange favorite music of their generations to explore metaphor and meaning that can make writing sparkle