Story Craft

2023 Power of Narrative: Revving the story engine

2023 Power of Narrative: Revving the story engine

Atavist editor Seyward Darby on the writing craft that drives readers through a story to the end: Plot, characters, scene
2023 Power of Narrative: Prepping for profiles

2023 Power of Narrative: Prepping for profiles

Washington Post profile writer Geoff Edgers loads up on advance research and background interviews in advance of interviewing a celebrity
Reporting and writing scenes: The foundational building block of stories

Reporting and writing scenes: The foundational building block of stories

In Narrative Elements 2, Lauren Kessler explores the multiple methods of reporting required to collect the raw material for meaningful scenes
2023 Power of Narrative: The investigation and birth of a personal essay

2023 Power of Narrative: The investigation and birth of a personal essay

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…
The making of a (born) journalist

The making of a (born) journalist

Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame may have been hard-wired to be a reporter but he also worked hard at his craft
How to free your writing with free writing

How to free your writing with free writing

Timed free writing — no stopping, no correcting, no fretting — can leapfrog mental paralysis to a "shitty" but valuable first draft
A whimsical request inspired some essential writing tools

A whimsical request inspired some essential writing tools

Writing scholar and author Roy Peter Clark responded to a quirky (and somewhat brash) letter with a lifetime list of writing wisdom
A veteran newsman teaches writing through music

A veteran newsman teaches writing through music

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

Guidance on the lonely road of writing

A group of mid-career freelancers found inspiration, tools and fellow travelers in a weeklong nonfiction writing workshop
If journalism is part of the problem, can it be part of the solution?

If journalism is part of the problem, can it be part of the solution?

It is not enough for stories to expose problems to societal problems; they should explore how people tackle those problems