Story Craft

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
Compression: It's not just for socks

Compression: It’s not just for socks

Ads on radio and news sites here in Seattle are promoting “Potted Potter,” a romp of a stage play that retells all seven Harry Potter books — more than 4,000…
Social-change journalism can make "good trouble"

Social-change journalism can make “good trouble”

A Vanderbilt professor wraps up his case for seven reframes of problem-centered story work with a summary of risks and rewards
Making good journalistic trouble, Part VII: Seeing through other moral lenses

Making good journalistic trouble, Part VII: Seeing through other moral lenses

Stories that challenge value judgments and assumptions can help readers reconsider those blamed for and stigmatized for social problems