Story Craft

The art of the narrative interview: Filling in scenic details

A last phase of interviewing is to gather the details that create cinematic scenes written with a distinct POV and camera lens

By Kim Cross • July 25, 2024

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Story Craft

The art of the narrative interview: Sequencing your story

A matrix of spreadsheets and physical calendars can help a writer organize notes, track scenes and visualize a story timeline

By Kim Cross • July 24, 2024

Story Craft

The art of the narrative interview: Finding the story’s arc

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

By Kim Cross • July 19, 2024

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Story Annotations

How a profile of a Kabul hotel became a profile of today’s Afghanistan

By Ania Hull
June 20, 2024

Andreas Babst of Switzerland went behind-the-scenes of the fabled Intercontinental Hotel with two employees — one Talib, one not

Personal Essays

All those books? The painful joy of letting go

By Laurie Hertzel
June 19, 2024

"Books are the diary of my life; when I scan a shelf, I see pieces of my past in the spines. ~ retired book editor Laurie Hertzel

From the Editor

When the story passion burns bright

By Jacqui Banaszynski
June 18, 2024

A visit from a younger writer reminds the editor of the joys and challenges of being immersed in "full story"

Narrative News

The backstory of a book of backstories about stories 

By Kim Cross
June 14, 2024

Some masters of narrative nonfiction collaborate to publish an anthology of current classics started by their late friend, Matt Tullis

Story Annotations

Effective editing: Lynda Robinson annotates a sensitive story on faith and family

By Carly Stern
June 12, 2024

The Washington Post enterprise editor gives a behind-the-scenes look at how she worked with a reporter to access sources and recreate scenes

Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Mutual trust and knowing the heart of a story

By Carly Stern
June 12, 2024

For the Washington Post's Lynda Robinson, "The goal is to say ‘yes’ as much as possible and ‘no’ as little as possible."

From the Editor

What fractals — and obituaries — can teach us about writing

By Jacqui Banaszynski
June 11, 2024

The editor muses on writing "life stories" on the occasion of someone's death, and what it reveals about the layers of authentic storytelling

One Great Moment

… that he who does good …

By Jacqui Banaszynski
June 7, 2024

From the novel "North Woods" by Daniel Mason

Story Annotations

How a reporter prepped to understand A.I. and the man who helped invent it

By Chip Scanlan
June 6, 2024

New Yorker Ideas Editor Joshua Rothman brushed up on algebra and spent four days on a private island to profile the "godfather" of A.I.

From the Editor

When the structure makes the story

By Jacqui Banaszynski
June 4, 2024

The editor muses on the difference in story craft between prosecution and defense in the Trump hush-money trial

Story Annotations

Effective editing: Mike Wilson annotates a complex story he edited

By Carly Stern
May 31, 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE: In this installment of our occasional series “What Makes a Good Editor,” we featured a Q&A with Mike Wilson of The New York Times “Great Reads” and follow it with his annotation below of a long-term reporting project he edited. Divided by Politics, a… Read More

Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Word skills, listening skills and people skills

By Carly Stern
May 30, 2024

Story editor Mike Wilson of St. Petersburg, Dallas and New York Times: "You learn a lot of empathy from being an editor." 

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