Search results for “chain block”

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The best magazine features of 2011: an ASME sampler

The best magazine features of 2011: an ASME sampler

National Magazine Award judges have a tough job this year as they choose a winner in the features category. There’s the sobering story about a corporate attorney’s mysterious death in…
April 12, 2012
“Why’s this so good?” No. 24: Gay Talese on Joe DiMaggio

“Why’s this so good?” No. 24: Gay Talese on Joe DiMaggio

“Do you know how George Washington died?” my girlfriend asked one evening last week. I was busy working on this piece, and in truth, I had no idea. Because after he…
December 13, 2011
“Why’s this so good?” No. 23: William Langewiesche’s voice of experience

“Why’s this so good?” No. 23: William Langewiesche’s voice of experience

I’ve never met William Langewiesche, and I don’t know many of his secrets, but I know he and I have at least one thing in common: We’re guided by the…
December 6, 2011
“Why’s this so good?” No. 22: Hank Stuever on 9-ish

“Why’s this so good?” No. 22: Hank Stuever on 9-ish

There are two stories from the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, that to me remain better than all the others. R.W. Apple wrote a news analysis that ran on…
November 29, 2011
“Why’s this so good?” No. 21: Neal Stephenson’s plot-free adventure story

“Why’s this so good?” No. 21: Neal Stephenson’s plot-free adventure story

For one thing, it’s 42,535 words long. This lets you know that you’re into Serious Business right there, before you even get started. Then comes the opening, torn straight from…
November 22, 2011

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, part 2: setting

[This second installment in a four-part series on writing historical narratives focuses on the importance of setting and scenes in nonfiction storytelling. The series is based on a lecture given by…
March 28, 2011
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, part 1

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, part 1

[This four-part series on storytelling and historical narratives is based on a talk given at Vanderbilt University in February 2011.]Half a century ago, the novelist and physicist C.P. Snow wrote…
March 25, 2011
"One in a Billion": a narrative window into the future of medicine

"One in a Billion": a narrative window into the future of medicine

Our latest Notable Narrative, “One in a Billion: A boy's life, a medical mystery,” tells the story of Nicholas Volker, a 4-year-old boy who has made more than 100 trips…
January 5, 2011

What we’re reading: novelists do nonfiction, a witness recants, and two friends jump into the Charles River

Today, we set aside election reporting (which we’ll return to soon) in order to gin up some reading for your Thursday anxieties: dubious conviction and cultural claustrophobia, not to mention…
November 5, 2010

Six Writing Tips for Crafting Scenes

As you map out the story, there are a lot of things for you to consider
March 24, 2005