Search results for “context”

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An "Advent Manifesto" written in 100 short bursts becomes a study in deep writing

An “Advent Manifesto” written in 100 short bursts becomes a study in deep writing

EDITOR’S NOTE: The below note came to us from Cathy Grimes, a Nieman Fellow alum and faithful Storyboard reader. She said it was prompted by recent posts in which other…
December 24, 2018
A "final" phone call from the wildfires inspires an unusual, intimate story written under the fire of deadline

A “final” phone call from the wildfires inspires an unusual, intimate story written under the fire of deadline

 The first sentence is treacherous: This is how I die.It stands alone, in italics – first person, no quote marks. It reads like an epitaph beneath a photograph of six…
December 19, 2018
Braving the Drake Passage, swimming with leopard seals and interviewing a non-talker

Braving the Drake Passage, swimming with leopard seals and interviewing a non-talker

From the archives: National Geographic writer Craig Welch turns silent subjects into the compelling voices of climate change
December 5, 2018
"...readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author."

“…readers want to feel secure in the hands of the author.”

This simple statement stands as a truism for all storytellers, regardless of platform or genre. Every writer, filmmaker, photographer, illustrator, podcaster, editor and teacher of same should keep some version…
November 21, 2018
Eulogy for Paradise: A breaking news story framed as the profile and history of a town

Eulogy for Paradise: A breaking news story framed as the profile and history of a town

The Facebook post was conversational and almost light-hearted:And on Day Two of Camp Fire coverage, I spilled water all over my notebook and laptop (tips?!). Seems fitting that the only…
November 15, 2018
Telling the video story: Scatter visual breadcrumbs, keep the camera steady and shoot from the heart

Telling the video story: Scatter visual breadcrumbs, keep the camera steady and shoot from the heart

Early in his career, Eric Seals adopted a straightforward mission statement from a former colleague: “If you learn to shoot with your heart you will move people’s souls.” That has…
October 26, 2018
"How could you have a new country without excellent dreamers?"

“How could you have a new country without excellent dreamers?”

The last time I posted One Great Sentence, it was with thoughts about how context informs and layers the meaning of a single line. Only when I opened that post…
October 25, 2018
Finding a narrative in "our most urgent national conversation": the one about guns

Finding a narrative in “our most urgent national conversation”: the one about guns

 There are known news conventions: something happens and someone writes about it and somebody publishes it and then maybe people talk about it. There are known narrative conventions: a relatable…
October 23, 2018
A conversation with Tommy Tomlinson: Getting naked in print and public

A conversation with Tommy Tomlinson: Getting naked in print and public

 The first time I met Tommy Tomlinson, he and his wife, Alix Felsing, took me to their favorite spot for breakfast in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they lived and where…
October 9, 2018
"From the dancing came the dancing."

“From the dancing came the dancing.”

 Sentences can seem simple. Even the most tangled and complex are just a few words arranged between punctuation and white space. Ideally they make sense standing alone.But sentences never really…
October 4, 2018