Search results for “writing the book”

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Old story, new media: David Dobbs brings family secrets to the Atavist

Old story, new media: David Dobbs brings family secrets to the Atavist

We recently talked by Skype with David Dobbs about the mystery that began with his mother’s dying wish. Dobbs’ years of efforts to solve that mystery eventually became “My Mother’s…
July 26, 2011
Tidbits from this year's Mayborn Conference: how deep is too deep?

Tidbits from this year's Mayborn Conference: how deep is too deep?

Hanging out at orgies with people who smuggle lizards in their pants. Befriending a convict with an Anne Frank tattoo. Doing drugs with a source. You never know what you’ll…
July 25, 2011
"Why’s this so good?" No. 4: W.C. Heinz on Air Lift, son of Bold Venture

"Why’s this so good?" No. 4: W.C. Heinz on Air Lift, son of Bold Venture

On a rainy afternoon in 1949, W.C. Heinz watched a beautiful young horse break its leg and then get shot in the head. And then he sat down and wrote…
July 19, 2011
"Why's this so good?" No. 3: André Aciman on the geography of longing

"Why's this so good?" No. 3: André Aciman on the geography of longing

Any piece about New York City has a heavyweight champion to contend with – E.B. White’s “Here Is New York” – but André Aciman’s “Shadow Cities” comes out swinging. “On…
July 12, 2011

The implications of plot lines in illness and memoir

Narrative therapy uses a client’s life story to shine a spotlight on how he understands his experience. The concept of an “illness narrative” emerged not in a literary context but over…
July 11, 2011

"Why’s this so good?" No. 2: McPhee takes on the Mississippi

When the Mississippi River recently surged down through the middle of the country, a lot of people I follow on Twitter took the opportunity to point to John McPhee's marvelous 1987…
July 7, 2011
July Editors' Roundtable No. 1: the St. Petersburg Times' snapshot between before and after

July Editors’ Roundtable No. 1: the St. Petersburg Times’ snapshot between before and after

For the first Roundtable of July, our editors looked at “Diving headlong into a sunny paradise” by Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times. The story follows a young Wisconsin…
July 5, 2011
A new way into an old story: Adam Hochschild on "To End All Wars"

A new way into an old story: Adam Hochschild on "To End All Wars"

Adam Hochschild, a longtime supporter of the Nieman Foundation’s narrative program, published a new book last month, “To End All Wars.” A former editor of Mother Jones magazine, Hochschild lives…
July 1, 2011

Words about pictures: Errol Morris’ digital script

In our latest Notable Narrative, “Did My Brother Invent E-Mail with Tom Van Vleck?,” Errol Morris rejects many of the standard rules of narrative writing.Best known for his films “The…
June 29, 2011

"Why's this so good?" – a collaboration on the magic of long-form stories

We’re excited to announce a new feature that we’ll be rolling out next week on Nieman Storyboard. “Why’s This So Good?” will explore what makes classic narrative nonfiction stories worth…
June 24, 2011