Search results for “writing the book”

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Voice and Meaning

[Editor’s note: This essay first appeared on transom.org, “a showcase and resource for new public radio.”] Dear Transomistas, It was daunting to have Jay Allison’s invitation to be a guest…
December 1, 2006

What’s Left Behind

This piece is a good example of how to write about emotional topics without mawkishness or sentimentality. A woman has lost her husband; she must now face the challenges of…
September 26, 2006

The Heart Attack Beat

For an ambitious young reporter who loved writing stories, it sounded like the assignment of a lifetime. My editor, Joel Rawson, wanted daily narratives for the front page of The…
August 8, 2006

First Person Singular: It's not just about you

Getting stuck next to a compulsive talker is one of the worst things that can happen at a dinner party or on a long bus ride. Even worse: the self-centered…
June 28, 2006

Stories Are Everywhere

There are stories everywhere. Any idea could probably be a story if you had enough time and stamina, but I try to expedite the process a bit.I read whatever I…
May 23, 2006

Enrique’s Journey

Nazario’s reporting for this series was remarkable. She followed Enrique for part of his journey—from the U.S.-Mexican border to North Carolina—and reconstructed the rest. As part of her research into…
February 21, 2006

For Ailing Twins’ Parents, Hope Vies With Anguish

This piece is beautifully, closely reported: We admired the scene, for example, in which baby Nick’s heart rate calms as his father caresses and talks to him. This is wonderful,…
January 26, 2006

After the Fire

This piece is the work of a fine storyteller. We admire Fisher’s purposeful movement from one development to another while covering a slew of characters—often probingly, always with sensitivity and…
November 22, 2005

14 Tips for Building Character

This essay is adapted from Rick Meyer’s notes for a talk at the 2005 Nieman Narrative Editors’ Seminar. Rick’s presentation was paired with Laurie Hertzel’s talk on scenes. We probably ought…
June 1, 2005

Iraq Breaks From Past

We admired this piece in part for the way Fassihi’s use of the first person opened up her writing: She didn’t try to squeeze her insights within the more rigid…
February 3, 2005