Search results for “writing the book”

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The struggle to define cinematic writing

The struggle to define cinematic writing

I’ve been struggling to find the right term for the nonfiction writing I most admire. Whether written by Joan Didion, David Grann, Susan Orlean, Héctor Tobar, Isabel Wilkerson, or Gene…
Narrative of Oregon town’s hellish wildfire experience is a lesson in deadline writing

Narrative of Oregon town’s hellish wildfire experience is a lesson in deadline writing

This past Labor Day, three reporters in Salem, Oregon were enjoying the holiday weekend. They’d done a good job preparing stories in advance so they wouldn’t have to scramble the…
Rewriting the "hero's journey" to fit a feminine narrative

Rewriting the “hero’s journey” to fit a feminine narrative

A writer on a hunt to understand classic story structure ponders politics, movies and her grandmother's life, and searches for a journey of their own
Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

Writing rituals: Superstition or productivity?

I’d heard the story many times before, but I still couldn’t believe it:Gay Talese pinned his manuscript pages to the wall of his office. He then walked across the room to…
The challenge of writing a life in two lines

The challenge of writing a life in two lines

On May 23, 2020, (May 24 in print), the New York Times landed a daring and historic front page: A wash of overwhelming gray, which jumped to two more gray…
Take small steps to tell the big story: Make free writing a daily discipline

Take small steps to tell the big story: Make free writing a daily discipline

This column was originally published as an issue of Nieman Storyboard’s weekly newsletter. You can read back issues of the newsletter and subscribe here.Thoughts this week turn to the creativity…
Building writing muscles — a postcard a day

Building writing muscles — a postcard a day

With writing, as with most things, you get better with practice. Just ask an athlete. Or a sports reporter.Derrick Goold, baseball writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, guesses that he…
Deadline writing when the world is in chaos, your house is imploding and kids are home from school

Deadline writing when the world is in chaos, your house is imploding and kids are home from school

EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay first appeared in The Cabin, a center for writers in Idaho. It is used with permission. Also, read Kim Cross’s Writer’s Survival Guide: Tips for defying…
Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

Writing the character, contradictions and soul of a place

America’s quadrennial obsession with Iowa has passed like the season’s last snow storm, there for a turbulent moment but forgotten three days later. The nail-biting over bad election apps and…
A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

While there are no dearth of journalism textbooks on the market, many skim over well-trod territory rather than dive deep into a specialty field. And those that do take that…