-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Steve Strasser on In writing, the magic is in the details.
- In writing, the magic is in the details. | The Write Stuff on The details of good writing.
- Jack Styczynski on How to write a good lede.*
- Heath Meriwether on How to write a good lede.*
- Heath Meriwether on How to write a good lede.*
Archives
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
Categories
Meta
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Roberts' Rules of writing and reporting.
Gene Roberts’ first editor was blind but it didn’t deter him from teaching the young reporter out of the University of North Carolina one of the most valuable lessons of his long, storied career. “Make me see,” the editor of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Roberts' Rules of writing and reporting.
The 'nut' of the matter.
If, threatened with waterboarding, I were forced to choose the biggest writing problem I see, it would be the nut graf. It’s talked about a lot in Craft classes but I still find myself questioning students about why their stories … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged active verbs, Add new tag, nut graf, story arc, storytelling quotes
1 Comment
Nocera's Nuggets: A primer on reporting.
Joe Nocera, the Times’ business columnist, Tuesday presented a primer on reporting to Tim Harper’s Craft Class. The veteran business writer and columnist has covered everyone from Boone Pickens (from his Texas oil-patch days) to Steve Jobs (who called Nocera … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Add new tag, Joe Nocera, reporting tips, storytelling details, the '5 moms' rule
Comments Off on Nocera's Nuggets: A primer on reporting.
Keep it simple and strong.
We’re not against long sentences here but too often writers lose their way and don’t understand the story they’re trying to tell the reader, if you get what I mean, hopefully, as scribes pile on the clauses, modifiers, punctuation and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Writing tips
Tagged Add new tag, Jessica Firger, Lee Hernandez, Matt Townsend, Maureen Ker, powerful writing, Sabrina Tavernise, short sentences, simple sentences
Comments Off on Keep it simple and strong.
The Wrong Stuff Bad Writing Contest!
We like to celebrate good writing and reporting in this space. But there’s much to learn, too, from bad writing. Many of you probably are aware of the annual Bulwer-Lytton Bad Writing Contest, which parodies the 19th century English novelist … Continue reading
David Foster Wallace (R.I.P.) and you.
When the news broke a month ago about David Foster Wallace’s suicide, I realized I didn’t know his work except for a riveting essay on tennis great Roger Federer. Since then, I’ve read countless appreciations of Wallace, who taught creative … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
The details of good writing.
We constantly stress the need to capture as much telling detail as possible in your reporting. The more specific the details, the better your writing will be, transporting your reader inside the scene or action. Mathew Warren did that splendidly … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged active verbs, powerful details, telling detail, thrill of breaking news, wee willie keeler
1 Comment
George Orwell is watching over you.
Read good writing anywhere you can find it — in novels, newspapers, magazines and online. Then ask why it works. That’s a principle espoused here to help you improve. A corollary is to read, and heed, the advice of some … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on George Orwell is watching over you.
Panic on deadline II
Panic on deadline! You’re about to tackle your first deadline assignment, and your palms are beginning to sweat. Don’t fret, it happens to all of us. Here are some tips we shared last year.
May 2, 2008
There’s a tradition among journalists of “collecting string,” facts and impressions gathered in daily reporting that can become the stuff of a far larger story with wider sweep and a richer texture. Here’s how Jere Hester describes the practice: “Fill … Continue reading