-
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
April 10, 2008
When the news flashed across my screen Monday, I did a fist pump when I saw the name Gene Weingarten as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Gene is the resident humorist and writer extraordinaire at The … Continue reading
March 27, 2008
Writing Tips During my deep dive into Southern writers this spring, I’ve often been struck by the juxtapositions they make between the grotesque and the ordinary, the cosmic and the insignificant. It’s an important reminder to stay alert in your … Continue reading
March 17, 2008
Details matter in writing. One of the first, best suggestions is to over-report what you see, hear, smell and touch. When you go to a scene, walk into a room, visit a store, meet an interview subject, write down all … Continue reading
March 3, 2008
Shout Outs Some of the South’s best writers remind me of the best beat reporters. In travels to their literary haunts, I’ve been deeply struck by how William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Willie Morris and Flannery O’Connor brought to life the … Continue reading
Feb. 21, 2008
Mississippi is about the last place most New Yorkers would turn to for inspiration. Shadowed by its sordid civil rights history, dismal support of public education and rural poverty, Mississippi often brings up the bottom in any list of states … Continue reading
Vol. II, No. 9 – Nov. 30, 2007
Shout Outs We’ve seen more good leads lately, perhaps a testament to the additional time for live-in assignments. That’s encouraging because there’s no quicker way to lose a reader than with an uninspiring, uninteresting opening. A lead is a “flashlight … Continue reading
Vol. II, No. 8 – Nov. 8, 2007
Shout Outs Folks, it’s time to talk about quotes. “Getting quote” is one of the most time-honored practices in our profession. Nothing wrong with that, as long as the quotes drive the story, or show character and originality. But that’s … Continue reading
Vol. II, No. 7 – Oct. 25, 2007
Shout Outs Details. The Write Stuff loves reporting details that put readers at the scene or help them understand what makes a person, business or organization work. We’re reminded of the standing orders to reporters at the St. Pete Times … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged details, nut graf, transitions
Comments Off on Vol. II, No. 7 – Oct. 25, 2007
Issue 2, No. 6 – Oct. 11, 2007
Shout Outs The greatest gift for a writer, author Tom Wolfe says, is reporting. The reporter gets to use all of the senses to give the reader the sights, sounds and smells of a scene. When writing leaves you feeling … Continue reading
Issue 3, No. 10 – Sept. 20, 2007
Shout Outs Nothing enlivens and empowers writing more than specific detail. When you’re out on the street reporting, create a special place in your notebook for every imaginable detail your senses can take in. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how … Continue reading