Journalist’s Trade

‘Very few writers understand that a story has an arc, not just a beginning, a middle, and an end.’

Jim CollinsThese are things I have learned from my best writers, and now I pass them on to you in 10 lessons.Voice is important, seductive, subversive and can be crucial.…
March 15, 2002
Jim Collins
Be a Reporter, Not a Guest

Be a Reporter, Not a Guest

Interview time is not social time, and a mistake that younger narrative reporters frequently make is to be too nice and too obliging and to act too much like the…
March 15, 2002
Mark Kramer

‘Reporting is the key to good journalism.’

Steven A. HolmesIn daily journalism, you often don’t get a lot of time. But in trying to cover the lives of ordinary people and make it news, your best friend…
March 15, 2002
Steven A. Holmes

Peeling the Onion

Seven Steps of Interviewing
March 15, 2002

Writing About Ordinary Lives

‘I wanted to move the realm of curiosity into the lives of people who had been ignored….’
March 15, 2002
Gay Talese

Filling a Notebook With Narrative

Select a good topic. Secure good access. Find good narrative runs. Find character hints in action. Find the right scene details. Find emotionality for your subjects, not for you. Do…
March 15, 2002

What Happens Next?

Tom French’s talk was an argument for the power of the slowly unfolding story—the wait, the suspense (though I don’t think he ever used the word cliffhanger). For him, the…
March 15, 2002
Mike Lenehan

Editors and Reporters

‘Quite frankly, we need each other.’
March 15, 2002
Jacqui Banaszynski

Reporting Differently

How to come back with a notebook full of narrative.
March 15, 2002
Mark Kramer

More Tips for Editors

A collaborative relationship at The Oregonian
March 15, 2002
Jack Hart