Lessons from covering the extraordinary
Here’s a nightmare: You’re assigned to write about a phenomenon so arcane that only a small group of policy nerds and engineers understand it—and yet so potentially devastating that it threatens [...]
Building stronger middle sections of your stories
Admit it, you're lead-obsessed. We all are. (This newsletter is.) There's good reason: The lead not only determines whether a reader joins you for the ride, but it foreshadows many aspects of the [...]
Your ‘givens’ ain’t like mine
Slow down and ask yourself: Just what does the reader bring to my story? What’s wrong with this story? SAN DIEGO–The man who became the first person to legally receive Laetrile [...]
The 15-minute workout
While you were making your New Year’s resolutions, did you pledge to improve at your job? Was it a big, fuzzy promise? (“I will be in the paper more often with more dailies…” “I will be in the [...]