Writing lessons

Tips on better prose from the pros

  • What the ‘L’ was WriterL?

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    By Stuart Warner (@copyright 2022 Jon Franklin, Lynn Franklin and Stuart Warner) Back before the turn of the century, before Facebook, Twitter and Zoom, nonfiction writers from around the country could gather around their computers on email message boards to discuss their craft, often referred to as Literary Journalism. One of these message boards was…

  • Interviewing tips

    Ten Tips for a Better Interview By Anonymous Created Oct 2 2007 – 10:19am International Center for Journalists, http://www.icfj.org, October 2, 2007 1. Be prepared! Always read up on the subject you are reporting about and the person you are interviewing. Your source will appreciate your effort, and you will be able to skip questions…

  • Lexicon of Leads – from Jack Hart

    Writing guru Jack Hart defines a variety of types of leads in his book A Writer’s Coach. Here is a list aimed at improving our lexicon of leads: Straight Leads 1. Summary Leads: The University of Oregon must move more women into higher-level faculty jobs or face federal sanctions. (12/24/92, B1) This is the spring…

  • So what is literary journalism? A Q-A with Jon Franklin

    A generation ago, writers such as Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson wowed a lot of us with the so-called “New Journalism,” applying the techniques of fiction writing to the demanding discipline of reporting. Probably no one did more to bring this type of writing to newspapers than two-time Pulitzer winner Jon Franklin,…