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Make Your Story Sing: Learn from songwriters how to tell stories in just a...
This is the handout for my workshop on short narrative writing. I used to do this workshop quite often, but haven’t done it for a couple years. The handout was originally posted at No Train, No Gain. I...
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Multimedia storytelling examples
I led a workshop on multimedia storytelling Oct. 2 for the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Below are links to the examples I used (and some that I didn’t get to but have used before in...
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Tips on verifying facts and ensuring accuracy
Craig Silverman of Regret the Error is leading a workshop for TBD Community Network members (and staff and anyone else in the Washington area who’s interested) this evening at American University’s...
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We’ve found some No Train, No Gain archives
Some archives of No Train, No Gain are available through the Internet Archive. Thanks to Bill Bradley of Philadelphia, who pointed this out in a comment on my earlier blog post about the demise of...
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Social media (mostly Twitter) resources for journalists
Here are resources to help journalists using Twitter and other social media. For the last few months, as I’ve been visiting Journal Register Co. newsrooms and blogging more tips for journalists using...
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Strong from the start: advice for writing leads
Readers give you just a few seconds to capture their interest before their eye moves on to the next story, photo or link. On any platform, in any format, you need a crisp lead and a strong focus to...
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Resources for training journalists
I’ll be leading an #ASNEchat about newsroom training today at 2 p.m. Eastern time, 11 a.m. Pacific. We’ll discuss a variety of challenges and opportunities in newsroom training during an exciting and...
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Grammar matters
Even professional writers have difficulty with some grammar points. Grammar matters in any writing format, including tweets and other social platforms. I won’t try to cover everything here, but I’ll...
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Make every word count: Tips for polishing and tightening copy
Reporters and editors everywhere battle and complain over length of stories. Even online, where newspaper space or tight broadcast schedules aren’t an issue, you need to write tightly to hold the...
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Developing timeless skills for constantly changing journalism careers
Journalists learn (or could be learning if we took the time) about new tools almost weekly. As I started writing this Sunday morning, I had already learned about a couple new tools this week:...
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Slides and links for workshops at Southern Regional Press Institute
I am leading some workshops for the Southern Regional Press Institute at Savannah State University today. I participated in a panel discussion on “Ethics, Urgency and Accuracy” this morning. Here are...
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Using Story Elements: an updated writing workshop handout
This is an updated writing workshop handout from one of the workshops I first presented in the 1990s, about using story elements. An earlier version of this handout was posted on the No Train, No Gain...
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Writing as You Report: an updated workshop handout
Few techniques helped me more when I was a reporter than when I learned the value of writing as I reported. It challenged my discipline, but when I succeeded at incorporating writing into my reporting...
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Beat reporting: Mastering the topic or territory you cover
This is an update of a workshop handout I developed more than a decade ago. The Omaha World-Herald had a newsroom reorganization in the early 2000s that gave many reporters new beats. I was writing...
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Developing and cultivating sources
This is an updated version of a handout for a reporting workshop I used to present more than a decade ago. I have updated it for my Advanced News Gathering class this semester at LSU’s Manship School...
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Tips on covering events
I’m teaching my Media Writing class about event coverage today. So here are some tips on event coverage: Prepare Before the event, learn what you can about what’s going to happen. A sporting event...
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