Telling true stories (1).docx

The country’s most prominent journalists and nonfiction authors gather each vear at Harvard's Nieman Conference on Narrative journalism. Tel l i ng Tru e S t o r i e s presents their best advice—covering everything from finding a good topic, to structuring narrative stories, to writing and selling your first hook.

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More than fifty’ well-known writers offer their most powerful tips, including: ® Tom Wolfe on the emotional core of the story 9 9

GavTaiese on writing about private lives

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INCLUDING ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM

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DAVID HALBERSTAM

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Malcolm Giadwel! on the limits of profiles Nora Ephron on narrative

writing and screenwriters

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Alma Guiilermoprieto on idling the story and

telling the truth ® Dozens of Pulitzer.-'Pri/c—winning journalists from the A t l an t i c M on t h l y, N e w Yor k e r, New Yor k Tim a s, L n s Ang e l a s Tim e s , Was h i ng t o n P o t t , and more ...

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The essays offer important counsel for new and career journalists, as well as for freelance writers, radio producers, and memoirists. Packed with refreshingly candid and insightful recommendations, Tel l i ng Tru e S to r i e s shows anyone •fascinated by the art of writing nonfiction how to bring people, scenes, and ideas to life on the page.

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TELLING TRUE S T OR I E S

TELLING TRUE STORIES

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A NON FICTION'WRITERS' GUIDE FR O M TH E NI E M AN FO U ND ATI O N AT

H A R VA R D U N I V E R S I T Y ♦

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Edited by

M'Srk Kramer and Wendy Call

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A PLUME BOOK

PLUME . Published by Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) « Penguin Books Ltd., SO Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England ® Penguin Ireland, 25 St, Stephen's Green. Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) 0 Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road. Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) 9 Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre. Panchshee! Park, New Delhi - 110 027, India « Penguin Books (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 1311, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) 0 Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pcv.) Ltd., 2-1 Sturdee Avenue. Rosebank,Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England First published by Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USk) Inc. First Printing, Februarv 2007 1 0 9 8 7 '

Copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2007 Ah rights reserved These writings are adapted from the authors’ presentauons at the Nieman Confer ence on Narrative journalism. Each selection is the copvrighted property of its respective author anc^appears in this volume by arrangement with the individual writer. • 7,. REGISTERED TRADKMAR K-

MARC A REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OR CONCRESS C ATALOG!NO-IN-PUB LIC ATION DATA

Telling True Stories : A nonfiction writers' guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University / edited A Mark Kramer and Wendy Call, p. cm. ■ ISBN 97S-0-452-28755-6 1. Reporters and reporting. 2 Journalism-Authorship. I. Kramer, Mark. II. Call. Wendy (Wendy Louise). 1968- III. Harvard University. Nieman Found ation for journalism. ■ . . PN4781.T45 2007 ' ■ 070.4'3—dc22 ■ ■ 2006026809 Printed in the United States America Set in New Baskerville ■ Designed by Eve l„ Kirch

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Without limiting the rights under copvright reserved above, no part of this publica tion may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in anv form, or by arm means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. PUBLISHER'S NOTE ' The scantling, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via anv other means wit limit the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law, Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy ol copvrighted materials. Your support of the author’s righLs is appreciated. BOOKS AKt AVAILAB LE A'I OUANT ITV DISC OUNTS WHE N USED TO PR OMOTE PRODUCTS OR .SERVICES. K)K 1 N EO RSI ATI O N PLE ASE WR ITE TO PREMIUM MAR KETING DIVISION, PENGUIN CROUP (USA) INC., 37'; HUDSON STREET, NE W YOR K, NEW YOR K 10014.

Mark Kramer and Wendy Call dedicate this book to their families, Susan, Will, and EH, and to Aram, Marilyn, Douglas, Alan, and Kate, respectively.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Mark Kramer arid Wendy Call give their deepest thanks to the many people who made this book possible and to the organizations that supported it. All fifty-one contributors generously donated their pre cious words and then their help and patience through many rounds of edits. Jina Moore read the enure manuscript, asked sharp ques tions, kept track of countless pieces of paper, and made this a much better bod|.. Buck Ewing and Mary-Helena Mclnerney recorded and transcri$^ more than half a million words. Geri Thoma always had cool and dflrn advice. The entire Nieman Narrative team—Lisa Birk, jenny Davitr, Liliana Ibara, Dasha ICusa, Nell Lake, Jessica Pierce, Pauliina Pope, Martha Synnott, and Prat Thakkar—offered all sorts of support over more than three years. Chuck Collins, jim Collins, Laurie Hertzel, John Temple, Patricia Weaver Francisco, and Dick Weiss each read portions of the manuscript and made excellent suggestions. Jacqui Banaszynski and Adam Hochschild added insight and enthusiasm at regular intervals. Trena Keating, Emily Haynes, and Lavina Lee deftly turned our manuscript into this book. Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation and the Knight Foundation, provided essen tial support. Thanks to the Poynter Institute, which lent its name and savvy to our narrative journalism conference eariy on. and to the B o s t on G l ob e , the O rego n ia n , and the Harvard Book Store, also gener ous conference cosponsors, Mark also thanks Susan Eaton, Sid and Esther Kramer, Will and Eli Kramer, Wendy Call, Sean Ploen, joe Lavalle, Lesh Avens, Bob and Joan Weiss, Roy Peter Clark, Ranald Macdonald, Samuel Mc Cracken, Sheryl Jackson, David Anabel, Nick Mills, Noel Perrin, Sam

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Acknowledgments

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Splace, Bruce DeSilva, Wait Harrington, and many years of Nieman Fellows.

Wendy also thanks Douglas and Marilyn Call, Aram Falsafi, Sandra

Rui2 Harris, Pam Kasey, Mark Kramer, David Palmer, Carol Rose, and Sasha Su-Ling Welland.

" Acknowledgments Preface

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Part I: An Invitation to Narrative Stories Matter BYJACQUI BANASZYNSKI

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Delving into Private Lives by Gay Talese

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The Narrative Idea BY DAVID HALBERSTAM

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Difficultjournalism That’s Slap-Up Fun by Katherine Boo

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Pa rt H : F in d i n g , Res ea rch i ng , an d R epo rt i n g Top ic s Introduction ISY MARK KRAMER AND WENDY CALL

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Finding Good Topics: A Writer’s Questions BY

LANE DEGREGORY

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Finding Good Topics: An Editor’s Questions by Jan Winburn 22 Reporting for Narrative: Ten Overlapping Rules

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JACQUI BANASZYNSKI, JON FRANKLIN, and GAY TALE.SE

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BY

MARK KRAMER

To Tape or Not to Tape? BY ADAM HOCHSCHILD, Interviewing: Accelerated Intimacy

byIsabel Wil.KERSON

The Psychological Interview byJonFranklin

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Participatory Reporting: Sending Myself to Prison

TED CONOVER To Begin the Beginning BY DENEEN L. BROWN BY

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CONTENTS