Northeastern UniversityNon-Fiction Writing

January 15 - April 16, 2015
Thursday evenings, 5:30-8:40
Northeastern

NON-FICTION WRITING (JRNG352) for magazines is devoted to the development of interviewing and listening skills, understanding ethical issues, and learning how to write clear, lively prose by developing a strong and trustworthy voice.

  • This is an advanced course for journalism students who have already taken Journalism 1 and 2, or have graduate student standing.

There will be reading, discussion, and analysis that will cover a variety of magazine writing formats—from profile writing to Q&A’s to longer, feature stories – and techniques, including first-person voice, strong point-of-view, observation-participation skills, establishing a sense of place, and complex organization.

What are the essential ingredients of a piece of long-form narrative journalism?

Grounded in the principles of dramatic writing, creative nonfiction incorporates the dramatic problem: conflict and resolution, the narrative arc and the bedrock of storytelling, namely reporting and the celebration of detail.