First-Person Journalism - A Guide to Writing Personal Nonfiction With Real Impact

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A first-of-its-kind guide for new media times, this book provides practical, step-by-step instructions for writing first-person features, essays, and digital content.

Combining journalism techniques with self-exploration and personal storytelling, First-Person Journalism is designed to help writers to develop their personal voice and establish a narrative stance. The book introduces nine elements of first-person journalism-passion, self-reporting, stance, observation, attribution, counterpoints, time travel, the mix, and impact. Two introductory chapters define first-person journalism and its value in building trust with a public now skeptical of traditional news media. The nine practice chapters that follow each focus on one first-person element, presenting a sequence of "voice lessons" with a culminating writing assignment, such as a personal trend story or an open letter. Examples are drawn from diverse nonfiction writers and journalists, including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joan Didion, Helen Garner, Alex Tizon, and James Baldwin. Together, the book provides a fresh look at the craft of nonfiction, offering much-needed advice on writing with style, authority, and a unique point of view.

Written with a knowledge of the rapidly changing digital media environment, First-Person Journalism is a key text for journalism and media students interested in personal nonfiction, as well as for early-career nonfiction writers looking to develop this narrative form.

List of contents

Contents
Preface: Personal Journalism for Challenging Times
PART ONE: What Is First-Person Journalism?
Chapter 1: How I Became a First-Person Journalist

• Defining first-person journalism


• Permission to say "I"


• Is it ever too personal?


• Self-reporting: "What do I know?"


• How to use this book


• Why gonzo got it wrong-and right
Chapter 2: The Ethics of Personal Reporting



• He said, she said


• The limits of objectivity


• Liars, thieves, and postmodernists


• Fictional selves versus true selves


• Embracing the active "I"
PART TWO: Developing an Active "I" Voice
Chapter 3: Locating Your Passion: What do I want to write about?



• Don't bore yourself


• Don't perform your emotions


• Don't scream at readers


• Cultivating curiosity: passion for facts


• Responding to the world


• Personal story: write about a "wart"
Chapter 4: Investigating Yourself: How do I know my own story is true?



• Why memories are not facts


• Fact checking the basics


• Fact checking with family and friends


• Reporting on your "I"


• Reporting on what you haven't said


• Admitting what you'll never know


• Memory essay: write about an early memory


• Sample story: "Hurricane Warnings"
Chapter 5: Establishing Your Stance: How close am I to the story?



• From POV to first-person stance


• Determining your emotional distance


• Personal example: reining in myself


• Addressing readers: five stances


• Rethinking voice: active response


• Review: your personal take on a media work
PART THREE: Reporting Beyond the Self
Chapter 6: Observing Real Life: How do I describe people and places?



• Relevance versus vagueness


• Three kinds of details


• Conveying the feel of a place


• Reporting what people do and say


• Direct reporting of events


• The art of capsule description


• Local profile: write about a neighborhood place
Chapter 7: Attributing Sources: Where do my facts come from?



• What is attribution?


• Sources in first-person features


• Attribution tags and linking


• Danger! Avoid voice hijacks


• The curse of knowledge


• How-to piece: explain with three tips
Chapter 8: Convincing Readers: What's my argument and who disagrees?



• The curse of unconscious feeling


• Point-counterpoint


• Not all experts are the same


• Establishing first-person authority


• Open letter: address a public figure or topic
PART FOUR: Storytelling to Make an Impact
Chapter 9: Moving Through Time: How have I and the world changed?



• Sequence: what comes first?


• Chronology: orienting readers in time


• Time machine: shifting between past and present selves


• Trends: personal and cultural


• Personal trend story: write about changes in food, music, or weather
Chapter 10: Organizing a Story: How do I mix everything together?



• What's in the mix?


• Classic feature formula: lead + nut graf


• Scene breaks and dramatic tension


• Essays: emotional journeys


• New mix: feature or essay?


• Sample outline: "Why I'll Never Surf Again"
Chapter 11: Revising for Impact: What do I really want to say?



• Test your idea: pitching


• Focus your idea: taglines


• Focus your voice: cutting and selecting


• Connect to the world: your impact


• Story revision: complete a feature or essay


• Impact Plan: how do you know?
End Note: Witnessing the World with Empathy
25 Rules for First-Person Journalism
Index




About the author

Martha Nichols cofounded Talking Writing, a nonprofit digital magazine. A longtime writer, journalist, and editor, she is a faculty instructor in journalism at the Harvard University Extension School. She is also the editor of and a contributor to Into Sanity: Essays About Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Living in Between.


Summary

A first-of-its-kind guide for new media times, this book provides practical, step-by-step instructions for writing first-person features, essays, and digital content.

Product details

• Authors: Martha Nichols
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 12.11.2021
• EAN: 9780367676483
• ISBN: 978-0-367-67648-3
• No. of pages: 196
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Journalism; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Journalism, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, Journalistic style guides, Writing and editing guides, Media studies: Journalism