Eight Journalists Share Techniques for Writing Vivid Scenes

In the second installment of a four-part series on narrative from Nieman Storyboard, Lauren Kessler, a University of Washington educator and author of 15 books, discusses her 2007 article for the Los Angeles Times, "The End in Two Acts," where she details her reporting process for scenes involving two terminally ill men. Kessler explains that effective scenes often blend description, narration, and exposition, requiring a careful balance to avoid leaving readers confused or overwhelmed.

Kim Cross, a New York Times bestselling author and Nieman contributor, highlights her focus on story structure and cinematic scenes gained through detailed interviews. Typically, she conducts these interviews later in her writing process, seeking specific and vivid details from her subjects that help create a clear image in the reader’s mind.

Award-winning writer Mary Melton, who profiled renowned architecture photographer Julius Shulman in Los Angeles magazine in 2009, uses an index-card method to organize her longform stories. After reporting, she writes down each scene and detail on cards to visualize how narrative elements fit together, allowing her to create a manageable writing plan.

Mark Kramer, co-editor of the Nieman Foundation book "Telling True Stories," emphasizes the significance of sensory reporting. He cautions against casually setting scenes, encouraging writers to incorporate details of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste to help readers fully experience the setting.

Laurie Hertzel, a former book editor at the Minnesota Star Tribune, illustrates the importance of distinguishing between scene and summary in transformative narratives. While emphasizing the need for a blend of both, she advises writers to identify when to “show” through scenes or “tell” using summary, likening it to stepping stones guiding the reader.

Jon Franklin reflects on his narrative for the Baltimore Evening Sun in 1978 about a brain surgeon’s operation, which won the first Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. He anthropomorphizes elements like the aneurysm to create a compelling character in the story. Franklin believes in acknowledging emotional depth within journalism to capture the truth of human experiences.

Adam Hochschild discusses his reconstruction of scenes from historical events, such as the formation of London’s first antislavery committee in 1787. He gathered context from newspaper ads and historical records to form a vivid description, illustrating the challenges of writing about events long past.

Walt Harrington, a former reporter and writing coach at The Washington Post Magazine, emphasizes the importance of gathering dialogue and understanding subjects’ inner thoughts to convey their feelings accurately. He notes the ultimate goal of storytelling is to enlighten and resonate with readers, reminding writers that themes of the human experience remain central to their work.