Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 224
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-0-7425-5534-1 • Hardback • January 2011 • $63.00 • (£48.00)
978-1-4422-0869-8 • eBook • November 2010 • $59.50 • (£46.00)
Jerry Lanson has coached editors and reporters at newspapers ranging from The Christian Science Monitor to The Boston Globe. He contributes regularly to The Monitor's opinion pages. He is a former Deputy City Editor and Peninsula Bureau Chief of the San Jose Mercury News in San Jose, California. He was part of the city-desk staff awarded a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Lanson is currently associate professor of journalism at Emerson College.
Chapter 1 Finding a Place —and Space—to Think
Chapter 2 A Little Jazz
Chapter 3 Culling Life's Experience
Chapter 4 Gathering String
Chapter 5 The Passive Observer at Work
Chapter 6 Finding Fresh Stories
Chapter 7 Reconnaissance
Chapter 8 Honing the Focus
Chapter 9 Interviewing for Story
Chapter 10 Bring Back the Breed of the Dog
Chapter 11 Six-Word headlines, Ten-Point Outlines
Chapter 12 Drafting Fast
Chapter 13 Organizing Stories
Chapter 14 No One Gets It Right the First Time
Chapter 15 Finding a Niche
Jerry Lanson's Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves shows exactly why journalism needs more mentors like him. He reminds us of the need to speak with our true literary and journalistic voice. Students and professional journalists alike need this guidance at a time when media organizations are pressing for the quick hit and the glib phrase. This book is a powerful reminder why we all need a trusted editor – now more than ever.
— Jeffrey Dvorkin, adjunct professor, University of Toronto, and former VP of News and Information at NPR
All of us deep inside believe we have something important to say. But writing is one of the most difficult challenges ever. Jerry Lanson provides the roadmap to make the journey easier.
— Alicia C. Shepard, NPR Ombudsman; media professor; author of Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate
Jerry Lanson is a talented writer and an even more talented writing teacher. This book will be invaluable to anyone who wants to apply time-tested techniques to 21st century storytelling.
— Thomas Kunkel, President, St. Norbert?s College, and former dean of the University of Maryland School of Journalism
This book provides readers of all ages with a practical guide to perfecting their own work. From showing how to frame ideas early to how to gather and choose telling details for stories, the author shares tips, techniques, and lessons that will sharpen and enliven any writer's work.
— Writers’ Journal
If you struggle with writer's block, or if you work with people who struggle with writer's block (and what writing teacher doesn't?), this book is for you....In an age when motivating students to complete assigned readings is a challenge, Lanson offers an easy-to-read text that presents useful information in an inviting manner....While this book can help writers at any point in their career, the earlier they have a chance to employ the suggestions shared, the sooner their writing will improve.
— Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
- ·Practical tips on getting started, from honing the skills of observer and listener to breaking the barriers of writer's block
- ·A method for focusing and framing ideas early to help sharpen a story's or project's clarity and limit its scope
- New ways to think about the process of writing and where it takes place
- ·A discussion of voice and how it develops
- ·A narrative thread that ties practical advice to personal experience
- ·Examples of technique and approachdrawn from my own and other writers' work
Visit the webpage for Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves