By Wayne Epps Jr.
USA TODAY Sports intern
Long-form journalism is a process and an art, and the best long-form pieces can leave readers craving for more. Three of the best in the business: Grantland.com’s Bryan Curtis, Sally Jenkins from The Washington Post and author Bill Nack shared their knowledge Thursday during the "rebirth of long form" session.
To start the process of finding stories to tell, Jenkins suggested gravitating to a personal obsession — something that strikes a personal chord. Then Nack said the goal is to “write nonfiction and make it seem like fiction” through solid reporting.
Nack said part of the reporting work can involve sharing personal stories with interview subjects in hopes of getting stories out of them, making the interview more of a conversation.
When the story is done, technology can enhance the storytelling. Nack said he likes the idea of supplementing stories with photos and video. Curtis praised Twitter’s ability to deliver long-form pieces directly to readers who might not ordinarily find them, calling the platform a “sales vehicle”.
In today’s rapidly evolving journalism landscape, Jenkins said only the mechanism is changing, not the content.
“Nothing beats a good story,” Nack said.
