LITERATURE ON DEADLINE: The Art of Journalism
By Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson
Literature explores the universal nature of humanity. Journalism captures life stories on deadline. With journalistic blogs and news websites joining the mix, Literature on Deadline (Celumbra/Pacific Isle Publishing, 2007) steps in to provide an intensive and sophisticated journalism “boot camp” for all traditional and new media writers.
What’s Inside
What separates great stories from mundane journalism? The quality of the reportage.
You’re only as good as your material. Web searches won’t do it. The best stories online and elsewhere are articles by writers who hit urban hangouts, the halls of government, and other locales where stories happen. Literature on Deadline reveals how to observe the telling details, score revealing personal interviews, and follow the paper trail to report stories that people will read and remember.
A “boot camp” for young journalists and even experienced writers intent on honing their craft with precision, depth and flair, Literature on Deadline helps writers develop story-telling skills in a range of forms, including essays, profiles, feature articles, blogs, breaking news posts and articles, enterprise stories and investigative series. Author Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson explains nitty-gritty techniques, while also exploring higher issues of truth and ethics using real-life examples and practical guidance.
Drawing on her own firsthand experience as a staff writer for The Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Cavanaugh Simpson also gleans insights from some of the nation’s top journalists, including Pulitzer Prize winners from The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post. The book features story excerpts and Q&As with elite literary journalists, including Susan Orlean, New Yorker writer and author of The Orchid Thief; Jon Franklin, Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and author of Writing for Story; and Laura Wexler, award-winning author of Fire in a Canebrake.
Quotable Text: From the Introduction to Literature on Deadline
“Could Ernest Hemingway have written The Sun Also Rises or even The Snows of Kilimanjaro when facing a 5 p.m. deadline and an impatient editor? The answer is not what we might expect. Hemingway did write on deadline—many times. And, though he spent years tugging at the seams of novels, he wrote short stories of another sort when facing the clock. Hemingway cut his teeth on reportage—the swift narrative of life.”
What The Experts Say
“A remarkable journey into the world of burn-it-to-the-ground journalism from the best in the business. Literature on Deadline is an indispensable tool for students of the craft, masters of the art form, and everyone in between.
– Scott Higham, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, The Washington Post
“Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson shares the tricks of the trade in clear and quick prose, giving aspiring journalists the tools they need to deliver compelling narratives built on creative and rock-solid reporting.
– Dana Banker, Metro Editor, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Literature on Deadline is an excellent—and welcome—addition to books on writing. Fledgling reporters and aspiring essayists will both find it a valuable tool in learning how to write both creatively and well—on deadline.”
Patsy Sims, author Literary Nonfiction: Learning by Example
Order Info
To order, call 1-800-284-7043 or Upcoming: http://www.literatureondeadline.com.
