Magazine journalism presents an opportunity to break out of the conventions of newspaperese and find one’s voice. But writing for magazines also involves rules and challenges – not the least of which is figuring out how to position yourself in an uncertain field. In this course, we’ll discuss different forms of magazine writing and focus especially on substantive general-interest publications like The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New York Times Magazine – as well as their websites. We’ll examine the types of proposals that appeal to editors, ways of getting in the door and some useful frameworks for structuring longer magazine pieces. We’ll work on developing or refining a more natural and conversational writing style by reading articles by accomplished writers and workshopping student pieces. In addition to weekly assignments involving the study of individual magazines, students will practice pitching and writing short pieces. At the end of the course, each student will have produced a suitable magazine article of 2,500 to 3,000 words.
The Art of the Profile
Writing profiles means writing about people, bringing them to life on the page. Profiles often begin with physical descriptions and so will we. These passages don’t come easily without practice; we’ll study examples from Dickens, from classic journalists (McPhee, Trillin and Liebling) and from young journalists (Ben McGrath, Lauren Collins and Nick Paumgarten). We’ll learn to use physical descriptions in pitch letters to editors (there’s no better way to let an editor know that you can write) and in the stories that result from the pitches (there’s no better way to make a reader care about the person you’re reporting on).
