Thread by @ByIanJames

.@StevePadilla2 just finished leading another fabulous writing workshop on Zoom, this one about story structure. I'm going to share some of his many valuable tips:
#journalism #amwriting #writingcommunity
(THREAD)

.@StevePadilla2: Structure is inevitably the hardest thing we deal with. … The most important thing is the point, your meaning, your idea.
@LatinoJournosCA

.@StevePadilla2 on destination narratives versus journey narratives:

The opposite of the destination narrative is the journey narrative. ... Decide for yourself, is the point of the story the ending or how I get there?
#amwriting

Loved this tip about returning repeatedly to certain words throughout a story.

@StevePadilla2: I find that repeating certain words... they're like stones in a garden path for someone to follow.

The magic of color-coding:

@StevePadilla2: I once read a story that felt disjointed and I couldn't understand why. ... When I have things that aren't knitting together, I will color-code them. ... The colors revealed to me what the problems were in that story.

Holding back certain details to build tension in a narrative:
@StevePadilla2: Maybe we don't say how they died or when they died. ... Build tension by holding back a little bit of something.
#amwriting

.@StevePadilla2: If you have a really good surprise, hold back. Don't give it away.

.@StevePadilla2: You can avoid predictability by paying close attention to how you spool out your facts.

While reporting, @StevePadilla2 suggests:
Find that one person. ... Audition your characters.

(For this story about Sikh truckers, the journalists spent months looking for the right character.)
latimes.com/nation/la-na-c…

Also, the central character in a story need not be a person.

@StevePadilla2: You can have an object being a central character.

To help diagnose problems in stories, pay attention to time elements. Printouts can help.

@StevePadilla2: Time really solves a lot of problems. ... If you can tell it's not holding together and you can't tell why... make a printout and highlight all the time elements.

When writing a long-form story, give yourself a limit.
@StevePadilla2: Create really firm line lengths and limits. This forces you to make decisions about what to leave out.
#amwriting #writingcommunity

.@StevePadilla2: You don't have to describe everything. ... It comes back to what's the meaning, what's the point? That will help you decide what to leave in and what to take out.
#amwriting @LatinoJournosCA

Editors will appreciate this one.

@StevePadilla2: If you're going to try something different, warn your editor ahead of time. ... Don't just surprise them.

Outlining can be handy. @StevePadilla2 likes using 3-by-5 cards.

"A lesson learned from Sesame Street: Put like things together, and often that will improve the story's flow."

Oh, and @StevePadilla2 broke into song. 'Streets of Laredo' -- an example of storytelling in music.

As I walked out on the streets of Laredo.
As I walked out on Laredo one day,
I spied a poor cowboy wrapped in white linen,
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.

He shared the lyrical ending of this fabulous story by @DeborahNetburn, about a search for seahorses in the murky waters off Long Beach. latimes.com/science/la-sci…

"Good writing, like first-degree murder, is premeditated." -- @StevePadilla2
#amwriting #writingcommunity

.@StevePadilla2 left us with three challenges:
1). For a feature story, I dare you to end it in your voice.
2). Just when you think you're done, cut 30 words.
3). Get yourself a writing buddy. ... We can all learn from each other if we just share good writing.
#amwriting

Many thanks to Steve for generously sharing all these helpful writing tips, and to @LatinoJournosCA for hosting the workshop.

(END THREAD)