Course Infomation

Elective Reporting Topics: Writing Memorable Magazine Profiles, Fall 2012

Day(s): Tues 11:00p-2:40p

Location: 20 Cooper Square, room 659

Course ID: JOUR-UA 204, section 002

Instructor(s): Pamela Newkirk

Syllabus: Download PDF

Description

What makes a magazine profile grab you from the first paragraph and keep you interested for 5,000 words? How do you get story subjects to co-operate and give you enough time to get behind the public veneer? What are the different narrative ways to tell a story and make the person come alive on the page? The goal of this course is to learn the basic rules of profile writing, and also how and when to break them. The emphasis will be on writing a series of profiles of different types and lengths, from a 500-word person-in-the-news story to a Q&A to a full-fledged richly-textured portrait. Unlike covering breaking news, writing a magazine profile offers the opportunity to display a distinctive authorial voice and to project attitude in the give-and-take with your subject. We will read and analyze current profiles on the newsstand, as well as collections from New York Magazine and Vanity Fair. Guest speakers will include magazine editors and well-known writers.