This year I’ve been working with my MA Data Journalism and MA Multiplatform and Mobile Journalism students on techniques for telling longer form stories. In this post I explain how a consideration of story structure can help you clarify the sources that you will need to talk to in order to gather the elements needed for an effective longform story.
In a previous post I discussed how different plot frameworks identified by Christopher Booker in his book ‘The Seven Basic Plots‘ – such as the ‘quest’ or ‘tragedy’ – can help a journalist think about longer investigations. In addition to those types of story, however, Booker also identifies 5 stages of a story. These are:
- Anticipation: setting, character and – crucially – ‘problem’ are introduced.
- Dream: we begin exploring/solving the problem.
- Frustration: we hit more problems.
- Nightmare: this is the ‘final battle’ of fiction narratives.
- Miraculous Escape/Redemption/Achievement of the Prize or (in the case of Tragedy) the Hero’s Destruction.
How the 5 stages work in journalism
I would argue that you can see these stages at work in most longform journalism, too. Here’s how: Continue reading
