Watch replay: Houston Chronicle’s Andrea Ball shares narrative writing, reporting tips at SFJ webinar
Posted on January 31, 2024
By Laura T. Coffey
Looking for some inspiration when it comes to narrative reporting and writing techniques? SFJ has got you covered!
At a Society for Features Journalism webinar on Jan. 30 attended by 100 people, Houston Chronicle reporter Andrea Ball shared tips to help writers craft compelling non-fiction narratives. The tools discussed by Andrea can be used in longform stories and in short pieces written on tight deadlines.
You can watch a recording of the presentation via this link.
The virtual event was moderated by Sue Campbell, SFJ’s chief programming officer and the assistant managing editor overseeing features at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. During the presentation, Andrea gave time-tested advice about choosing the right story, selecting the best story subjects and interviewing and reporting for narrative. Along the way, she encouraged journalists to think differently about their approaches to stories — beyond the “traditional ‘who/what/when/hurry up.’”
“You can do things like (this) fast if you’re thinking differently,” Andrea said.
As an example, she described a story she reported and wrote in under three hours in Uvalde, Texas, after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Andrea had spent the night in her car and was delirious with exhaustion when she encountered Carmelo Quiroz, a man mourning the loss of his 10-year-old grandson, Jayce Luevanos. She was able to meet Quiroz and have a meaningful interview with him because she decided to “go where nobody else is.”
“If you want something different, do something different,” she said.
Andrea also shared narrative lessons learned while working on two of her longer investigative projects:
And she offered tips about practicing self-care when working on challenging stories, finding good mentors in journalism, putting story sources at ease and de-escalating emotionally charged situations with angry sources.
Andrea has been an investigative reporter at the Houston Chronicle since January 2023. Before joining the Chronicle, Andrea worked as a reporter for USA Today and the Austin American-Statesman. Over the past three decades, she has written about policing, foster care, social services, psychiatric hospitals and other local and statewide issues. A passionate advocate of narrative writing, she uses storytelling techniques in as many stories as possible.
Advertisement
Her work has been recognized by National Headliners, IRE, SPJ/Sigma Delta Chi and Texas APME. She was part of the Austin American-Statesman team named a 2023 Pulitzer finalist for its work on the Uvalde school shooting.
Huge thanks to Andrea for sharing her time and experience with SFJ members! Be sure to watch the recording of her presentation here.
And if you really want to go deep, here’s a list of resources Andrea shared during the webinar:
Excellent narrative editors, writers, authors and teachers:
Josh Susong, USA Today
Jacqui Banaszynski, Missouri School of Journalism
Carol Motsinger, Houston Chronicle
Lane DeGregory, Tampa Bay Times and WriteLane podcast
Kelley Benham French, Indiana University Bloomington
Stories Andrea loves:
Captive No More: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/special_reports/one-sc-mans-journey-to-freedom-after-years-in-modern-day-slavery/article_f0fb3d58-7dfd-11ec-a7f4-2fc0f52d0b94.html
The Evidence Burns Away: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2020/california-fires-firebug-arson/
The Landlord and the Tenant: https://www.propublica.org/article/milwaukee-fire-brunner-belen-landlord-tenant
The Neighbors Who Destroyed Their Lives: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/schweitzers-brothers-murder-conviction-exoneration-hawaii/676910/
Seven Days of Heroin: https://www.cincinnati.com/pages/interactives/seven-days-of-heroin-epidemic-cincinnati/
For Their Own Good: https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2009/04/19/for-their-own-good/
Laura T. Coffey is president of the Society for Features Journalism and a longtime editor and feature writer. She’s also the author of the bestselling nonfiction book “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.” Connect with Laura here.