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Article Index
Workshop Registration
The Reynolds Center has announced its 2009-10 free workshop schedule.
Select a workshop and register from the drop-down menu below.
Online Seminars
The Reynolds Center registration for Fall 2009 free online seminars.
Making Sense of the Economy
By Andre Jackson
Focused Characters
By Dick Weiss
The Breaking News Debate
By Chris Roush
Develop Your Brand
By Jeff Bailey
Dwindling Billionaires
By Jennifer Hopfinger
Focused Characters
By Dick Weiss
March 30, 2009
Filmmakers, playwrights and operatic composers may present their storylines through an ensemble cast or by zeroing in on one main character. As business writers, we face a similar choice. A good case can be made for either approach. We gain credibility when we cite several people's experiences. But we risk diluting a story's impact by having too many characters. We remember Hamlet. We find it harder to recall someone from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The following stories don't pretend to reach - or aim for - Shakespearean heights. But through detailed, sharply focused writing about one individual, these writers ensure that the following stories leave strong imprints on our mind.
Click here to send me an e-mail with some great business stories you’ve written or seen. You could see your story touted here as one of the best in the nation.
Note: Each headline contains a link so that you can read the stories online. Some sites will require you to register first. It's worth taking the time.
3 ‘You do what you need to do’
Tim Logan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Logan tells one man's tale of what it's like to start your own business after doing similar work for someone else. Logan writes of a situation that's on the minds of countless readers in these hard economic times.
2 Miami condo king Jorge Perez battles to survive real estate slump
Matthew Haggman of The Miami Herald
Haggman digs into the condo empire of Miami developer Jorge Perez and paints a portrait of a businessman who is caught in the credit crisis yet sanguine about his staggering losses. This story becomes particularly rewarding as Perez's complex character emerges through Haggman's nuanced reporting.
1Job search is unemployed executive’s full-time quest
Eric Adler of The Kansas City Star
Adler jolts us into the reality behind grim unemployment figures. He recounts one laid-off executive's search for a job with the sort of detail possible from having spent much of a month following the man as he works at finding work. Adler's descriptive writing and use of chronological storytelling combine for a great read.
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Copyright © 2009 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
The Reynolds Center has announced its 2009-10 free workshop schedule.
Select a workshop and register from the drop-down menu below.
The Reynolds Center registration for Fall 2009 free online seminars.
By Andre Jackson
Focused Characters
By Dick Weiss
The Breaking News Debate
By Chris Roush
Develop Your Brand
By Jeff Bailey
Dwindling Billionaires
By Jennifer Hopfinger
Focused Characters
By Dick Weiss
March 30, 2009
Filmmakers, playwrights and operatic composers may present their storylines through an ensemble cast or by zeroing in on one main character. As business writers, we face a similar choice. A good case can be made for either approach. We gain credibility when we cite several people's experiences. But we risk diluting a story's impact by having too many characters. We remember Hamlet. We find it harder to recall someone from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
The following stories don't pretend to reach - or aim for - Shakespearean heights. But through detailed, sharply focused writing about one individual, these writers ensure that the following stories leave strong imprints on our mind.
Click here to send me an e-mail with some great business stories you’ve written or seen. You could see your story touted here as one of the best in the nation.
Note: Each headline contains a link so that you can read the stories online. Some sites will require you to register first. It's worth taking the time.
3 ‘You do what you need to do’
Tim Logan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Logan tells one man's tale of what it's like to start your own business after doing similar work for someone else. Logan writes of a situation that's on the minds of countless readers in these hard economic times.
2 Miami condo king Jorge Perez battles to survive real estate slump
Matthew Haggman of The Miami Herald
Haggman digs into the condo empire of Miami developer Jorge Perez and paints a portrait of a businessman who is caught in the credit crisis yet sanguine about his staggering losses. This story becomes particularly rewarding as Perez's complex character emerges through Haggman's nuanced reporting.
1Job search is unemployed executive’s full-time quest
Eric Adler of The Kansas City Star
Adler jolts us into the reality behind grim unemployment figures. He recounts one laid-off executive's search for a job with the sort of detail possible from having spent much of a month following the man as he works at finding work. Adler's descriptive writing and use of chronological storytelling combine for a great read.
Copyright © 2009 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism