First-Person Journalism

Martha Nichols cofounded Talking Writing, a nonprofit digital magazine. A longtime writer, journalist, and editor, she is a faculty instructor in journalism at the Harvard University Extension School. She is also the editor of and a contributor to Into Sanity: Essays About Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Living in Between.

Contents

Preface: Personal Journalism for Challenging Times

PART ONE: What Is First-Person Journalism?

Chapter 1: How I Became a First-Person Journalist








Defining first-person journalism



Permission to say "I"



Is it ever too personal?



Self-reporting: "What do I know?"



How to use this book



Why gonzo got it wrong—and right



Chapter 2: The Ethics of Personal Reporting








He said, she said



The limits of objectivity



Liars, thieves, and postmodernists



Fictional selves versus true selves



Embracing the active "I"



PART TWO: Developing an Active "I" Voice

Chapter 3: Locating Your Passion: What do I want to write about?








Don’t bore yourself



Don’t perform your emotions



Don’t scream at readers



Cultivating curiosity: passion for facts



Responding to the world



Personal story: write about a "wart"



Chapter 4: Investigating Yourself: How do I know my own story is true?








Why memories are not facts



Fact checking the basics



Fact checking with family and friends



Reporting on your "I"



Reporting on what you haven’t said



Admitting what you’ll never know



Memory essay: write about an early memory



Sample story: "Hurricane Warnings"



Chapter 5: Establishing Your Stance: How close am I to the story?








From POV to first-person stance



Determining your emotional distance



Personal example: reining in myself



Addressing readers: five stances



Rethinking voice: active response



Review: your personal take on a media work



PART THREE: Reporting Beyond the Self

Chapter 6: Observing Real Life: How do I describe people and places?








Relevance versus vagueness



Three kinds of details



Conveying the feel of a place



Reporting what people do and say



Direct reporting of events



The art of capsule description



Local profile: write about a neighborhood place



Chapter 7: Attributing Sources: Where do my facts come from?








What is attribution?



Sources in first-person features



Attribution tags and linking



Danger! Avoid voice hijacks



The curse of knowledge



How-to piece: explain with three tips



Chapter 8: Convincing Readers: What’s my argument and who disagrees?








The curse of unconscious feeling



Point-counterpoint



Not all experts are the same



Establishing first-person authority



Open letter: address a public figure or topic



PART FOUR: Storytelling to Make an Impact

Chapter 9: Moving Through Time: How have I and the world changed?








Sequence: what comes first?



Chronology: orienting readers in time



Time machine: shifting between past and present selves



Trends: personal and cultural



Personal trend story: write about changes in food, music, or weather



Chapter 10: Organizing a Story: How do I mix everything together?








What’s in the mix?



Classic feature formula: lead + nut graf



Scene breaks and dramatic tension



Essays: emotional journeys



New mix: feature or essay?



Sample outline: "Why I’ll Never Surf Again"



Chapter 11: Revising for Impact: What do I really want to say?








Test your idea: pitching



Focus your idea: taglines



Focus your voice: cutting and selecting



Connect to the world: your impact



Story revision: complete a feature or essay



Impact Plan: how do you know?



End Note: Witnessing the World with Empathy

25 Rules for First-Person Journalism

Index