I love longreads, but I wish writers wouldn't feel the need to switch back and forth between vignettes and facts/analysis. Some pieces benefit from vignettes, but most don't. You can actually write a longread with just facts and analysis, and it often works well.
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Replying to @Noahpinion @skdh
This is an enforced house formula at the New Yorker. You are supposed to have two kind of vivid "in the moment" scenes as a framework for your expository writing. Talking about radiocarbon dating? Has to be a scene in the lab or the field that you bring to life.
2 replies 0 retweets 28 likes -
Replying to @Pinboard @Noahpinion
I find this incredibly tiresome and wasteful of my time and wish they'd stop it. Give me the facts. Keep the scenes for your certainly upcoming book.
3 replies 0 retweets 23 likes
I read your tweet just as the rays of the sun crested the mountains, illuminating an idyllic temple. The editor I talked to explained this to me as a way to hook the reader's interest even if some of the substance then goes over their head. I also find it annoying and forced.
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