John-Paul Flintoff

Visiting Lecturer @City St George’s, University of London

London, GB

How to write long-form journalism, grab and retain the interest of readers, in an age of fierce competition for people\'s attention?I share stories about my own experiences writing immersive journalism (eg, taking \"real\" jobs for days or weeks at a time and writing up the experience), and ask students to consider what experiences they too might turn into powerful and insightful narratives.As well as looking at narrative techniques, I stress the importance of emotion, and how to show not tell. To do this, I draw on my training in theatrical improvisation (not the most obvious source for journalism studies, you might think, but incredibly powerful).