Word Choice: How 3 writers decided what to say
A great piece of journalism can be transportive. It can surprise you, move you, and make you lose yourself in the writing. Yet underpinning that seamless reading experience is a process that is rarely easy: finding precise words that will lead readers to true understandings of issues and ideas. Language, Please spoke to three writers about their approaches to this process. Through close analysis of passages in their stories, we explore what nuanced style guidance can look like when applied to real-world journalism. These conversations take deep dives into published pieces that reflect the importance of thoughtful language and framing in shaping a narrative’s contours and impact. Read on for a detailed look at three very different stories: an investigative piece by Chloé Cooper Jones for The Verge, a first-person essay from Alice Wong for Eater, and a profile by New York magazine’s E. Alex Jung. These conversations have been edited for length and clarity.
Interviews
“What is the experience of this person, and how are they speaking to it?” —Her reflections on writing “Fearing for His Life,” The Verge, March 13, 2019
“I am sharing my lived experiences … with the insistence that people accept me as I am.” —Her reflections on writing “Constant Cravings,” Eater, October 13, 2022
“Endings, more than anything for me, are about having you feel something.” —His reflections on writing “Infinite Self,” New York magazine, August 2, 2021
Video
Watch an excerpt of our conversation with Chloé Cooper Jones about reporting and writing “Fearing for His Life,” published by The Verge in 2019.