Of all the courses I taught over a long teaching career, only one was explicitly about writing.
All of the others focused on journalism methodology — how to gather information and validate, organize and defend it once published.
But there is another component to the whole process and that is how to tell a story once it’s in your hands. Partly in reaction to receiving too many poorly-told story drafts, I incorporated “how to investigate the story” into my teaching curriculum..
The problem was and is that students (and most everybody else) gets too caught up in the twists and turns of a reasonably complicated story to stay in control of the narrative. They just surrender and let the details take over.
To counter this we studied pace, rhythm, structure, character development and transitions. We talked about beginnings and endings. If I were to teach a course on story-telling today we would read short stories by writers like Chekov and listen to songs by Dolly Pardon and watch movies like Casablanca.
Some people seem to be natural story-tellers but the rest of us can learn to be better through hard work and practice.
So that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
HEADLINES:
AI has transformed the Pentagon’s aging networks into a national security risk. (WP)
A supermajority wants to slow AI down (Silver Bulletin)
Why is China less worried about an AI dystopia than the US? (CNN)
How, Exactly, Could A.I. Kill Us? (New Yorker)
Trump Defended A.I. Data Centers on Truth Social, and Commenters Clapped Back (NYT)
Liability, regulation, and AI’s new false dichotomy (Marcus on AI)
Britain’s King Charles will urge leading artificial intelligence executives to ensure the technology remains “firmly in the service of humanity” when he meets them in Scotland, as warnings mount about AI’s potential risks. (Reuters)
Russians vote in elections with no party opposing Putin or war in Ukraine (Euronews)
2 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz as Trump says next move could be to “annihilate” regime (CBS)
Gas prices are about to take a big jump, analysts say, with the worst still to come (WP)
Speaker Johnson recesses the House early as GOP lawmaker pushes Hegseth impeachment (AP)
Why Karl Rove, a father of the modern Texas GOP, is voting for a Democrat (WP)
Barbra Streisand criticized President Donald Trump‘s “unchecked ego” amid the ongoing debacle surrounding the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (Rolling Stone)
Trump photo appears to reference Kennedy Center demolition, judge orders advance notice of any move to knock it down (CNBC)
Trump’s arch will harm historic sites but must proceed, federal officials say (WP)
UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes (BBC)
Tens of thousands flee as Iran-backed rebels draw Yemen into the wider war (AP)
White House pulls stalled ICE director nominee (Politico)
Canada’s Mark Carney and the EU shrug off Trump’s threats, looking to forge an “Alliance for the Future” (CBS)
Trump Wanted Canada as the 51st State. He Ended Up Pushing It Toward the European Union. (NYT)
Lindsay Clancy holdout juror says he had no doubt she deliberately killed her children (BBC)
Inside the rising counterculture of Silicon Valley smokers (BI)
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