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Narrative Writing Workshop
Don't just report the story. Tell it like it is.
The Society of Professional Journalists invites reporters and editors to step out of the inverted pyramid and into the art of storytelling! Through SPJ’s Narrative Writing Workshops, participants will learn options for reinvigorating the writing craft.
See for yourself
Enjoy a sampling of the Narrative Writing Workshop that took place in Portland, Ore.
(Special thanks to Jeff Achen for supplying the video.)
Join Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and reporter Tom Hallman, Jr., from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a day filled with tips for creating excitement in news stories.
The freestyle conversation with Hallman includes discussion on the following topics:
— Defining narrative writing
— Reporting for narrative
— Long form narrative storytelling
— How you can apply narrative techniques to your daily reporting
— Strategies for your newsroom
Have a special project in the works? Share it! Participants will have the chance to send Hallman a sample of their work in advance of the workshop. Tom will critique the work and discuss it with the rest of the class.
Upcoming Dates and Locations
Dates and locations are announced as events are scheduled. Check back regularly to see if we'll be in a city near you!
Pricing (includes lunch)
Members: $45
Non-Members: $65
Where we’ve been
Click on a point of interest to see when a workshop was held in that area.
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What participants are saying...
“Tom Hallman Jr.’s narrative writing seminar was the most useful I’ve attended in my 40 years working in radio and newspapers. When a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter is willing to spend four hours giving you the nuts and bolts of his technique with concrete examples, it’s well worth it. But the payoff came in using it. The first time I wrote a story using his technique, I got the biggest response of any story I’d ever written, including compliments from total strangers; my editor and publisher; and even reporters on other papers. It’s a sweet feeling.”
— Rodger Nichols, The Dalles Chronicle (Attended December 12, 2009 program in Portland, Oregon)
“I walked away from Tom Hallman Jr.’s Narrative Writing Workshop with a new way of looking at reporting. Journalism school laid the foundation for putting together news stories, but what I learned in the workshop helped me breathe life into those stories. Thinking about things from a narrative perspective has helped me to slow down, absorb the atmosphere when I’m at interviews or events, and look for angles that I probably would never have thought of before. It’s made doing what I love even more interesting and challenging.”
— Casey Farrar, Keene Sentinel
About Tom Hallman, Jr.
Tom Hallman Jr., is considered one of the nation's premier narrative writers. During his career, he has won every major feature-writing award, some for stories that took months to report, others less than a couple of hours. The stories range from the drama of life and death in a neo-natal unit, to the quiet pride of a man graduating from college.
A common thread in all of Hallman's stories is the exploration of the character's heart and soul. Hallman believes that every reporter — no matter how many years they have been in this business — can learn how to spot true stories and report and write them in ways that resonate with readers. The ability to write has less to do with pure talent, and more with the understanding of craft, vision and emotion.
He was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1977. He's worked at a car wash, a grocery store, a greyhound race track and was a volunteer at a VA hospital. He worked as a bartender for one week.
His first journalism job was in New York City as copy editor for Hearst Magazines Special Publications. He returned to Oregon as a reporter at The Hermiston Herald, a small weekly in Hermiston, Ore, before landing a job at the Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash. In 1980, he moved to The Oregonian in where he covered crime for 10 years. He is now a reporter with the Portland team.
He is a frequent contributor to Readers Digest, and his stories have appeared in Esquire, Best Life and Star magazine. One of his stories was made into a movie. His book, "Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask, was published in 2002." He writes a column on writing for Quill Magazine. Hallman has been a speaker at National Writer's Workshops and at papers across the United States. He has taught at USC, Notre Dame and Brown University.
His awards include:
— Pulitzer Prize — feature writing
— Pulitzer finalist — beat reporting
— Pulitzer finalist — feature writing.
— American Society of Newspaper Editors winner — feature writing
— American Society of Newspaper Editors winner — feature writing
— American Society of Newspaper Editors — finalist
— National Society of Professional Journalists — feature writing
— National Society of Professional Journalists — feature writing.
— National Scripps Howard Journalism Award — Ernie Pyle Human Interest
— Writing.
— National Scripps Howard — Business Reporting.
— National Headliner Award — Outstanding Feature Writing.
— National Headliner Award — Outstanding Feature Writing.
— Nixon National Writing Award
— Penny Missouri, multiple awards.
— Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
SPJ News
Rebecca J. “Becky” Tallent is an award-winning journalist and public relations specialist with more than 12 years experience as an energy/environmental and financial journalist plus an additional 16 years experience as a public relations specialist and five years as an educator. She is currently an assistant professor of journalism and mass media at the University of Idaho.