The Longform Feature: Reporting Big Stories That Demand Attention

This class is now sold out. To be alerted when the next session of this class is announced, please email academy@narratively.com.

This intensive 10-week class / mentorship program is led by Narratively co-founder and longtime New York Times journalist Brendan Spiegel. You’ll learn all about how to write captivating feature articles — from hard-hitting journalistic pieces to expansive profiles and memoir infused with original reporting — that will entice magazine editors, enthrall readers and win awards. Through in-depth mentoring, peer review and extensive feedback on your story ideas and drafts, you’ll learn everything you need to know about finding an undeniable story, connecting with sources, interviewing, outlining and writing your article. By the end of this class, you’ll have a polished story you can submit to a top outlet — and all the tools to keep finding and writing more great reported stories.

This class will feature biweekly assignments; regular peer and instructor feedback; four virtual video sessions; and one-one-one consultations with the instructor. (You can choose to attend the sessions in real time or watch a recording later. Attendance at all four video sessions is not mandatory, so you can sign up for this class even if the times don’t work for you.) Over the course of the 10 weeks, you’ll develop and research several story ideas, zoom in one one to report in full, and submit a draft story. At each step, you’ll receive personalized feedback, answers to all your questions and hands-on guidance as we explore the ins and outs of researching, reporting and writing a longform story.

Class Schedule:

• Friday, September 6: Students receive readings and introductory assignment.

• Friday, September 13, 12pm - 1pm ET Video Session #1: Researching story ideas and developing pitches.

• Friday, September 20: Students submit story pitches and receive personalized feedback.

• Friday, September 27, 12pm - 1pm ET Video Session #2: The reporting process.

• Week of October 7: One-on-one consultations to discuss story pitches and reporting progress.

• Friday, October 18, 12pm - 1pm ET Video Session #3: Structuring your story.

• Friday, October 25: Students submit story outlines and receive personalized feedback.

• Friday, November 8: Students submit drafts of stories.

• Week of November 11: Students receive detailed personalized feedback on story drafts.

• Friday, November 15: Video Session #4: Discussion of story drafts and final plans for finishing your story.

All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and accessible to students anywhere in the world.

This class is right for you if…

• You’ve written short reported articles and want to dig into a meatier reported story.

• You’ve written longform reported pieces but haven’t had one published yet.

• You’ve had your written work published before, but mostly in another field such as memoir, fiction or academic writing and want to learn more about reported stories.

By the end of this class you’ll have…

• A polished draft of a longform feature story you can submit to a top publication.

Instructor Bio: As co-founder and editorial director at Narratively for the past 11 years, Brendan Spiegel has personally assigned and edited over 2,000 longform stories, working closely with everyone from first-time writers to Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters. Brendan takes a hands-on, immersive approach to editing — he’s especially proud that one writer recently dubbed him “the kindest and toughest editor I’ve ever worked with.” The stories he’s edited have won awards from the American Society of Journalists and Authors, The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, the New York Press Club, The Best American Sports Writing and many more, while leading Narratively to be cited as a Webby Awards Honoree for Best Writing. More than 50 of the longform stories Brendan has edited have been optioned for TV and film development. Brendan’s own reported stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wired, New York magazine, Travel and Leisure and many other publications. But the only thing that really impresses most people he meets is that he appeared on an episode of the PBS show, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? when he was 12 and caught Carmen in Africa.

“Brendan knocked it out of the park! From the very first class intro, it was clear that he cared deeply about delivering a great learning experience and giving us everything we needed to complete a longform article that we could be proud of. The structure of the class was brilliant--walking us through each step with examples beforehand and feedback after was incredibly supportive.” —Laurie Zottmann, former student in this class.

Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. All purchases are final and nonrefundable. After signing up, you’ll receive an email receipt confirming your purchase. Prior to the start of your class you’ll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.

Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.

MORE: Check out all of our upcoming Narratively Academy classes here.