Pitch a longform feature idea with a clear angle, access plan and word-count justification that editors can approve quickly.
Public Relations & Media
Longform Feature Writing and Narrative Non-Fiction Techniques
Develop the reporting depth, structural craft and editing discipline needed to write longform features and narrative non-fiction pieces that hold readers from the opening scene to the final line.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Longform features and narrative non-fiction ask a reporter to do two jobs at once: gather material with the patience of an investigator and shape it with the discipline of a storyteller. This course works through both halves of that craft. Participants learn how editors commission longform work, how to pitch a story that earns the word count, and how immersive reporting, extended access, scene observation and layered interviewing, produces the texture that separates a feature from a news report. The middle of the course is built around structure: narrative arcs, braided timelines, scene-and-summary rhythm, and the use of a nut graph to hold a long piece together. Craft sessions cover voice, point of view, controlled tension and dialogue reconstruction from notes and recordings. The course closes on the unglamorous work that makes narrative non-fiction publishable: structural self-editing, fact-checking every claim and quotation, clearing a legal read, and matching the finished piece to the right outlet and format. Participants leave with a completed feature draft, a structural outline template and a fact-checking log they can reuse on future assignments.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Structure a narrative non-fiction piece using scene-and-summary rhythm, braided timelines or a chronological arc suited to the material.
Conduct immersive reporting and layered interviews that generate the sensory detail and character depth longform writing needs.
Reconstruct dialogue and scenes accurately from notes, recordings and multiple sources without inventing detail.
Apply voice, point of view and pacing techniques to sustain reader attention across several thousand words.
Self-edit a draft for structural weaknesses, redundant scenes and pacing problems before submission.
Fact-check a finished feature line by line and prepare it for a legal read before publication.
Who Should Attend
Staff and freelance journalists moving from news reporting into longform feature work.
Magazine and digital feature writers who want stronger structural and narrative technique.
Corporate communicators producing narrative case studies and long-form brand journalism.
Documentary researchers and podcast producers who script narrative non-fiction segments.
Editors who commission and shape longform features for print or digital publications.
Postgraduate journalism students preparing longform portfolio pieces for job applications.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Finding and Structuring the Story
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Idea Generation and Story Pitching
- Identify feature ideas by spotting recurring cases, underreported trends and characters within a news cycle.
- Write a pitch memo that states the angle, access secured, sourcing plan and reason the story needs longform treatment.
- Judge word count and format against outlet conventions, from a short online feature to a multi-part print series.
- Negotiate deadlines, access and expenses with an editor before reporting begins.
Session 2Structural Architecture for Long Narratives
- Choose between chronological, braided and thematic structures based on the material gathered.
- Build a scene inventory and decide which scenes carry the narrative forward and which become summary.
- Draft a nut graph that states the story's significance without stalling the narrative momentum.
- Outline a piece on a structural grid before drafting to expose gaps in reporting.
02Reporting Depth and Source Development
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Immersive Reporting and Scene-Building
- Negotiate extended access with sources to observe events as they happen rather than reconstruct them afterwards.
- Record sensory and environmental detail in field notes that can be converted into vivid scene-setting.
- Track a story over multiple visits to capture change, tension and unresolved conflict over time.
- Maintain a reporting log that timestamps observations, quotations and follow-up questions for later verification.
Session 2Interviewing for Character and Detail
- Design layered interview questions that move a source from surface answers to specific memories and detail.
- Interview secondary sources to corroborate a central character's account and surface conflicting perspectives.
- Capture verbatim quotations and speech patterns that make dialogue reconstruction credible.
- Manage sensitive interviews involving trauma, conflict or reputational risk with informed consent.
03Craft Techniques in Narrative Non-Fiction
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Voice, Point of View and Tension
- Select a narrative point of view, first person, close third or reported, that fits the story's access and purpose.
- Develop a consistent authorial voice that carries factual authority without overwhelming the story.
- Build and release tension across sections using foreshadowing, withheld information and scene sequencing.
- Balance narrative momentum against necessary context and analysis without breaking the story's pace.
Session 2Dialogue, Description and Pacing
- Reconstruct dialogue from notes and recordings while flagging any reconstructed lines to editors.
- Write physical and sensory description that reveals character and setting without slowing the narrative.
- Vary sentence length and paragraph rhythm to control pacing across scene and summary passages.
- Cut redundant description and adjectives that dilute rather than sharpen an image.
04Editing, Fact-Checking and Publication
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Self-Editing and Structural Revision
- Read a draft against its outline to identify scenes that no longer serve the structure.
- Cut a draft to strengthen pacing without losing essential reporting.
- Rewrite openings and endings so the piece begins with a hook and closes with resonance.
- Incorporate editor feedback on structure and voice without losing the story's original intent.
Session 2Fact-Checking, Legal Read and Placement
- Build a line-by-line fact-checking log that traces every claim and quotation to a verifiable source.
- Prepare a piece for a legal read by flagging defamation, privacy and contempt risks in advance.
- Match a finished feature to the right outlet, section and format for its subject and length.
- Respond to editor and legal queries with documented sourcing rather than memory alone.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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