Andrew McMillen: 'Pedestrian Coach' presentation on feature journalism and interviewing, July 2014

Recorded on July 29, 2014 as part of Pedestrian Coach (http://www.pedestrian.tv/coach/)

FEATURE WRITING: HOW TO KEEP YOUR READER’S ATTENTION FROM THE FIRST WORD TO THE 5,000TH

with ANDREW MCMILLEN

Learn from the freelance journalist whose words have been published in Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, GQ Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.

http://www.pedestrian.tv/coach/profil...

What you will learn

Interview techniques and how to get the most out of your subject
How to keep your reader involved and interested from start to finish
The importance of attention-grabbing headlines and interesting abstracts
Tips on pitching, submitting and getting published

More About the Class

People have short attention spans. Fact. This is why your typical news story gives you all the important details in the first paragraph. From there, the vital pieces of information dwindle the further down the page you go. But when it comes to feature writing and you’re trying to discuss more than just “WTF happened?”, it’s a constant challenge to keep people reading right until the end.

Feature journalist Andrew McMillen has mastered the art of making things interesting. From discussing topics as diverse as mental health, youth-led social change, overseas romance tours, education policy, webcam hackers and influential public figures, he knows how to keep his readers’ attention.

Join him in this Coach session as he discusses the tactics of conducting a good interview, keeping the reader engaged, and leaping that all-important final barrier: getting published. As usual, this session wraps with a 15 minute Q&A.

More About this Coach

A freelance journalist based in Brisbane, Andrew McMillen’s work has been published in Rolling Stone, The Australian, Wired, The Monthly, Qweekend, BuzzFeed and GQ Australia. Find him on Twitter at @Andrew_McMillen or online at http://andrewmcmillen.com

His first book, “Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs” is published by University of Queensland Press on July 23. Written in a feature magazine style based on Andrew’s lengthy and intimate interviews, the book features 14 prominent Australian musicians (including Gotye, Phil Jamieson and Paul Kelly) sharing their thoughts on – and experiences with – illicit, prescription and legal drugs. http://talkingsmack.com.au

Work mentioned in the presentation:

'The Whistleblowers', Andrew's story about professional football referees for Good Weekend magazine: http://andrewmcmillen.com/2014/08/21/...

The Grass is Greener', Andrew's profile of Brisbane music entrepreneur Paul Piticco: http://andrewmcmillen.com/2014/07/20/...

'Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs', published by UQP in July 2014: http://talkingsmack.com.au

'Dispatches', Andrew's weekly email newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/andrewmcmillen