We spoke by phone this week with Atlanta magazine senior editor Thomas Lake about his story, “The Golden Boy and the Invisible Army,” our latest Notable Narrative. Lake, who also freelances for Sports Illustrated and is a regular commenter over at Gangrey.com, has previously worked at the St. Petersburg Times and The Florida Times-Union. His [...]
Tag Archives: The Florida Times-Union
Thomas Lake on mythical storytelling and the editing process: “sometimes it’s hard to kill your darlings”
June 17, 2010 – 2:18 pm
Doctor First to Arrive After Shooting
July 5, 2006 – 12:02 pm
This is a nice example of what’s possible when taking a narrative approach to deadline reporting. Rather than interviewing the doctor for quotes and using them in an inverted pyramid structure, LaForgia interviewed the doctor and constructed a chronological account, with concrete detail and richer character portrayal. LaForgia e-mailed us that he wrote the piece [...]
The Mysterious Metamorphosis of Ricky Roberts
April 27, 2006 – 3:31 pm
Here’s what Lake wrote when he emailed us this story: “Lots of people claim their lives have been transformed by miracles. Media coverage of these people tends to swing one of two ways: Either it’s uncritical and cheerleader-ish or it’s cynical and mocking. With this story about Ricky Roberts, I investigated his claim—that God had [...]
Solider’s Final Journey
February 5, 2006 – 12:00 am
Lake does a nice job portraying this fallen soldier’s life in authentic terms. He shows some change in the young man’s character before he dies, which makes the piece more engaging and insightful. He follows the transportation of the soldier’s body home from Iraq and its burial in moving yet un-mawkish ways.
Life and Death in the Animal ER
June 13, 2005 – 12:41 pm
This piece would be even better with clear point or “take.” We wondered: How does the author want us to think about this story? What themes could he have explored? But the story’s a good example of what can come out of just a day or two of reporting and writing.
