annotations: jamie lauren keiles' perfect structure
"How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation"; two oranges in a coat pocket; and other things I read
Hi! This was my last week at Slate. My time there was shorter than I would’ve liked, but it was a formative, clarifying experience that happened at a really critical juncture in my life, so for that I’m incredibly grateful. Take this as an excuse to re-read all my Slate stories, including the Hot Duck, the self-own, and of course, the fucking salad comb!!!
Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of my professional debasement :)
The next thing, at [redacted], starts on Monday. Follow along on Twitter to participate in the vainglorious pageantry known as the “personal news” tweet. Can’t wait.
annotated: “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation” by Jamie Lauren Keiles, The New York Times Magazine
Jamie Lauren Keiles, one of my favorite magazine writers, recently shared her feature-writing process and recommended structure in a series of tweets that is more helpful than 90 percent of j-school magazine writing classes:
There are variations, of course, but the fundamental ping-pong between scenes (the narrative candy that keeps readers enthralled) and context/analysis (the information that actually teaches you something) is key.
Perfect timing: Keiles just published a feature about A.S.M.R. in The New York Times Magazine. Let’s look at it with this structure in mind: HERE ARE MY ANNOTATIONS.
Photo credit: Hannah Whitaker for The New York Times
Last week: Community annotations for Soraya Roberts’ Longreads essay were popping. The level of conversation was so excellent (and Roberts herself waded into the comments)!
read
The death of a scholar who was failed by an apparatus in which the young, the poor, the marginalized are systematically trapped in academia’s permanent underclass: the adjuncts. [The Atlantic]
Anne Boyer on breast cancer, and what it takes away. This is some astonishing writing. [The New Yorker]
This news article on the first image of a black hole is unexpectedly beautiful—dare I say, lyrical—at times. [NYT]
Two oranges in my coat pockets. [Popula]
“Listen up bitches, it’s time to learn incorrect things about someone you’ve never heard of” [The Outline]
Against “chill,” music that’s been reduced to background noise for the purpose of increasing productivity. On the one hand, I’m guilty of this. On the other hand, maybe that’s fine?? [The New Yorker]
It’s difficult to recommend this engrossing story by Peter Hessler—about a gay Egyptian man leaving his homeland, but through the lens of the (white) author and his own troubles leaving Egypt—without some reservations. Is it akin to literary colonialism, or just a deeply personal tale? The framework gives me pause, but is also effective at surfacing larger themes and threads of humanity that resonate. Anyway, it’s an interesting and well-written story; you should read it and let me know what you think. [The New Yorker]
Twitter as a product “is broken and perpetually deficient” and relies on its users to come up with solutions that Twitter then cops (e.g., RTs, #hashtags, pull-down-to-refresh)—but the one feature Twitter refuses to implement, writes John Herrman, is the ability to mass-delete your own tweets. Incidentally, I am seriously considering auto-deleting tweets on a rolling basis; please help me by telling me if you do or do not and why? [NYT]
P.S.
Enjoy the weekend,
jgz