Immersion – A Writer`s Guide to Going Deep

"""Conover calls upon the wellspring of his own experience (as author of five potent books based on immersion experiences) and a treasure trove of over seventy significant examples of immersion writing, detailed in an annotated bibliography. . . . His approach is conversational throughout, with well-placed reflections on decisions that affected his own oeuvre. Readers need not be familiar with Conover's works to benefit from this book, but writers wishing to experience non-fiction of the page-turning sort should check them out-- twice.""-- ""Journal of Scholarly Publishing"" ""Conover distills decades of hard-won knowledge into a how-to guide for journalists.""-- ""Columbia Journalism Review"" ""The country's reigning master of immersion reporting.""-- ""Nieman Storyboard"" ""The recommended guidebook for aspiring non-fiction writers.""-- ""Portland Book Review"" ""A vital, engrossing guide that is, in essence, an intimate conversation with a master of the form. This book is absolutely essential for writers of creative nonfiction, and a fascinating look inside the process for any reader.""--Susan Orlean author of Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend and The Orchid Thief ""Ted Conover was one of three or four authors I openly emulated when I was trying to learn the craft of writing. The worlds he immersed himself in were raw and desperate and dangerous and exactly the kinds of topics that I, myself, wanted to write about. I only wish he had written this book decades ago so that I would have had a little more guidance. Conover is a wonderful, kind, thoughtful teacher, and this book allows us all the chance to experience being his student for a little while. What a pleasure.""--Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging and War ""A warm and generous guide for students and others aspiring to produce the kind of finely observed prose that represents journalism's literary apex. Conover, who took a job as a prison guard to write Newjack and who is an associate professor of journalism at New York University, covers the basics of researching and writing longform narrative nonfiction in Immersion: A Writer's Guide to Going Deep. His clear voice and thoughtful instructions will be invaluable to undergraduate and graduate students embarking on their first ambitious projects. Professors and veteran journalists will appreciate Conover's definition of immersion journalism, his defense of craft, and his discourse on ethics.""-- ""Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly"" ""Immersion is a tricky business, and there's clearly a need for savvy guidance from a wise, experienced practitioner. Who better than Ted Conover? With five immersion books to his credit and articles published in the country's most prestigious magazines, he's one of the world's most accomplished immersion journalists."" --Jack Hart, author of Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction"