Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to write a compelling profile
• Finding the right voice for a particular story (they will differ)
• How to best pace a story (meter and internal rhythm)
• Finding the way in to a story (how to write a good lead to grab your readers’ interest)
• How to best use quotes, metaphors and similes
• How to be tough when necessary, but also fair and scrupulous
• The importance of good research: what to keep in a story and what to discard
• Checking (and protecting) sources
• Examining the motivation of your subject and of those who talk to you about them.

Please note: This course assumes you already have some basic knowledge (e.g. how to pitch to editors, etc) – skills you learn in our freelance writing course. We strongly recommend that you have completed this course before doing Profile Writing. David will not be covering these foundational skills; he will be focusing specifically on profile writing techniques.

As this course is focused on David’s experiences in profile writing, it is structured differently to our other courses. It gives you the chance to be in a small group and tap into the experiences and insight of one of Australia’s top feature writers. While you will not have the opportunity to workshop your writing, you WILL learn valuable skills from a multi-award-winning journalist – and be entertained and inspired by David’s stories and professional journey.