Detroit-based freelance editor and writer Nancy Nall runs a very smart eponymous blog. She’s a veteran of the daily newspapering game and obviously knows what she’s talking about when she discusses journalistic matters. She’s also a fan of Warren Zevon, which gives her bonus points.
I was struck today by her mini-essay on subject and theme. You should read the whole thing, but here’s what she’d probably call the “nut graph”:
It’s been my experience, as a writer and an editor, that when you’re blocked on a piece of writing the problem is one of two: 1) You haven’t done enough reporting; or 2) You don’t understand the theme. What’s it really about? Does this paragraph illuminate that? If not, you’ve lost your way. The subject is the path, the theme lights the path.