Ever since he was a small child, Nicholas Kusnetz has held a deep love for the outdoors; he even penned a piece about pollution in the first grade. Since then, Nicholas has transformed from a kid who loves nature to a bona fide environmental journalist on a mission to improve the conditions on planet earth. Nicholas’ work has been featured in publications like The Washington Post, Businessweek, Mother Jones and The New York Times. Today, we’re thrilled to share Nicholas’ tips on how to write a strong piece of environmental writing, which publications you can look for for inspiration, and how to wow him with your competition entry.
What led you to your career as a writer covering environmental topics? What advice do you have for young writers who are interested in pursuing a career as a journalist?
I was passionate about environmental issues and the outdoors as a little kid, and always loved writing too. I came across something I wrote from first grade or so about how people shouldn’t pollute the air so much. Towards the end of college, when thinking about what I wanted to do, I realized that journalism would allow me to learn about whatever I was interested in, write about it, and then get paid for it. That sounded like a great job.
My main advice for aspiring writers is persistence. If you stick to it, at some point you’ll realize that you’re really doing it. A mentor once told me that journalism is a volume game. You’ve got to produce a lot of work. That’s the best way to learn and get better.
For our Environmental Writing Competition, writers are encouraged to conduct research on their topic before they begin writing. Can you tell us a bit about your personal process and share any research tips you have?
The first thing I do is find out what else has been written about the topic for a general audience (or whatever audience you’re writing for). You don’t want to just replicate what someone else has already done. Reading that can help you identify experts if it’s a topic you don’t know well. The next step is to get in touch with them and help them point you in the right direction—ask them who to talk to and what to read, and then read it all. I start to feel comfortable that I’m talking to the right people once the same names start coming up over and over.
Which publications/books/news outlets can young writers look to for examples of strong environmental writing?
There’s so much. Elizabeth Kolbert’s two books are masterfully done and cover two of the biggest environmental crises of our time—climate change and mass extinction. In the climate realm in particular, a lot of news outlets have expanded their coverage over the past year (including us, you’ve got to be reading InsideClimate News!). Many of the mainstream organizations have been producing great work—The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic. But there are lots of good smaller publications that have published strong work too. High Country News has great stories about the West. I’d also recommend. Sometimes biggies like Bloomberg and Politico have good narrative environmental stories. My previous employer—the Center for Public Integrity—has a great investigative team focusing on environmental issues. With so many outlets, I rely on Twitter and newsletters like Above the Fold published by Environmental Health News and one from Climate Nexus to find articles from all over.
Writers have the option to submit their piece for Expert Review. Can you tell us about your own process of revision and working with an editor? How does editing transform a piece?
A good editor assists in shaping the piece long before writing begins. I really value input from my editor from the beginning, helping to hone an idea before I even start reporting in earnest. Then, if it’s a story I’ll be working on for a while, regular check-ins are good. Simply being forced to write down my thoughts periodically keeps me focused. Sometimes you don’t have this luxury, particularly if you’re freelancing. But making sure you and your editor agree on what exactly the story is and more or less how you plan to tell it can prevent headaches later on. Once I turn in a draft, again, I (almost) always value having someone look at the story who hasn’t been as immersed in the topic. Editors are your friends, even if (and maybe because) they’re cutting your favorite sentences.
What are you looking for in a winning entry?
I want to see writing that’s clear and alive. I want a story that tells me something I didn’t know or shows me something I knew in a different light. Flourishes can be a delight, but they’re only icing. Sometimes simple language is all you need. Humor always helps. But it’s very hard.
