May 24, 2004

It’s all about experience. Two months ago when Katie asked me to write a piece about body art, I went out and pierced my left nipple. I didn’t need a piercing to write the article, but the result would not have been nearly as immediate or as arousing. Writing about a subjective experience adds depth to the story, as New Journalism always preached.

New Journalism. Bernard is nearly as infatuated with it as I am. We talked for hours in the middle of Chapters today about New Journalism and my plans for ClubLaurier for next year. I want ClubLaurier to tell stories that resonate on the web, stories that are full of creativity, subjectivity, and drama.

I want to publish vivid, firsthand accounts, and I want the publication to have its own distinct voice (and an utter disregard for objectivity). Blogs seem to work well on the web because they tell stories in the way people want to hear them — though blogs are often personal and biased, the information and commentary they present is usually vivid and immediate.

ClubLaurier will be highly experimental next year — it will blend blogging techniques and New Journalism to create stories that are relevant, fair, and accurate. Subjectivity will be truthful. And for now I want to get people like Bernard interested in this idea.

“Will there be swearing involved?” he asked.

“Fuck yeah!”

He sounded impressed, and I walked out of Chapters with a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which shows where New Journalism can lead.