{"id":899933,"date":"2026-06-29T03:28:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T03:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/899933\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T03:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T03:28:52","slug":"metropolitan-diary-challenge-day-2-how-to-write-your-n-y-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/899933\/","title":{"rendered":"Metropolitan Diary Challenge Day 2: How to Write Your N.Y. Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ed Shanahan<\/a> Illustrations by Agnes Lee <\/p>\n

Ed Shanahan has been the editor of Metropolitan Diary for 10 years. Agnes Lee has drawn more than 2000 illustrations for the weekly column since 2017.<\/p>\n

June 28, 2026 <\/p>\n

Welcome to Day 2 of the Metropolitan Diary challenge, part of our celebration of the column’s 50th anniversary. On Day 1, we gave you tips for identifying your New York City story. Today, we’ll help you write it. (Missed Day 1? It’s not too late to start<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

What makes for a good Diary? It\u2019s simply a good story that happens to be set in, and capture, the essential New York-ness of the city. While this isn\u2019t a full writing course, we do have guidance on the kinds of elements that the submissions we publish include. They typically have: a beginning, middle and end; sharp details; catchy dialogue; a bit of surprise; some humor, warmth or emotion. But there is no formula, so flouting these loose rules can be worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t think of yourself as a \u201cwriter.\u201d Focus on being a \u201cstoryteller.\u201d Pretend you are telling your story to the person who\u2019d most appreciate it, using whatever conversational language or pacing that would hold their attention. Do it out loud if you want, maybe give that person a call and tell them your story (or tell it to them again). Then write it down.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the big picture. For more tips, read on.<\/p>\n

Here is an example of a published Diary that we (and readers) really liked, and a few thoughts on why that may help crystallize yours.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Unacceptable<\/p>\n

Dear Diary:<\/p>\n

I went to a new bagel store in Brooklyn Heights1<\/strong> with my son.<\/p>\n

When it was my turn to order, I asked for a cinnamon raisin bagel with whitefish salad and a slice of red onion.2<\/strong><\/p>\n

The man behind the counter looked up at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t do that.\u201d3<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Richie Powers<\/p>\n

One of this item\u2019s best qualities is that it is short and snappy. Only 53 words! Although we will use stories of up to 300 words, many don\u2019t need to be that long and the column doesn\u2019t work if we don\u2019t have a mix of long, medium and short, so we are always looking for stuff like this. Here\u2019s another one!<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

At Attention<\/p>\n

Dear Diary:<\/p>\n

It was December 1967. I had just finished basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey and was traveling to Boston in uniform. For reasons I no longer recall, I stopped in New York City on the way.1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walking on the Upper East Side2<\/strong> in a snowstorm, I spied another man in a uniform. He was older, and his cap bore the familiar gold band that identified him as an officer.<\/p>\n

I rendered a snappy salute. It was not returned. 3<\/strong>The uniform was unfamiliar, so I guessed he was a foreign officer. Military courtesy still required me to salute.<\/p>\n

A little farther down the street, I encountered another officer and offered another salute that went unacknowledged.4<\/strong> His uniform was strange to me as well.<\/p>\n

The third time it happened, the man I saluted ignored me while holding the door for a couple 5<\/strong>on their way into a large apartment building.<\/p>\n

I realized I had been saluting doormen.6<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Stephen Salisbury<\/p>\n

To get your storytelling muscles going, think through or jot down the answers to some of these questions.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with setting the scene.<\/p>\n