Storycraft: The Complete Guide To Writing Narrative Nonfiction (Chicago Guides To Writing, Editing, And Publishing) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
From the work of the New Journalists in the 1960s, to the New Yorker essays of John McPhee, Susan Orlean, Atul Gawande, and a host of others, to blockbuster book-length narratives such as Mary Roach’s Stiff or Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City, narrative nonfiction has come into its own. Yet writers looking for guidance on reporting and writing true stories have had few places to turn for advice. Now in Storycraft, Jack Hart, a former managing editor of the Oregonian who guided several Pulitzer Prize–winning narratives to publication, delivers what will certainly become the definitive guide to the methods and mechanics of crafting narrative nonfiction.Hart covers what writers in this genre need to know, from understanding story theory and structure, to mastering point of view and such basic elements as scene, action, and character, to drafting, revising, and editing work for publication. Revealing the stories behind the stories, Hart brings readers into the process of developing nonfiction narratives by sharing tips, anecdotes, and recommendations he forged during his decades-long career in journalism. From there, he expands the discussion to other well-known writers to show the broad range of texts, styles, genres, and media to which his advice applies. With examples that draw from magazine essays, book-length nonfiction narratives, documentaries, and radio programs, Storycraft will be an indispensable resource for years to come.
Series: Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; Reprint edition (October 12, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0226318168
ISBN-13: 978-0226318165
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #34,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #19 in Books > Textbooks > Communication & Journalism > Journalism #64 in Books > Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Journalism & Nonfiction #89 in Books > Textbooks > Reference > Writing Skills
This is an excellent book because it provides excellent content and fairly comprehensive coverage on all the key aspects of narrative and explanatory nonfiction writing. In the last part of the book, it makes summary points on a variety of other nonfiction types such as short stories and vignettes, and discusses issues such as reporting and ethics.Both the book and the author definitely have the ring of authority. According to my Kindle, about 32% of the book is devoted to references and footnotes. I wish they were annotated footnotes, which are often worth reading, but these ones generally contain just the reference (which I'm sure the author thought was important to include).The writing was very good, as were the examples the author used. There were only a few places (mostly early in the book) where it felt like things were bogging down, or the connection between the body text and the examples was hard to find.The pace was fine too--it was neither a light nor tedious read, just about right for the subject matter.If I had to pick a nit, it would be in the (seemingly endless) number of words and sentences in the early part of the book devoted to scrupulously making full references to authors (full names) and their various articles to support one of the author's points. Many times the author would make a point, and basically say, "Joe X was a master at this in whatever, as was X in Y, and W in Z." No examples of writing from these articles were given for the reader, so it bordered on nothing more than name dropping to me.Having said that, the obvious gravitas and authority of the author made me believe that he was not the sort of person to just name drop for name dropping's sake.
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