Product Description
Jon Franklin, an undisputed master of the great American nonfiction short story, shares the secrets of his success. This lively, easy-to-follow guide combines readability and excitement with the best of expository prose and illuminates the techniques that beginning journalists will find to be immensely helpful.
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Amazon.com Review
One of Ludwig Miës van der Rohe's favorite aphorisms was that "God is in the details." Jon Franklin would beg to differ. A pretty turn of phrase is no use at all, says he, if you don't have a firm structure on which to hang it. Franklin pioneered the field of creative nonfiction by applying fiction's classical complication-resolution form to standard nonfiction (specifically to news stories, most of which, he states, are generally "endings without beginnings attached"). Instead of focusing on style, grammar, and word use, as do many books on writing, Writing for Story provides a rigorous lesson in building a nonfiction story (short or long) that has structural integrity. Franklin advocates starting with an outline, writing the climax first, and engaging in other grueling tasks that seem like hard work because they are.
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 Extraordinary book on writing ( book_writer1 )
One of the most powerful books on writing that I've ever read. It feels like a "life changing" book.
Franklin is making me re-think everything I thought I knew about writing nonfiction. (I just published my second nonfiction book, "Digital Video Secrets.")
Some of what he says I've recognized in "pieces." But Franklin puts everything together, and then gives clear examples of how to construct a compelling narrative nonfiction story.
I've long believed that story telling is the same craft, whether it's nonfiction or fiction. Franklin proves that, "Yes, it is." Then he proceeds to show you how to craft a story, step by step.
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The foundation of readable writing. ( lonc89 )
This beyond a doubt the best book on the basic structure of Story available. I deeply sympathize with those who did not like it, structuring is by far the hardest part of writing. I also agree that having two of the author's feature stories appear twice (once in plain text, once annotated) is bordering on overkill. But this is more than made up for by having the number one tool for readability and retention at your fingertips. I would warn potential readers that this book will seem deceptively simple. Structuring a story at the Outline level, especially when one considers the number of words produced, is EXTREMELY difficult at times. But it is worth every second of effort. When a story is structured properly, the piece dovetails and flows beautifully.
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Excellent. ( jim-johnson )
I bought this book for me, and I bought a copy for a friend. I like books that can actually demonstrate the lessons they profess, and the lessons here are clear. Jon Franklin includes two stories he won Pulitzer prizes for, and theyre excellent examples of what he's teaching the rest of us to do.
The book wont teach you everything you need to learn about writing. It wont teach you a lot about writing. But it will teach you how to make your stories interesting...or as interesting as they can be. And if a story is compelling, readers will gladly endure grammatical errors, and spelling errors, and punctuation glitches. There are other books that cover the grammar and spelling and punctuation. Few books address how to make what you write interesting. This one does. This book isnt Business Writing 101.
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Building your nonfiction story
Mr. Franklin starts with two short nonfiction stories that he uses as canvases for painting his techniques. He describes the essential elements of a salable story and provides a fundamental structure for building and supporting the story. After teaching you how to transpose your story idea into rough copy, he shows you how to "polish" your rough copy until it shines.
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Finally, something that makes sense to me ( nancy11488 )
After several tries with other well-reputed books, this is the first that has truly conveyed to me a clear understanding of how to write for story. Indeed, when I read this for the first time, I found it difficult at times to focus on Franklin's words, finding myself pulled away by story ideas crystalizing for me as never before.
It may be that my technical background renders his methodical approach, liberally sprinkled with engaging anecdote and warm humor, particularly transparent and memorable, when the words of others yielded little real insight.
If you seek understanding of - a solid 'feel' to - an approach to storytelling that facilitates the construction of engaging and memorable tales, then this book might work as well for you as it does for me. If, though, you view organized thought as antithetical to creativity, then you might not find this work so appealing.
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