The Elements of Story
Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · September 7, 2010
“A splendid book for journalists (new or old), fiction writers, essayists, and critics.
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- Who it’s for
- A lively blend of memoir and how-to, focused on what makes storytelling work.
- Themes
- Storytelling craft, Nonfiction writing, Memoir and how-to
- Genres
- Journalism, Writing as a Career, Writing Nonfiction & Memoir
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For younger readers: Writing Radar, Dreyer's English (adapted for Young Readers), What's Your Story?
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Start with this bookAbout this book
“A splendid book for journalists (new or old), fiction writers, essayists, and critics.
Continue reading
But it could also be of great use to the intelligent common reader, the man or woman who wonders why it’s impossible to finish reading certain stories and why others carry the reader in a vivid rush to the end.” —Pete Hamill, author of A Drinking Life In the spirit of Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style, comes The Elements of Story, by Francis Flaherty, longtime story editor at The New York Times. A brilliant blend of memoir and how-to, The Elements of Story offers more than 50 principles that emphasize storytelling aspects rather than simply the mechanics of writing—a relentlessly entertaining, totally accessible writing guide for the novice and the professional alike.
Story Over Mechanics
A lively blend of memoir and how-to, focused on what makes storytelling work.
Come here for
- More than 50 principles centered on storytelling, not writing mechanics
- An accessible guide for novice and professional writers alike
Expect
- Memoir alongside practical writing guidance
- Attention to the elements that give stories their pull
Where it sits
| Writing as a Career | 41% |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 34% |
| Writing Nonfiction & Memoir | 26% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Art Reference
- Education Resources
- Writing as a Career
- Communication Studies
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Creative Writing
- Fiction Writing
- Writing Nonfiction & Memoir
- Journalism
- Authors
- Francis Flaherty
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- September 7, 2010
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Storytelling craft · Nonfiction writing · Memoir and how-to
- Reading lane
- Art Reference