The Elements of Story - Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing

The bulk of writing books address grammar, style, and other line-by-line topics. However, Francis Flaherty believes that complex story-level matters-how to make a story move and how to use description to buttress your theme-pose equally common and far more formidable problems for writing students. Drawn from Flaherty''s long experience at the New York Times, this book shows how Times articles read the way they do. ''Sometimes, say things sideways,'' Flaherty writes. ''The reader will be grateful.'' ''White is whitest on black,'' he observes. ''Let contrast work for you.'' Through these and other hard-won story-level insights, sprinkled with examples from real stories and leavened with a good dose of newsroom memoir, The Elements of Story fills a large gap in the long shelf of writing books.

About the author

Francis Flaherty has worked for more than seventeen years at The New York Times. He has written for Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, Commonweal, and The Progressive and teaches journalism at NYU. He lives with his wife and two children in Brooklyn, New York.

Product details

• Authors: Francis Flaherty
• Publisher: Harper Perennial USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 07.09.2010
• EAN: 9780061689154
• ISBN: 978-0-06-168915-4
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 135 mm x 203 mm x 18 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance > Training, job, career; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; REFERENCE: General, COMPOSITION & WRITING: COMPOSITION, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Writing / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Writing / Authorship, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Linguistics / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Style Manuals, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Journalism, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Communication Studies