Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction (Reference)

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.

• Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
• The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on The Wall Street Journal Guide
• The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
• The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling
• Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.)
• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
• Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
• Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
• Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
• The Art of Fact: A Historical Anthology of Literary Journalism