---
product_id: 28587972
title: "Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction (Reference)"
price: "€ 21.78"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/28587972-writing-for-story-craft-secrets-of-dramatic-nonfiction-reference
store_origin: BE
region: Belgium
---

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

**Price:** € 21.78
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- **What is this?** Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction (Reference)
- **How much does it cost?** € 21.78 with free shipping
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## Description

The new "nonfiction"—the adaptation of storytelling techniques to journalistic articles in the manner of Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and John McPhee—is an innovative genre that has been awarded virtually every Pulitzer Prize for literary journalism since 1979. And now Jon Franklin, himself a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and undisputed master of the great American nonfiction short story, shares the secrets of his success. Franklin shows how to make factual pieces come alive by applying the literary techniques of complication/resolution, flashback, foreshadowing, and pace. He illustrates his points with a close analysis and annotation of two of his most acclaimed stories, so that the reader can see, step-by-step, just how they were created. This lively, easy-to-follow guid combines readability and excitement with the best of expository prose and illuminates the techniques that beginning journalists—and more experienced ones, too—will find immensely helpful: Stalking the true short story Drafting an effective outline Structuring the rough copy Polishing like a pro and the tips, tools, and techniques that will put your stories on the cutting edge

Review: One of the Best - This is one of the best books I've ever read on writing dramatic nonfiction -- nonfiction which approaches the subject through "story." Franklin, a two-time Pulitzer winner for his dramatic nonfiction, is also a college professor who teaches students how to write. This book gives to all writers and would-be writers the important things Franklin has learned as a practicing journalist and teacher. Included in the book is one of Franklin's prize-winning stories, "Mrs. Kelly's Monster." The story appears as Chapter Two of this book, but then it appears again in an annotated version at the end of the book. In the annotated version, Franklin explains everything he did, often line for line, and why he did it that way. A fantastic learning experience! Throughout the book, Franklin concentrates on story: what it is in fiction, how it works in nonfiction. He introduces and explains terms such as conflict, complication, and resolution. In addition, he teaches a five-line, three-words-per-line method of outlining a story. The purpose of this seemingly easy (but actually difficult) exercise is so that the writer can chip away and chip away at all the excess until he or she understands exactly and precisely, in the fewest words possible, what the conflict, complication, and resolution of his or her story are. Highly recommended -- for those who write fiction as well as those who write nonfiction.
Review: THE best book on feature writing - This wonderful book changed my writing life. I wish that I could say that I have lived up to Jon Franklin's writing advice, but at best I have aspired to live up to the advice Jon Franklin shares in WRITING FOR STORY. I first read this is 1988 and have periodically re-read it since then. For nonfiction feature writers, this book is on a par with Strunk & White. Highly recommended. While I was in the middle of writing "NIGHTMARE IN WICHITA: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler" I re-read WRITING FOR STORY. Perhaps I followed Franklin's advice to an adequate degree because in 2005 my book placed as high as number 4 on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list (for paperback nonfiction). The criticsms of the negative reviewers appear to me to have little or no merit. In my experience, successful writers treat this book as gold. Writers of kindred spirit can read WRITING FOR STORY for pure enjoyment, often nodding one's head in recognition of similar experience. If, besides WRITING FOR STORY, you are looking for an additional book on writing feature stories, I recommend FOLLOW THE STORY by James B. Stewart. If you are ready to go beyond feature writing, Franklin's SHOCK-TRAUMA is a living example of how to write a book-length nonfiction narrative following the feature-writing advice in WRITING FOR STORY. Bravo, Jon Franklin, and thank you. Robert Beattie Wichita, Kansas

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #102,764 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #152 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference #166 in Creative Writing Composition #187 in Writing Skill Reference (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 160 Reviews |

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the Best
*by O***N on August 1, 2012*

This is one of the best books I've ever read on writing dramatic nonfiction -- nonfiction which approaches the subject through "story." Franklin, a two-time Pulitzer winner for his dramatic nonfiction, is also a college professor who teaches students how to write. This book gives to all writers and would-be writers the important things Franklin has learned as a practicing journalist and teacher. Included in the book is one of Franklin's prize-winning stories, "Mrs. Kelly's Monster." The story appears as Chapter Two of this book, but then it appears again in an annotated version at the end of the book. In the annotated version, Franklin explains everything he did, often line for line, and why he did it that way. A fantastic learning experience! Throughout the book, Franklin concentrates on story: what it is in fiction, how it works in nonfiction. He introduces and explains terms such as conflict, complication, and resolution. In addition, he teaches a five-line, three-words-per-line method of outlining a story. The purpose of this seemingly easy (but actually difficult) exercise is so that the writer can chip away and chip away at all the excess until he or she understands exactly and precisely, in the fewest words possible, what the conflict, complication, and resolution of his or her story are. Highly recommended -- for those who write fiction as well as those who write nonfiction.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ THE best book on feature writing
*by R***E on May 8, 2005*

This wonderful book changed my writing life. I wish that I could say that I have lived up to Jon Franklin's writing advice, but at best I have aspired to live up to the advice Jon Franklin shares in WRITING FOR STORY. I first read this is 1988 and have periodically re-read it since then. For nonfiction feature writers, this book is on a par with Strunk & White. Highly recommended. While I was in the middle of writing "NIGHTMARE IN WICHITA: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler" I re-read WRITING FOR STORY. Perhaps I followed Franklin's advice to an adequate degree because in 2005 my book placed as high as number 4 on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list (for paperback nonfiction). The criticsms of the negative reviewers appear to me to have little or no merit. In my experience, successful writers treat this book as gold. Writers of kindred spirit can read WRITING FOR STORY for pure enjoyment, often nodding one's head in recognition of similar experience. If, besides WRITING FOR STORY, you are looking for an additional book on writing feature stories, I recommend FOLLOW THE STORY by James B. Stewart. If you are ready to go beyond feature writing, Franklin's SHOCK-TRAUMA is a living example of how to write a book-length nonfiction narrative following the feature-writing advice in WRITING FOR STORY. Bravo, Jon Franklin, and thank you. Robert Beattie Wichita, Kansas

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The best advice for writing nonfiction!!
*by Y***S on December 8, 2025*

I knew Jon and I miss him. I will always be grateful for everything he taught me about writing nonfiction.

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*Product available on Desertcart Belgium*
*Store origin: BE*
*Last updated: 2026-09-03*