Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University

by Mark Kramer, Wendy Call (Editor)

Inspiring stories and practical advice from America’s most respected journalists The country’s most prominent journalists and nonfiction authors gather each year at Harvard’s Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. Telling True Stories presents their best advice—covering everything from finding a good topic, to structuring narrative stories, to writing and selling your first book. More than fifty well-known writers offer their most powerful tips, including:
• Tom Wolfe on the emotional core of the story
• Gay Talese on writing about private lives
• Malcolm Gladwell on the limits of profiles
• Nora Ephron on narrative writing and screenwriters
• Alma Guillermoprieto on telling the story and telling the truth
• Dozens of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists from the Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and more . . .

The essays contain important counsel for new and career journalists, as well as for freelance writers, radio producers, and memoirists. Packed with refreshingly candid and insightful recommendations, Telling True Stories will show anyone fascinated by the art of writing nonfiction how to bring people, scenes, and ideas to life on the page.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Journalism, Essays, Reference, Crafts, Communication

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I added this book to my collection of writing "how-to" guides. Among them are On Writing Well, Bird by Bird, Plot & Structure, On Writing, Wired for Story, and Save the Cat. This one specifically addresses the unique voice required of the non-fiction writer. Essays written by a number of award-winning journalists include admonitions to pay attention to dialogue, get out of the way of the story, and write the ending first. The book is a compilation of essays, journalists who are essentially saying, "This is how I do it, and this is what I've learned through the process." Each essay included gems of wisdom, not only for the non-fiction writer, but also for the fiction one. The big take away--relational access makes good stories great. Even more important, however, is the development of the unique voice that only you can bring to each piece you write. Ask good questions and listen to the answers. Above all, tell the truth. Always tell the truth.

Some of the best pieces of advice:

Each of us has a storytelling voice deep inside. (Jack Hart)

One thing I have learned is that the most important thing about...journalism...is to bring a strong sense of humility to the work. (Debra Dickerson)

Writing is a craft for the thoughtful fanatic. (Mark Kramer and Wendy Call)

Stories allow us to think wholeheartedly, to truly understand. (Alma Guillermoprieto)

Truly great painting retains some element of a child's emotional authenticity. Great writing does, too. (Susan Orlean)

I write because I want my readers to take action. (Loung Ung)

As a fun side note, reading this book made me want to re-read Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. I'm pretty excited about that!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for my work on National Writing Project's E-Team, a group who reads and responds to others' writing all summer long. We were to read, looking for connections to our work as responders...ways to help other see their work, and to give suggestions for revision. As with every other book we've studied, my first thought was all the ways this book would help my OWN writing...I keep feeling guilty for thinking of that first. Essays by various journalists and editors, the focus here is narrative journalism...how to tell a 'news' story or a memoir using the elements of fiction narrative. I marked countless pages, took notes of lines I loved, and collected some essays that I think will help me make suggestions and ask questions to help deepen writers' vision of their work. Ladder of Abstraction, Storyteller's Lexicon, Lessons from the Jury Box, and Summary Narrative vs. Dramatic Narrative all will help me...IF I can remember them in the furious crush of reading this summer.

My favorite quotes: "Writing is like scraping off a piece of yourself; people can see beneath your skin" and "Each of us has a storyteller's voice deep inside..."

This book inspired me to read ELECTRIC KOOL AID ACID TEST just to see Tom Wolfe, the hero of every one of these journalists, at his best.

[Ji In · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really give this book 3 1/2 stars, but since I cannot, I'm opting to give it 3 instead of 4. In truth, I did not read this from cover to cover, but skipped around, selecting those sections that were most relevant to my writing. Each piece in this collection is fairly short & sweet -- easy to pick up and read a couple at a time, and pick and choose without having to tackle it front to back.

In this collection, writers from a range of backgrounds share anecdotal insights into their writing processes, lessons learned, etc. Rather than learning a lot of new and inspirational methods for advancing and stretching my own writing toolkit, however, I felt as though this book was more of a compilation of encouraging mantras -- the kind of thing you can write on sticky notes and tack to your monitor and look at to restore your focus when you're strung out on caffeine at 3 a.m.

[Greg Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-read for journalists, particularly those writing long form non-fiction for magazines, non-fiction storytellers. I keep it as a reference and dip back into various chapters again and again. Kramer and Call pull together some bright writers in the field of non-fiction writing.

[Cindy Coloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide for writers, especially those writing memoir and narrative nonfiction.

[Tabitha Blankenbiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when I find a craft book I adore. They seem to fall into one of two categories: a long, rambling slog or lively conversations that inspire me. I’m thrilled to report that Telling True Stories falls into the latter category. Reading the book brings me right back to residency, and makes me feel as though I’m sitting along with a great series of craft talks that deal strictly with my genre.
The book is written by journalists and focuses primarily on writing research, interviewing, media ethics and other issues that are more tailored toward that style. As a nonfiction writer that wants to write personal essays, I found the vast majority of the material applicable. The few essays that were specifically magazine and newspaper advice still provided me insight into the inner workings of these publications. I’m not convinced that I want to write in that environment, but it’s informative to know what other writers that write in similar styles have to know and deal with.
Like any good craft book, Telling True Stories is full of tips to highlight, re-read, staple to your desk and never forget. I have been immersed in editing my piece the last couple of weeks, and I have also taught several memoir classes while trying to convey the importance of editing in distilling an articulate voice. Anne Hull summarized several key virtues I need to always keep in mind while I’m going through my heavy, flamboyant drafts: “Push [details] through a creative sieve. This is the hardest part. You want to weave a sense of place, not just give a laundry list of details” (Hull 42). Her metaphor for chopping unnecessary details is fantastic, and I’m glad that she acknowledges how difficult it can be. As beginning writers, we are encouraged to vomit out every detail we can conjure. Don’t just tell us about where you are/who you’re with/what it looks like. Show us! While in principle this is a good idea, it leads to inevitable overshare. One of the most valuable things I have learned so far this semester is that not every detail, even if it is a well-written and interesting detail, belongs in the story. When you’ve edited and refined your story enough to get a handle on the “aboutness” of it, you’ll start to see what details add and enhance your narrator-character and story theme, and which ones just gussy up the windows. In good writing, which is clear and sleek, red herring frills are unnecessary.
As I am considering concentrating my essay around the thesis that good endings are more important than good beginnings, I found Bruce DeSilva’s Endings a fantastic discussion on the topic. He sums up the idea of a good ending succinctly: “Your ending must do four things: signal to the reader that the piece is over, reinforce your central point, resonate in your reader’s mind after he or she turned the page, and arrive on time. The very best endings often do something else: They offer a twist that readers don’t see coming but nevertheless strikes them as exactly right” (DeSilva 117). As one can see from DeSilva’s description, endings aren’t easy. They take an extensive amount of rewriting and thought to make them successful, along with an instinct to tell when your story has stopped. I am still working on getting this right. There are many times when I’m not sure where to stop. Beginnings are so much more forgiving; they’re important, but they’re not the last word. I plan to refer to his piece next semester as I work on developing my theory.
Hearing these articulate, successful nonfiction writing voices discuss and argue their methods was informative and strangely entertaining. It has earned a place alongside Bird By Bird and The Forest for the Trees as one of the craft books I’ll be flipping through for years.

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kramer and Call do a phenomenal job of creating a go-to book for narrative nonfiction. They describe the book as a "bouillon of experience and explanation." It's all that and SO much more. Many acclaimed authors poignantly share their journey of creating narrative arcs, ensuring accuracy, evaluating ethics as an observer in other's lives, defining scenes, enhancing character development, and the ruthless act of many rewrites.

I took a ton of notes in the margins and on any empty white space throughout the book. I absorbed it like a sponge and will return many times to soak in the knowledge.

Highly, highly recommend for anyone who tells stories---whether through the written word, photographs, music, or art. Story stirs the soul and moves people to action.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again, this one was aimed toward journalists and I found some of the commentary from the people they asked to contribute a bit condescending toward their subjects. I wish I could elaborate more on that, but I read this two years ago for a course on professional writing and so my memory is hazy. It was just the way a couple of these journalists discussed the people that they covered for stories and their methods for how they got their story bordered on intruding on these people's privacy after they had suffered a tragedy. There was one or two specific people who were repeat offenders in coming off in this regard.

[R.lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this.

I read non-fiction for the most part. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of writing some non-fiction essays on topics that I enjoy researching, and this book appeared on a few different lists.

It is a collection of categorically sorted essays on writing, and they were enlightening. Every doubt I had was touched on, and every pitfall imaginable was explained by a variety of accomplished writers in their own words, from experiences they’ve had.

Other reviewers mentioned it seemed dated. In some of the technology mentioned, perhaps, but the philosophy behind it all holds true. It is very common-sense and not academic at all. I’ll be buying a copy to keep on my shelf for the future.

[Carrie Honaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much great advice in this book, but what really stuck with me was as a writer, you should always look for the emotional heart of a story, no matter the topic.

[Jenny Hubert]

Future Jenny will most definitely come back to this. It's a very informative read with plenty of perspectives on nonfiction. However, the information provided is not quite applicable right now. So I will return when I start writing nonfiction again.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

...This great guide has made me realized how many writers are really really bad at reporting non-fiction events. This book primarily offers tips on researching/organizing/writing/editing/publishing narrative nonfiction. I can't think of a reason why it won't benefit any aspiring writer.

I had no idea that journalism especially narrative nonfiction can go wrong in so many ways. The good news is that these writers share their knowledge to rectify and prevent mistakes when reporting a news story.

Why did I read this book? The words 'Nonfiction Writers' Guide' caught my attention. Why didn't I stop reading this book after realizing it revolved around journalism and not what I was looking for? 1) I did gain some valuable insight on the topic of writing. 2) I glimpsed what the world of journalism held. 3) Now I would be more wary when reading a news article. 4) There are numerous references to great literary works and how that could help with one's writing.

[Meero-slaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction into what "narrative journalism" is about and how it is done. The book looks into this form of writing and story-telling from various angles – a lot of experienced journalists contributed to the edition. For me, that is someone who is not writing narratives, it serves the purpose of giving me tools with which to decompose and evaluate texts I'm reading. Strucutre and other parts of the craft should be invisible to the reader, says John McPhee. But still, I've read his Draft No. 4 as well as Telling True Stories to be able to read between the lines, paragraphs, sections, and quotes.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There should really be a catagory for partially read books. I will probably never read this whole book, but I have read parts of it. It is a collection of articles by noted non-fiction writers about the art and craft of writing non-fiction (imagine that!). It's really the very best book on this topic available. I'm just not reading the whole thing, because it doesn't all apply to what I am writing right now (historical non-fiction) or what I have written for publication in the past (personal essay or narrative non-fiction).

[Nancy Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to skip four years of paying for college you can buy this book instead. It's a buffet of all types of nonfiction writers. Essays, humorists, journalism, travel, profile writing- you name it. Top authors reflect on how to accomplish your writing goals whether it is to be lyrical or hard boiled.
I've given this book as a gift to about five of my friends. It's a book of short nonfiction stories or reflections from writers on writing. Outstanding! For anyone who appreciate writing well and telling the truth at the same time.

[Atila Iamarino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longo e cheio de exemplos e experiências. Excelente por isso, mas foi bem cansativo. Gostei mais da parte sobre estrutura de texto e storytelling. Ficou bem datado, com muito conteúdo que se aplica quase que exclusivamente às mídias tradicionais. O A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers é bem menos datado nesse sentido.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good takeaways and interesting stories about the writers' experiences, but it felt like a slog at times, and I had to take a break at the halfway point to read something else for a while. Worth reading if you're interested in this kind of writing.

[Robin Meadows · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven -- many of the essays are not helpful but a few are outstanding. I especially liked the section on editing.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and insightful book. The title is misleading, as the content is 99% geared toward journalists (to my recollection there is one essay that refers to memoir). That being said, the experiences and tips offered here are worth the read for nonfiction writers in general.

The book offers food for thought on thematic and narrative focus, considering the audience, gathering information, and the tough work of editing and pruning to refine a piece to its most focused essence.

Gathering information was a repeated, and to my mind the most interesting, point of reflection. I found this journalistic perspective provocative since many emerging creative writers (in particular folks who write memoir or personal narrative) approach writing as if the only admissible material is what they personally remember or, at best, what they have in their personal files.

What an inspiring idea, then, to ponder how much richer one might make their writing by putting on a proverbial press hat and reaching out to whomever else is involved in the subject matter of the story--maybe even topical specialists--to build out the story's world. Perhaps this represents a different sort of labor than the writer thought they were getting into, but the ultimate fate of most writing is to become a locus of conversation, is it not? Then why not get a head start, and enrich the conversational power of one's writing in the process, by engaging in investigatory dialogue during the creative process?

Journalistic tools are perhaps not always needed for other forms of non-fiction writing, but it's provocative to think of the times and ways in which they are.

[Ellen Behrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays, filled with from-the-trenches lessons and advice from some of the best narrative nonfiction journalists in the country, gave me some insight into the project I've been working on but it's strength is primarily for those who are relatively early in their journalism career. You wouldn't know all that from the cover nor its lengthy subtitle, which is why I thought it might help me as I draft my memoir but found it less helpful in that respect as I thought.

Even so, there are some key takeaways here, despite the difference in focus, especially if you're new to nonfiction writing in general. Much of it is standard advice: be vivid, respect the reader and the subjects of your work, setting a scene, using dialogue, and so forth.

Sonia Nazario's "Dealing with Danger: Protecting Your Subject and Your Story" was a particularly insightful piece on how she dealt with covering an 11 year-old immigrant from Honduras trying to make it to his mother in North Carolina and the dilemma of remaining an observer while he confronted dangerous situations: what's a reporter to do? And how do you deal with standing by? When do you intervene?

Although my own nonfiction isn't this type of journalism, I found myself highlighting bits and pieces--hence the five-star rating. Perhaps other memoirists will find even more here, but the true targeted reader is the narrative journalist who wants to write stories about experiences, people, and issues that transcend reporting into compelling narrative journalism.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve struggled with narrative writing since I became aware of the genre while working on my high school newspaper staff. I could handle news articles well enough, and opinion pieces came easily enough. But embedding the nuance of narrative was something I never mastered. Although I retain a personal interest in writing decades later, my career in technology and science veered in different directions. I picked this book up with hopes of getting better at telling stories – not just any story from my imagination, but stories from real life.

Short entries from journalists and journalists-turned-book-authors fill this book’s pages. The wide variety of professional experiences enlightens the topics as only a collection can. Each of the acclaimed journalists who submitted pieces bring a strong voice to the task. Nine big sections address areas like ethics, structure, quality, and career development.

I appreciate the new intellectual horizons that this book opens to me. I will never be an expert in journalism, but a lifelong interest will remain. It gave me new ways to think about structuring narratives and to focus my writing on the essential contributions. Although I suspect journalists in early career might benefit most from this work, hobbyists might also find benefit like I did. We’re all storytellers to some degree, and who better to refine the craft of storytelling than its most expert practitioners?

[Adrian Manea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a journalist, nor do I want to be one, but this was one of the best books on the art and craft of writing I have ever read! It covers much more than reporting and being a journalist, it's a book about stories, social and professional interactions.

The examples included are very well written and chosen, and the long list of suggested reading at the end is invaluable.

The only downside I could think of is that it makes one wonder whether newspaper and magazine managers, editors, and the rest of the decision-making staff are still so invested in their work and mission or perhaps this book paints an idealistic, cherry-picked version. But it's definitely not its fault — on the contrary, it shows that something like this is possible, has happened, and one hopes it still does.

[Becky Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling True Stories is full of insightful and practical bits of advice from an impressive lineup of authors, journalists, writers, editors, and a few literary agents. I took something away from each subsection, and many times more than that. I especially appreciated the specific examples some of the contributors gave (first versus published drafts, powerful intros, good use of dialogue, etc.). If you’re interested in becoming a better communicator, storyteller, or writer, several sections of TTT would be a helpful read.

[Abbas Mehrabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic, the best book I read this year, and the best book I've read about narrative nonfiction.

Every section is written by a great writer (including some big names), sharing their advice on writing narrative nonfiction. It was amazing to read the diversity of the experts' opinions. It also made the book far from boring, as every writer had some truly new insights.

The book was inspiring and a pleasure to read, and I hope the Nieman Foundation publishes more books like this (the only caveat is the book is a bit outdated now: it was published in 2007).

[Pearse Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course this was an amazing read. It took my months, because it's dense and detailed and always gives you something to learn. Dozens of authors, editors, and photographers deal with the terrifying realities and challenges of their job—and conquer them. I read how Pulitzer Prize winners think, and how they found their subjects, and what the role of journalism has been in the last few decades. It was a pure and exquisite ride. Thank you Nieman Foundation.

[Ellen Kolb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a nonfiction writer, I find that most writing guides are geared to people creating fiction. With Telling True Stories, I finally have a reference guide that speaks to my own field. Inspired by a conference formerly held annually at Harvard on narrative journalism, the book is a collection of essays by pros including Tom Wolfe, Tracy Kidder, and dozens of others who are less well-known. Topics are practical: structure, editing, ethics, building a career. There's no wasted page anywhere.

[Timothy Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the craft of narrative writing with contributions from some heavy hitters -- most are Pulitzer Prize winners or other writing notables. It contains much practical advise about the nuts and bolts of writing great nonfiction, covering everything from newspaper stories to books. The book primary targets an audience of newspaper journalist, but any nonfiction writer can benefit from the wise advice in this book.

[Steve Portigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is many many short pieces, organized into chapters that cover various themes. The short pieces come from a diverse enough set of voices, in terms of writing style and the type of professional experience being brought to bear.

The material here was frequently pretty inspiring or insightful and may or may not have direct impact on the work I do both professionally and creatively, but even if not it was still interesting and just felt helpful to be learning about.

[noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for journalism class (ENGL-203 with kumar—amazing class); highly recommend to absolutely anyone interested in nonfiction writing. that class made me really start to consider journalism as a career; this book is definitely a part of that.i don’t think you can get any better than literally the biggest names in literary journalism all sitting down to write sections of a book together. super cool. need to lock in at the misc now

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for an intermediate journalism class. This novel is co-written / compiles the advice of journalists after an important conference.
The advice tends to be brief and to the point; the advice is diverse and is divided into types of articles and authors. I enjoyed reading a lot of the advice but not all of it was either relevant to what I was doing or that interesting.
I would recommend this book to aspiring journalists!