Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University | 
 enlarge | Creators: Mark Kramer, Wendy Call
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $4.05
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Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 4306
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 317
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0452287553
Dewey Decimal Number: 070.43
EAN: 9780452287556
ASIN: 0452287553
Publication Date: January 30, 2007
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Condition: New Book. Fast Shipping. May have small remainder mark.
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Product Description
Inspiring stories and practical advice from Americas most respected journalists The countrys most prominent journalists and nonfiction authors gather each year at Harvards Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism. Telling True Stories presents their best advicecovering 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 Prizewinning 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Journalism departments beware -- this is one-stop shopping September 21, 2008
Fifty-one writers and two brilliant editors have provided newbie and seasoned journalists with the gift that keeps on giving. In nearly 100 essays, the process, mechanics, and just plain hard work, not to mention the joy of serendipitous discoveries that go into producing compelling narrative journalism, are spelled out in writing that punches back. Wonderfully encouraging, this book is a seduction for anyone with even a whisper of an interest in the writing life. Telling True Stories poses a delicious dilemma -- do you gobble it down in one joyful reading or do you savor it, reading one or two essays a day? Do both.
A beautiful book where writers express their raw self August 23, 2008
Mentoring from the masters, they talk about their approach to their craft, often with surprising depth. A great bedtime book as each transcription is just a few pages long.
A Great Book February 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my brother, who is an author. He is always looking for a good book to improve and/or diversify his writing techniques. He is thrilled with it. hasn't hardly put it down since he got it and uses it for referencing a lot!
A writer's conference for the cost of a trade paperback! January 2, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
From my review in the January 2008 newsletter of the American Society of Journalists and Authors:
In nearly 100 short essays, this book offers an unbelievable wealth of excellent advice and information, from 51 contributors such as Tom Wolfe, David Halberstam, Susan Orlean, Tracy Kidder, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and Gay Talese. It's like attending a "who's who" conference on nonfiction writing, all for the price of a trade paperback. The book is helpfully divided into categories; you don't have to read the whole thing (although you'll be a better writer, guaranteed, if you do). Categories include finding topics, settling on your sub-genre, structure, building quality into your work, ethics, editing, narrative in news and building a career in magazines and books. The best parts of the book are the tidbits of insight dispersed by pros who have had decades of experience to figure out what makes them so good at their jobs. Gay Talese talks about his decision to spend more time "with people who were not necessarily newsworthy . . . that the role of the nonfiction writer should be with private people whose lives represent a larger significance." Katherine Boo reveals that she finds her stories "because I never learned to drive. . . . I take the bus. I walk around. By being out there -- not the driver of my story but the literal and figurative rider -- I have the opportunity to see things that I would never otherwise see." S. Mitra Kalita offers the startling -- but obvious on contemplation -- observation from her colleague Mirta Ojito at The New York Times, that "the more you know, the less they tell you." This is a book you'll speed through and quote to your friends, read over and over, and find new insights on each pass through.
I have a system when I'm reviewing books of putting Post-It notes on the edges of pages that seem especially cogent, well-written, etc. I usually have 8 or 10 Post-Its on a book that's finished, but on this one, I had so many it looked like the book had sprouted its own little line of prayer flags!
Best New Writing Book of the Year October 17, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Every writing teacher needs this book. One of the best I've found. Already teaching from it. Plus, The Nieman Foundation Website offers more useful writing & teaching tools than most fee-based services. Should be required reading for all creative nonfiction and journalism undergrad and grad students.
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