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Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) Hardcover – July 15, 2011
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From the work of the New Journalists in the 1960s, to the New Yorker essays of John McPhee, Susan Orlean, Atul Gawande, and a host of others, to blockbuster book-length narratives such as Mary Roach’s Stiff or Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City, narrative nonfiction has come into its own. Yet writers looking for guidance on reporting and writing true stories have had few places to turn for advice. Now in Storycraft, Jack Hart, a former managing editor of the Oregonian who guided several Pulitzer Prize–winning narratives to publication, delivers what will certainly become the definitive guide to the methods and mechanics of crafting narrative nonfiction.
Hart covers what writers in this genre need to know, from understanding story theory and structure, to mastering point of view and such basic elements as scene, action, and character, to drafting, revising, and editing work for publication. Revealing the stories behind the stories, Hart brings readers into the process of developing nonfiction narratives by sharing tips, anecdotes, and recommendations he forged during his decades-long career in journalism. From there, he expands the discussion to other well-known writers to show the broad range of texts, styles, genres, and media to which his advice applies. With examples that draw from magazine essays, book-length nonfiction narratives, documentaries, and radio programs, Storycraft will be an indispensable resource for years to come.
- Print length280 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
- Publication dateJuly 15, 2011
- Dimensions6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100226318141
- ISBN-13978-0226318141
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"If you have any interest in trying to craft the kind of narrative nonfiction practiced by the likes of John McPhee, Mary Roach, Tracy Kidder, Susan Orlean, and Erik Larson, this is a book for you. . . . It offers any nonfiction writer, and freelancer, concrete ways to think about a topic, visualize the most interesting way of presenting its narrative arc, and organize most effectively the presentation of material."
― Writer Published On: 2011-08-01“For narrative nerds interested in learning about how stories work to move people—or fall flat—this is a must-read to revisit every six months.” ― Vox
“Jack Hart was hands-down the best narrative editor ever to work in newspapers.”
-- Jon Franklin, author of Writing for Story and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Published On: 2010-10-29“When I think back on what I have learned about storytelling over the last 30 years, the trail of memory leads back time and again to Jack Hart. No one has done more to inspire better narrative writing in America.” -- Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools and The Glamour of Grammar Published On: 2010-10-28
“I’d tell you that I am the best writing coach there is—if I didn’t know Jack Hart.”
-- Bruce DeSilva, former Associated Press writing coach, author of Rogue Island Published On: 2010-10-29“Instructive and essential, reading Storycraft is like finding the secret set of blueprints to the writer's craft. Better still, it is engaging, funny, and wise—wonderful to read and wonderful to learn from.”
-- Susan Orlean Published On: 2010-12-16“In Storycraft, Jack Hart vividly explains a lifetime of valuable lessons in nonfiction narrative. For all the celebrity star power he brings to this book, his introduction makes the topic welcoming and accessible to students and reporters who may be new to the subject. And he practices what he preaches; this book entertains the reader. It’s like listening to Mark Twain on how to tell a story.”
-- Norman Sims, University of Massachusetts Amherst“The importance of understanding and utilizing established methods of narrative writing is emphasized throughout the book (structure, point of view, voice and style, setting, scene construction, interviewing), but Storycraft transcends typical writers guides through Hart's insights to what story is and how human nature determines the fundamentals of any well-written story. Rather than confine his scope to how to write well, Hart makes a case for why one should write well.” ― Oregonian
“Despite a career focused on the world of journalism, the author demonstrates much insight into the canon of more "literary" creative nonfiction by choosing sound examples that are both accessible and widely acclaimed. . . . This book can function as both a practical introduction to narrative nonfiction and a concise refresher for professionals.”
― Choice“For me, [Hart’s] book's appearance was fruitful timing, not unlike finding a new recipe the morning of a dinner party and realizing all the ingredients are in your pantry. Hart's Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction fortified me. It underscored lessons I thought I'd already mastered, prompting me to think deeper—and talk to my editors more—about the importance of theme."
― Nieman Reports“Hart's new book is quite remarkable. . . . It's the story of how to succeed. . . . How to make your mind observe, how to put your observations into words, how to turn reporting into vision and words into power. . . . Read it. It speaks for itself.” ― Jon Franklin
"Storycraft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction takes a deep dive into the origins and significance of storytelling: from animal-headed deities on cave walls, and hunters sitting round the campfire sharing their adventures of the day; to the Iliad and the Odyssey." ― Technical Communication
About the Author
Jack Hart is a former managing editor and writing coach at the Oregonian. He received the first National Teaching Award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and a University of Wisconsin Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to journalism, has taught on the faculties of six universities, and was named the Ruhl Distinguished Professor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. He is the author of A Writer’s Coach.
Product details
- Publisher : University of Chicago Press; Illustrated edition (July 15, 2011)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 280 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0226318141
- ISBN-13 : 978-0226318141
- Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,434,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,972 in Authorship Reference
- #3,228 in Journalism Writing Reference (Books)
- #4,822 in Writing Skill Reference (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Jack Hart, a former managing editor at The Oregonian, is an independent author, editor, and writing coach. He holds a University of Wisconsin doctorate in mass communication has taught at six universities, including the University of Oregon, where he was also acting dean at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication and interim director of the school’s Turnbull Center. He has edited all or part of four Pulitzer winners and winners of every other major national feature-writing award. His books include The Information Empire, A Writer’s Coach, Storycraft, and the novel Skookum Summer.

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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book comprehensive and well-written. They appreciate the principles of storytelling laid out in an engaging manner. The book is thought-provoking and interesting, with a healthy mix of lessons and examples. However, some readers feel it's dull and uninspiring, while others consider it enjoyable and pleasant.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book comprehensive and well-written. It provides useful tips for writers of all genres, including literary journalists and regular reporters. The narrative and examples are engaging, and the author offers a simple, straightforward approach to writing nonfiction. Many readers consider it a required reading for journalism courses, with real-life situations and insights from a journalist's perspective.
"...Hart is a master craftsman. In Storycraft he clearly explains his craft to those who want to learn." Read more
"...The pace was fine too--it was neither a light nor tedious read, just about right for the subject matter...." Read more
"...With that exception, Hart's book is very impressive. Every element is defined, with its function shown, and with a compelling example...." Read more
"...Plus, it's a quick, easy read (as one might expect)." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for creating interesting stories with any kind of media. It explains storytelling principles clearly, covering more than story and structure. The examples throughout the book really bring the points home. The book is informative and fun to read, guiding reporting and helping find a title.
"...He says, "theme statement suggests your structure. It guides your reporting. It helps you find a title...." Read more
"...types such as short stories and vignettes, and discusses issues such as reporting and ethics...." Read more
"...Story Craft gave me the insight into the structure of good stories. The author saved the best for last...." Read more
"Hart's main insight is that a story is a story and has the same structure (narrative arc) of exposition, crisis, resolution, and denouement, and the..." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They appreciate the healthy mix of lessons and examples, with a happy blend of the author's own experience and classics in the field. The book covers a topic they have only seen in this book and provides great ideas.
"...a book for people who want to get good at writing exceptional, compelling nonfiction. Hart is a master craftsman...." Read more
"...His chapter on Ethics was both thought provoking and convicting...." Read more
"...It is a happy mixture of his own experience and classics in the field...." Read more
"...all the essential elements of good nonfiction writing, and it provides unique insight that's helping me see some of the flaws in my natural style...." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find it engaging and enjoyable, with great ideas. Others find it dull, unrelatable, and not worth their time.
"...It's an engaging and pleasant read with your own ruminations as its only homework." Read more
"...And this one is one of the dullest I've ever read!..." Read more
"Well written, extremely informative, and a fun read!" Read more
"The author uses the techniques he shares to make his own book an enjoyable read with great ideas. Highly recommended." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2012Hart's Storycraft is the best how-to for nonfiction writing that I've found--without exception. I own about 200 books on writing, and the two that I always go back to are Hart's Storycraft, and Sol Stein on Writing.
One example: Hart has the best explanation of the importance and use of theme that I've found anywhere. He says, "theme statement suggests your structure. It guides your reporting. It helps you find a title. If you have to cut, it tells you what can go and what must stay. In one way or another, it affects every phase of the writing"
He then goes on to show how he helped writers find the themes of stories that went on to win national writing prizes.
This is a book for people who want to get good at writing exceptional, compelling nonfiction. Hart is a master craftsman. In Storycraft he clearly explains his craft to those who want to learn.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013This is an excellent book because it provides excellent content and fairly comprehensive coverage on all the key aspects of narrative and explanatory nonfiction writing. In the last part of the book, it makes summary points on a variety of other nonfiction types such as short stories and vignettes, and discusses issues such as reporting and ethics.
Both the book and the author definitely have the ring of authority. According to my Kindle, about 32% of the book is devoted to references and footnotes. I wish they were annotated footnotes, which are often worth reading, but these ones generally contain just the reference (which I'm sure the author thought was important to include).
The writing was very good, as were the examples the author used. There were only a few places (mostly early in the book) where it felt like things were bogging down, or the connection between the body text and the examples was hard to find.
The pace was fine too--it was neither a light nor tedious read, just about right for the subject matter.
If I had to pick a nit, it would be in the (seemingly endless) number of words and sentences in the early part of the book devoted to scrupulously making full references to authors (full names) and their various articles to support one of the author's points. Many times the author would make a point, and basically say, "Joe X was a master at this in whatever, as was X in Y, and W in Z." No examples of writing from these articles were given for the reader, so it bordered on nothing more than name dropping to me.
Having said that, the obvious gravitas and authority of the author made me believe that he was not the sort of person to just name drop for name dropping's sake. I'm sure he had a different intent (such as seriously meaning to support his points), but the utility of all the references was lost on me. Worse yet, it felt like more than a few such references were repeated in full, so I just skipped ahead when I saw another paragraph of that type.
All in all, an excellent book by an author who clearly is a master at what he does. The book is worth every penny and every minute that I spent with it. I highlighted huge sections of the book, and was both surprised and pleased when I came to the big second topic of explanatory nonfiction, which exactly matched my current project, so I could immediately apply his excellent advice.
I'd give this book 6 of 5 if I could. I gave it 9 (excellent, couldn't put it down) of 9 on my personal scale. I would strongly recommend this work to all writers, both fiction and nonfiction.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2021I’ve always known a good story when I came across one but I didn’t understand why I liked it. Story Craft gave me the insight into the structure of good stories. The author saved the best for last. His chapter on Ethics was both thought provoking and convicting. It forced me to asked the hard questions like “How many times have I violated the rules of ethics for the purposes of persuasion?”
After I write this review, I’m going back for a second reading of the last chapter. This is a book I will be reading many times over.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2011Hart's main insight is that a story is a story and has the same structure (narrative arc) of exposition, crisis, resolution, and denouement, and the same elements (theme, character, scene, etc.) whether it is fiction or narrative non-fiction. A narrative is just a sequence of actions; a plot by contrast involves the selection of meaning. Hart's foil is journalism which is relatively flat and has no narrative arc; fiction is not his foil.
Hart's book was the first addressing creative non-fiction that impressed me. It even helped me understand my own write-up of a participant observation study I conducted among Pacific Northwest Native Americans in 1969. My study included a reservation that Hart's team wrote up much more recently as an example of a long story narrative non-fiction in 2003.
In 1969, when Red Power was in the air, Warm Springs Reservation was known for its Red Capitalism. When I arrived on the reservation I immediately had a near head-on collision with a drunk driver. According to Hart such problems were still endemic in 2003. The patch of free enterprise apparently did not take. Hart was quite confident--shall we say politically correct?--that he had another patch for social problems. The young emotionally crippled adults, like the alcoholic mother, Dorothy, were "the broken link in the chain of mid-Colombian Indian culture..." Psychotherapy was the patch. Didn't it work with Dorothy?
My point is that many researchers or therapists would not accept the cultural explanation of alcoholism or other social problems like crime or early death. Hart was being very uncritical in a major example in a book which emphasizes the need to be very honest in narrative non-fiction.
With that exception, Hart's book is very impressive. Every element is defined, with its function shown, and with a compelling example. It is a happy mixture of his own experience and classics in the field. And he really is a self-trained coach of narrative non-fiction from the perspective of journalism.
Top reviews from other countries
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Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on November 29, 20195.0 out of 5 stars Bons conseils très concrets
De bons conseils, même après 23 ans de métier. J’en mettrai plusieurs en pratique.
Gasper D'SouzaReviewed in India on February 18, 20195.0 out of 5 stars The one book on non-fiction you need
If there's only one book you will read on non-fiction narrative writing, this is it. Packed with examples, Hart leads the reader on a journey, dissecting story. It's not just theoretical, but with real-world examples, Hart explains the theory. I found it useful to google some of the work he cites to read the whole story - powerful examples of the genre.
I read this book once, then read it again when I bought it in 2017. I find it useful to get back to it regularly to revise the concepts.
This book contains everything you need to know about narrative non-fiction writing.
J. KerteszReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 20135.0 out of 5 stars Very informative and easy to read too
He is now retired, but behind him a lot of experience.
Evan I'd it is written more with journalists and writers for magazines, its advices apply also to telling true stories, not only to writing them. I tell true stories. I learned a lot from this book.
JohnB98Reviewed in Canada on August 15, 20175.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Best ever book on writing. Great for fiction writers too!
Eric ClarkReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 20145.0 out of 5 stars Top Ranking
As someone who has made a living out of journalism and authorship for several decades, I know the bookshelves are full of useless guides to writing. This is very much a rare exception. I can't recommend it too highly.






