Follow the Story

Book excerpt: An indispensable guide to nonfiction writing from the Columbia Journalism School professor and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist behind the bestsellers Blind Eye, Blood Sport, and Den of Thieves. In Follow the Story, bestselling author and journalist James B. Stewart teaches you the techniques of compelling narrative writing, from nonfiction books to articles, feature stories, or memoirs. Stewart provides concrete directions for conceiving, reporting, structuring, and writing nonfiction—techniques that he has used in his own successful books and stories. By using examples from his own work, Stewart illustrates systematically a way of thinking about and executing stories, a method that has helped numerous reporters and Columbia students become better writers. Follow the Story examines in detail: - How an idea is conceived - How to “sell” ideas to editors and publishers - How to report the nonfiction story - Six models that can be used for any nonfiction story - How to structure the narrative story - How to write introductions, endings, dialogue, and description - How to introduce and develop characters - How to use literary devices - Pitfalls to avoid Learn a clear way of looking at the world with the alert curiosity that is the first indispensable step toward good writing.