By Stephanie L. Robertson
Ever have one of those library books that you checked out so often that you finally broke down and bought the thing?
Story Craft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction by Jack Hart is one of those books for me. Hart once served as managing editor and writing coach at the award-winning publication, The Oregonian. He has won teaching awards and has served on the faculty at multiple universities. Therefore, he’s more than qualified to hand out advice to both budding and seasoned writers.
At first glance, Story Craft is a solid guide for writers of creative non-fiction. However, Hart is a pro at weaving non-fiction stories, so Story Craft is an interesting read in itself. Hart grabs the reader’s interest with fascinating story excerpts—written by talented non-fiction writers—throughout his book.
Could fiction writers benefit from Hart’s book?
Absolutely.
Why?
Hart quotes Jon Franklin in Franklin’s Writing for Story: “A story consists of a sequence of actions that occur when a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation that he confronts and solves.”
The essence of story is the same, whether one is writing fiction or non-fiction.
Hart covers elements of classic story theory including structure, point-of-view, voice/style, character, scene, action, dialogue, and theme. He also covers reporting and ethics, as well.
Pros
I use Story Craft like many of the other treasured writing guides on my bookshelf—as if I were getting a creative writing course without the expense, and without the stress of tests and assignments. In addition to practical instruction, readers will enjoy the relatable and fascinating story excerpts.
Cons
Some Amazon reviews said Jack Hart’s prose is “dull and plodding.” I disagree and so do most of the other reviewers. I can’t recall profanity being used in the book, so I believe the book is appropriate for all age levels.
Conclusion:
This book was so helpful that I recommended Story Craft to my mom, who also writes nonfiction. Yes, it’s that good.
