These are reading notes on The Elements of Story: Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing by Francis Flaherty (Harper Perennial, 2010 reprint). They are adapted from David Drysdale's Moby Diction notes.
1The thesis
The book is a manual on the craft of nonfiction writing from a "story doctor" for the New York Times. Each note below is one technique.
2Key ideas
2.1Leads entice and inform
A good lead is an art of its own. It must be broad and specific at once. It introduces the theme of the story and stays vivid and concrete. Flaherty writes: "[T]he specifics they cite must sound the central chord of the tale." A good lead teases and provokes, and the reader cannot resist reading on.
An anecdote is a common way in. For it to work, cut every unneeded detail and set the story moving with drama and tension.
2.2Sequencing carries meaning
The order of information shapes what a text means. A fact or insight lands harder or softer depending on what comes before and after.
- Sequencing can persuade strongly. Evidence builds like a crescendo. If you open with the most amazing fact, the rest feels dull.
- Contrast shows the shape of an idea. Similarity can too, if you use it with judgment.
- Keep your purpose in mind. If you aim to inform, not persuade, change the approach. A reporter updating readers on the day's events should not write a mystery.
2.3Action and commentary
A story needs both. Action pushes the story forward. Commentary slows it down. You need movement and explanation, action with interpretation. Action can be direct and natural, hidden and potential, or mental. Convey it with strong, forceful, evocative verbs.
2.4The trunk and the branches
Do not let the core theme be overshadowed by side ideas, qualifiers or caveats. If the branches outweigh the trunk, the theme is lost. Give qualifiers a fair hearing but compress them, and give the core idea extended detail. Remember the priorities of the piece, and remember that the trunk is never the whole tree.
The same idea applies to strategy: a good strategy is a narrative that makes careful cuts to avoid distraction.
2.5Use language with necessity
Writing demands economy. Extra words, flowery phrases and needless detail are clutter, and each one costs the reader. Too many dilute the text and add noise instead of signal. Choose only words that have impact, and include only details that support the theme.
2.6Marry form with function
In creative work, the content should fit its message, theme or argument. The way a story is told should be symmetrical with what it says. Choose details that reinforce the theme. That reaches down to word choice. The sound of a word gives an impression apart from its meaning, and the rhythm of a sentence should suggest the larger theme. As Emerson said, "Write with your ear."
2.7Good writing makes the familiar new
Good writing makes the familiar seem new and the mundane fantastic. It shines new light on things we thought we knew. It points the reader's focus at the theme and does not distract from it. Word choice and the quality of the language help, as does persuading the reader of a view without telling them what to think.
2.8Good endings make a story memorable
A "kicker" ending is hard to write. A good one is not a bare summary of what the reader has already read. It makes the story memorable. It can be a decorative flourish, and it can do more:
- It can acknowledge something the story knowingly skipped, and give a needed counterweight.
- It can add a human element to a story that lacked one.
- It can suggest there is more to the story than what was shared.
Do not overdo it. Be brief. A good ending also needs a good beginning.
3Other notes in the original outline
The source outline also names three more ideas: vague language signals imprecise thinking, show don't tell, and give abstract concepts a human face.
4What to take from it
- Make the lead both vivid and on theme.
- Check the order of your points against your purpose: inform or persuade.
- Cut any qualifier or detail that does not support the theme.
- End on something that adds, such as a counterweight or a human touch. Skip the recap.
5Sources
- Flaherty, Francis. The Elements of Story: Field Notes on Nonfiction Writing. Harper Perennial, 2010.
Adapted from David Drysdale's Moby Diction notes.