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Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction
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
- 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.
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
- 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.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 1998
36 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
James B. Stewart
39 books332 followersJames Bennett Stewart is an American lawyer, journalist, and author.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 12, 2019
This book was not exactly what I was looking for, since I like reading about autobiographical writing, while this book is more about reporting. But still it was a great read, and I did learn a few tricks. Stewart seems like a great teacher and editor. I skipped a few parts though, it just wasn't my territory at all. Still I recommend this to anyone who is looking to learn about writing non fiction, news, or just good storytelling.
May 3, 2008
Required reading in Michael Pollan's class at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. (Of course, I've never been in a Michael Pollan class, nor have I ever been to UC Berkeley. I do, however, check colleges I like for English class syllabuses -- many are posted online. I find a lot of interesting books this way. It's sort of like being back in school, but without exams or angst.)
Great chapter here on writing leads, particularly the advice that a good lead "must attract and hold readers by re-creating in their minds the same curiosity that drove you to undertake the story in the first place."
Great chapter here on writing leads, particularly the advice that a good lead "must attract and hold readers by re-creating in their minds the same curiosity that drove you to undertake the story in the first place."
February 27, 2009
This book is a great insight into Stewart's creative process and a nuts-and-bolts look at how you turn a set of facts into a real story with characters, an arc, and dramatic tension. If you are curious about how great nonfiction writers write, check this out.
December 24, 2017
A tough and long read but through the book, James shows the meaning of writing to get a point across, how to write good journalism in such away as to get it published, read and understood.
July 25, 2023
In his book Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction, James Stewart, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Columbia University journalism instructor, and former Wall Street Journal front-page editor condenses his extensive knowledge and expertise into an easy-to-follow guide for aspiring writers. The book covers the writing process from idea generation to final editing and includes the author's insights into the opportunities and pitfalls in the nonfiction publishing industry.
However, Stewart published the book in 1998, and the sections devoted to tips on how to get a story published barely mention digital publishing, which was in its infancy at that time. The political references to the Clinton Whitehouse and the business references to the insider-trading scandals of the 1980s also seem like something from a time capsule. Still, the fundamental advice on researching, structuring, writing, and editing a story is timeless.
The author illustrates his points with examples from his published work, and as you would expect from a university professor, Stewart takes a scholarly approach to his subject. For instance, the chapter on structure includes diagrams for outlining a story, and the chapter on proposals includes a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of story: trends, profiles, narratives, and so on.
Stewart explains that good stories start with good questions. The first step in writing a story is to identify the questions you want to answer for the reader. The story is unlikely to capture the reader's attention if the questions aren’t compelling. Next, the author discusses proposals. This highlights another issue with a book written in the 1990s. He assumes the reader is writing stories for traditional publications, such as books or magazines and devotes considerable attention to pitching stories to these types of publishers. The traditional publishing market has changed significantly since 1998. What worked then may not work now, and many of today's writers are more likely to publish their work as blogs or other digital content, meaning that much of the author's advice on proposals is no longer relevant.
The author discusses a variety of strategies for gathering information, which are geared toward journalists. For example, he explains how to gather information from interviews and the nuances of things like on-the-record, not-for-attribution, and off-the-record sourcing. As would be expected from a former editor at The Wall Street Journal, the author is unwavering in his belief in diligent research and journalistic integrity. While much of this information is irrelevant to many people who write digital content such as blogs, it still provides valuable insight into proper journalistic techniques.
The book does not discuss the fundamentals of copywriting until the fifth chapter, which is more than one hundred pages in. The discussion begins with leads and then moves on to transitions, descriptions, dialogue, and other topics. For me, this was the most valuable and timeless information. However, it can also be daunting for inexperienced writers. Good writing does not usually happen by chance. It takes a disciplined approach, and Mr. Stewart is an excellent, if uncompromising, guide on how to do it.
The book reminded me of George Saunders' more recent book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, which uses classic Russian short stories to teach lessons in writing compelling fiction. Both books are written by accomplished authors who have condensed their university classes into similar-sized books. However, they have very different writing styles. Saunders writes beautifully, and I frequently reread passages to better appreciate his artistry. Stewart writes in a no-nonsense style designed to seamlessly convey information from the source to the reader. Much of this difference can be attributed to the differences between fiction and nonfiction, and comparing writers of entirely different genres is unfair. I also admire Stewart's selfless approach to writing. He does not draw attention to himself, allowing the characters and events to tell the story while he gets out of the way. However, even with Stewart's discussion of the more artistic elements of nonfiction, such as character and scene descriptions, he sounds more like an engineer than an artist. At those times, I wished for more poetry and less doctrine.
Nevertheless, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to write successful nonfiction. Mr. Stewart is an experienced author who gives us a comprehensive guide to writing a good story. At $18 for the paperback edition, the book is much cheaper than tuition at Columbia, and those willing to put in the effort to learn from these lessons will become better writers.
However, Stewart published the book in 1998, and the sections devoted to tips on how to get a story published barely mention digital publishing, which was in its infancy at that time. The political references to the Clinton Whitehouse and the business references to the insider-trading scandals of the 1980s also seem like something from a time capsule. Still, the fundamental advice on researching, structuring, writing, and editing a story is timeless.
The author illustrates his points with examples from his published work, and as you would expect from a university professor, Stewart takes a scholarly approach to his subject. For instance, the chapter on structure includes diagrams for outlining a story, and the chapter on proposals includes a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of story: trends, profiles, narratives, and so on.
Stewart explains that good stories start with good questions. The first step in writing a story is to identify the questions you want to answer for the reader. The story is unlikely to capture the reader's attention if the questions aren’t compelling. Next, the author discusses proposals. This highlights another issue with a book written in the 1990s. He assumes the reader is writing stories for traditional publications, such as books or magazines and devotes considerable attention to pitching stories to these types of publishers. The traditional publishing market has changed significantly since 1998. What worked then may not work now, and many of today's writers are more likely to publish their work as blogs or other digital content, meaning that much of the author's advice on proposals is no longer relevant.
The author discusses a variety of strategies for gathering information, which are geared toward journalists. For example, he explains how to gather information from interviews and the nuances of things like on-the-record, not-for-attribution, and off-the-record sourcing. As would be expected from a former editor at The Wall Street Journal, the author is unwavering in his belief in diligent research and journalistic integrity. While much of this information is irrelevant to many people who write digital content such as blogs, it still provides valuable insight into proper journalistic techniques.
The book does not discuss the fundamentals of copywriting until the fifth chapter, which is more than one hundred pages in. The discussion begins with leads and then moves on to transitions, descriptions, dialogue, and other topics. For me, this was the most valuable and timeless information. However, it can also be daunting for inexperienced writers. Good writing does not usually happen by chance. It takes a disciplined approach, and Mr. Stewart is an excellent, if uncompromising, guide on how to do it.
The book reminded me of George Saunders' more recent book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, which uses classic Russian short stories to teach lessons in writing compelling fiction. Both books are written by accomplished authors who have condensed their university classes into similar-sized books. However, they have very different writing styles. Saunders writes beautifully, and I frequently reread passages to better appreciate his artistry. Stewart writes in a no-nonsense style designed to seamlessly convey information from the source to the reader. Much of this difference can be attributed to the differences between fiction and nonfiction, and comparing writers of entirely different genres is unfair. I also admire Stewart's selfless approach to writing. He does not draw attention to himself, allowing the characters and events to tell the story while he gets out of the way. However, even with Stewart's discussion of the more artistic elements of nonfiction, such as character and scene descriptions, he sounds more like an engineer than an artist. At those times, I wished for more poetry and less doctrine.
Nevertheless, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to write successful nonfiction. Mr. Stewart is an experienced author who gives us a comprehensive guide to writing a good story. At $18 for the paperback edition, the book is much cheaper than tuition at Columbia, and those willing to put in the effort to learn from these lessons will become better writers.
March 26, 2018
Este libro le encantará a aquell@s a los que les guste escribir, contar historias, o simplemente escribir mejor. Porque de lo que va "Follow the story" es de cómo escribir bien una historia real: cómo generar las ideas, cómo tratar y cultivar a tus fuentes, cómo desarrollar la historia de manera que el lector se "enganche", y de cómo terminarla.
El libro ya tiene unos años (la edición que tengo es de 1998) y más de un@ pensará que ya no es relevante porque "ahora tenemos las redes sociales y se escribe de otra manera". No lo creo. Si algo han demostrado las redes sociales es que el nivel periodístico ha ido a peor: cualquier tweet se convierte en noticia sin haberla contrastado, y la dictadura de lo breve e inmediato ha hecho que los artículos de investigación (artículos que tienen que ser largos y densos) sean pocos y no muy bien escritos. En este entorno el libro de Stewart tiene aún más relevancia. Está basado en su curso de periodismo en la Universidad de Columbia y se nota, ya que puede ser perfectamente un libro de texto para cualquier estudiante o aficionad@ al noble (y necesario) oficio de periodista.
James Stewart sabe algo de todo esto, habiendo ganado el Pulitzer como periodista del Wall Street Journal, y escrito libros imprescindibles como "Den of thieves" o "Disneywar". Ayuda mucho saber que los nervios ante el bloqueo creativo, la angustia al acercarse al final de la historia, o la "depresión" tras publicar es algo normal y que le pasa hasta a l@s que viven de eso.
El libro ya tiene unos años (la edición que tengo es de 1998) y más de un@ pensará que ya no es relevante porque "ahora tenemos las redes sociales y se escribe de otra manera". No lo creo. Si algo han demostrado las redes sociales es que el nivel periodístico ha ido a peor: cualquier tweet se convierte en noticia sin haberla contrastado, y la dictadura de lo breve e inmediato ha hecho que los artículos de investigación (artículos que tienen que ser largos y densos) sean pocos y no muy bien escritos. En este entorno el libro de Stewart tiene aún más relevancia. Está basado en su curso de periodismo en la Universidad de Columbia y se nota, ya que puede ser perfectamente un libro de texto para cualquier estudiante o aficionad@ al noble (y necesario) oficio de periodista.
James Stewart sabe algo de todo esto, habiendo ganado el Pulitzer como periodista del Wall Street Journal, y escrito libros imprescindibles como "Den of thieves" o "Disneywar". Ayuda mucho saber que los nervios ante el bloqueo creativo, la angustia al acercarse al final de la historia, o la "depresión" tras publicar es algo normal y que le pasa hasta a l@s que viven de eso.
October 30, 2018
Follow the Story is excellent for nonfiction writers (but, fiction writers might profit from reading it, too). It is loaded with details and lots of relevant examples to explain Mr. Stewart's concepts, process and practices. He both tells and shows readers in an informative, instructional and entertaining manner how he writes. I really, really, really enjoyed reading and learning from this book!
March 31, 2022
I was looking for a book to show me how to write more compelling articles based on what's assigned to me. As an overview of how to structure a tale, this book wasn't very useful. Perhaps it resonates more with aspiring journalists.
December 11, 2025
Very didactic and eloquent way of showing how to write using real examples from the author’s experience.
March 5, 2017
I just took a fabulous workshop on narrative structure and this book is quite long, so I skimmed it for what I wanted - his great tips on structure that apply to any story, including leads, how to get away skipping the dreaded nut graf, endings, and most of all why write nonfiction in the first place. James Stewart's answer is: "What matters is whether a story makes an impression, prompts further thought and reflection, and is remembered." And I like that.
November 7, 2011
This book offers an invaluable guide towards getting started with the genre of non-fiction writing, particularly the chapters on Curiosity, Structure, Description, and Dialogue (my personal favorites).
July 14, 2015
I've read several books about writing non-fiction. One thing they have in common is that they don't follow their own advice (Follow the Story) to compose a narrative. Go figure. There are some interesting tips here, but overall it's more like a textbook than a story.
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December 13, 2012Stewart has a lengthy writing style for a reporter. But he has good advice. My fav chapter was on humor and pathos.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews