"As far as I'm concerned, we're living in an age of great nonfiction writing, in the same way that the 1920s and '30s were a golden age for American popular song. Giants walk among us. Cole Porters and George Gershwins and Duke Ellingtons of nonfiction storytelling. They're trying new things and doing pirouettes with the form. But nobody talks about it that way."
-- Ira Glass
Things I'm trying to figure out with newspaper nonfiction:
1. How to abandon 'nut graf' orientation and replace it with a stroy arc.
2. How to have a theme.
3. How to build scenes which move quickly enough.
4. How to take the reporting time required.
5. How to get people to read for 'stories,' rather than 'info.'
Jan 5, 2008
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Nice post! This is interesting, I hope to talk more about it with you either over phone or email. I'll try giving you a call in a day or so.
ReplyDelete-Chase
Mother Night is my favorite novel of his.
ReplyDeleteNot that I have an answer to any of these questions but here are some ideas:
ReplyDelete1) I don't think you want to abandon the 'nut graf' orientation (At least in the realm of newspaper non-fiction) because it is the story arc (Not of the story but of the newspaper as a whole, its links together all the stories in terms of leads placing itself within the 'news'). I can see how it could be frustrating as a writer but any form will have its frustrations.
2) As to themes do you mean as individual pieces or as a writer through the pieces? I think of the relationship between themes and newspaper non-fiction as much like the relationship between themes and historical writing. They're always there (kind of) but difficult to develop without betraying the form of inquiry/writing. That being said I believe your stories have a theme. I'll tell you next time we talk...
3)I think three is a problem but not a unique problem to newspaper non-fiction but creative non-fiction as a whole. Some people solve it by embracing the methods of fiction which I think is a mistake.
4 & 5) These I think are least in the authors control. A solution to four may be imposable considering the form a solution to the later is imposable as well but I believe you can construct something which would favor/reward such an approach for the reader.
Why aren't there any newspaper pieces posted? I like the questions, and even though I'm not into journalism I think they are interesting as crossover literary questions.
ReplyDeletePurdy - you're just a sucker for Glass quotes.
ReplyDeleteDave - I don't think it's as good as Slaughterhouse 5 or as hilarious as God Bless you Mr. Rosewater, but it's damn good.
Daniel H - In general, I agree with you. Obviously I'm trying to fight some of the limitations of the form and am trying to deal with some things I can't affect.
Valerie - I'm changing my idea of what stories go under that heading, and haven't finished the new model yet.
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