Bloomsbury Academic Story Building: Narrative Techniques for News and Feature Writers

Story Building demystifies the narrative style of writing by playfully undoing the knots of journalistic storytelling. It provides personalized guidance and practical advice on how to muster the passion and skills to gather compelling details needed to tell an engaging journalistic story on deadline. To write like a pro, you must think and report like a pro. In this book, accomplished journalists? from the smallest newspapers to the New York Times? take readers on their beats and, with a friendly voice, explain their actions and their choices. Review Replete with appropriate, varied, and timely examples that are carefully chosen to illustrate each element of instruction, this useful book will be a boon to future and practicing journalists. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. Lower-and upper-division undergraduates, faculty, and professionals.--CHOICE I am much impressed. It's a very useful book...--Jon Franklin, Professor of Journalism, University of Maryland--College Park Ndaeyo Uko has a wide experience of the world and cannily brings it to bear in this valuable and provocative volume--it's sharp advice from a smart cookie.--Ted Conover, Award-winning author of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, Rolling Nowhere, Coyotes, and Whiteout; Distinguished Writer in Residence, Story Building, a start-to-finish guide to the construction of narrative journalism, is thorough, readable, sound, comprehensive, and delivered with . . . good humor.--Mark Kramer Ndaeyo Uko teaches journalism as it should be taught: He places readers in the moments of his own experiences and shows them how to tell deep, engaging stories. Story Building teaches students to go beyond studying journalism to embrace curiosity, passion and inquisitiveness as a way of life.--Shelly Banjo, Journalism Major, Medill School of Journalism 2007, Northwestern University, Chicago The writing is lively, and the content current and relevant to both students and to journalists. The author's international experience adds concrete dimensions to the content.--Liz Hart, Head of Journalism, Monash University, Australia This book explains journalism simply and directly and peels away the obfuscating mystique created by those who would make journalism a contrived craft. It will help anyone who wants to gather stories and tell them.--Richard Dowden, Former editor at The Independent and The Economist, London Some books are meant to be put on a shelf. Not Ndaeyo Uko's. It's as essential a part of the reporting process as a notebook and pen. Consulting it frequently is like having Ndaeyo along on assignment, whispering words of wisdom in one's ear.--Marc Lacey, Foreign Correspondent "The New York Times " About the Author Ndaeyo Uko has worked in newsrooms in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria as a reporter, columnist and national newspaper editor. His stories have appeared in major publications around the world, including: The Independent, (London), San Jose Mercury News, (California), The Guardian (Lagos, Nigeria). Dr. Uko has taught journalism in the United States, Ghana and Australia, where he currently lectures.