TEN PRIMARY STRUCTURES OF NARRATIVE NON-FICTION

Even though our more conservative social and economic times took much of the steam out of the wild, wild New Journalism and experimentation of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, narrative nonfiction remains one of the most versatile outlets for writers. In the magazine business, everything from columns to little news items to major features are available to writers who can combine good journalism with timeliness of story and the ability to tell that story in a fresh way that entertains and informs. For essayist, memoir writers and book-length journalists, the options are even greater.
Here are ten primary structures of magazine, essay and narrative non-fiction writing that I have either successfully used as a writer, or purchased as an editor. Try them out, or see which works for you with the next story that you’re writing or shopping. Also, look for a Writes of Life Online Course that breaks down these structures:

Chronologic Sequence: Going from A to Z, in a sequential order of time. Your time frame can be 10 minutes or 20 years, but the piece follows sequentially and logically.

Reworked Chronological Structure: The piece follows a clock, but the sequential order may be changed for dramatic impact, to tell a better story. For instance, Michael Jordan wins the 1998 NBA title for the Bulls with a dramatic game-winning shot. Open the piece with an account of the first time he ever hit a game-winner – and show how it built confidence in him to do it again and again, culminating with the ultimate moment.

Convergent Narratives: John enters the piece with a specific set of experiences, decisions and actions. Mary enters the piece with a specific set of experiences, decisions and actions. At some point, they converge, and your piece takes off from there. A highly effective and dramatic way of writing a piece that involves conflict, cohesion or dramatic meeting between two or more central figures.

The Flashback: One of my favorites. It appeals to the reader's sense of nostalgia, but also establishes character traits, motives, history and relevance to the present moment. The trick: To put presence into the flashback by diving deep into the character and personae of the subject. Put your readers on the scene, in the moment. Reconnect your flashback scene to the present with a single, sharp transitional sentence.

Structure by Function: Using the function of a person, organization, procedure or skill to tell the story; i.e. profiling a sculptor by taking the readers through the process of sculpting – and using your powers of observation to show us how the sculptor looks while thinking, while making mistakes, while polishing the work.

Organic: This really appeals to a bohemian, intuitive way of writing. The structure grows out of the story you're telling. If I'm writing about my experience with a shaman in Amazonian Peru, I might use a canoe ride down the Yanayacu River as my vehicle of storytelling to establish nature, flow, sounds of the jungle – all part of the shaman's world. The key: TRUST the process, and find the right metaphors to follow.

The Trip: A must for good travel writing. William Least Heat Moon, Bill Bryson and Jan Morris are masters of this technique. It combines chronological and organic structures. Use the chronologic to go A-to-Z through a trip, but end all resemblances to an itinerary there. At each stop, move through the full sensory, adventure and people experiences so the reader can taste, feel, touch, smell and hear the rain patter on those dimly lit alleys in Venice. That's organic.

Spiral: Another of my favorites. After establishing the theme(s) and subject matter of your piece, you come back to the central issues again and again – from different angles and different perspectives, always a little more perceptive than the one prior. Think of ascending a long spiral staircase and looking down every 10 steps or so. This form of writing offers a great whole-brain experience for the reader.

Mosaic: This is an unusual technique, but apropo for a chaotic world and short reader attention spans. It works best when interviewing many people about one person/subject/event. Write a series of 100-300 word vignettes ("mosaics"), and tie them together. Logic need not apply, but connection from one vignette to the other is necessary.

Memoir: Memoir structure has burst out of the box the past 10 years to become a big favorite. Use personal experiences to amplify your articles and non-fiction stories, or create an entire book or article of personal experiences. They do not have to follow chronological time; rather, they should follow the conflict or issue you are presently addressing. This is not diary-keeping; memoir structure is about universalizing your own experience so the reader can find personal revelance in what you're saying.