Franklin’s tell-it-like-it-is, no-nonsense sentences; his sparing comments and asides; and his matter-of-fact, almost cold, conclusion—all make for original, unsentimental writing. The pace is taut, the descriptions rigorous and poetic at once:
“The aneurysm finally appears at the end of the tunnel, throbbing, visibly thin, a lumpy, overstretched bag, the color of rich cream, swelling out from the once-strong arterial wall, a tire about to blow out, a balloon ready to burst, a time-bomb the size of a pea.” (Notice the economical, muscular use of language and metaphor here: Franklin does not need to say, for example, “it looks like a tire about to blow out.”)
Unlike many narrative medical stories, this is a piece less about the patient, more about the brain, the surgery and its risks. The average reader finishes the story more knowledgeable about each.
Jon Franklin
A journalism graduate from the University of Maryland, Franklin won the inaugural Pulitzer Prizes in two journalism categories both for his work as a science writer with the Baltimore Evening Sun. He is currently professor emeritus of journalism at his alma mater. Previously, Franklin taught creative writing at the University of Oregon and was the head of the technical journalism department at Oregon State University. He is the author of several books, including Writing for Story – an easy to follow guide to creative non-fiction that beginning journalists—and more experienced ones, too—will find immensely helpful. The book is available from Penguin Random House.
The new “nonfiction”—the adaptation of storytelling techniques to journalistic articles in the manner of Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and John McPhee—is an innovative genre that has been awarded virtually every Pulitzer Prize for literary journalism since 1979. And now Jon Franklin, himself a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and undisputed master of the great American nonfiction short story, shares the secrets of his success. Franklin shows how to make factual pieces come alive by applying the literary techniques of complication/resolution, flashback, foreshadowing, and pace. He illustrates his points with a close analysis and annotation of two of his most acclaimed stories, so that the reader can see, step-by-step, just how they were created. This lively, easy-to-follow guide combines readability and excitement with the best of expository prose and illuminates the techniques that beginning journalists—and more experienced ones, too—will find immensely helpful:
- Stalking the true short story
- Drafting an effective outline
- Structuring the rough copy
- Polishing like a pro
- and the tips, tools, and techniques that will put your stories on the cutting edge. – Penguin Random House
Franklin’s other books include: The Molecules of The Mind, (1987); Writing for Story, (1986); Guinea Pig Doctors, (With J. Sutherland), (1984); Not Quite a Miracle, (w/ Alan Doelp), Doubleday, (1983) and Shocktrauma, (w/ Alan Doelp), (1980).
