You have heard the expression “the story in a nutshell,” which means telling a story quickly and including only the most important information. Learning to tell your story in a nutshell is a useful skill. This process is called writing a nut ‘graph (sometimes spelled nut graf).

The beauty of writing a nut ‘graph is that even if only your readers read it, then you’ve still communicated the most important information.

Nut ‘graphs are useful in both fiction and nonfiction, but I’ll use a nonfiction example to explain them.

Let’s back up a step and assume we wrote the story’s lead. That is, we told who did what and perhaps when and where they did it. Here’s an example:

     The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.

That’s fine for a lead, so now it’s time to write the nut ‘graph. Here’s why we write it:

To explain why your readers should care about the story

Take another look at the second paragraph of this article. That’s my nut ‘graph, and it encouraged you to keep reading.

To tell your readers the when and where, if necessary

Many times your lead will include the when and where, as above. But if you didn’t have room in the lead without making it overly long then your nut ‘graph can provide that information. This sentence might be our lead:

     One of the significant steps the Second Continental Congress took was to sign the Declaration of Independence.

That sentence is 17 words, which is long enough already. We don’t want to add the when and where because the goal is to keep nonfiction sentences at about 15 words. So put that information in the nut ‘graph, like this:

     They signed the document in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.

To tell your readers the why and/or how, if applicable

This sentence tells why the Second Continental Congress adopted the declaration:

     The document’s purpose was to explain why the American colonies considered themselves independent from Great Britain.

And this sentence tells how the declaration was adopted:

     After several days of debate, Congress approved the final wording of the declaration unanimously.

To fill in background information

We can’t assume our readers know how the Declaration of Independence came about. We have to tell them its history and that the nut ‘graph’s job. This is sometimes called the tie-in or tie-back.

     The Continental Congress had been debating whether to declare independence, as well as the language of the declaration, for several weeks.

As you see, the nut ‘graph may include some or all of the above information.

Here are some don’ts about writing an effective nut ‘graph:

Don’t include irrelevant details

Some of my students—despite my instruction to the contrary—include the time an event took place in the nut ‘graph. Rarely is time important enough to go there.

Don’t tell too much

The nut ‘graph serves as a bridge between your lead and the rest of the story. It’s not the entire story, so don’t try to cram too much into it.

Don’t take the term ‘nut graph too literally.

Despite its name, the nut ‘graph doesn’t have to be multiple sentences. It may be only one sentence. On the other hand, if your article is lengthy the nut ‘graph may run several paragraphs.