Many anthropologists and ethnographers in other fields are working to make themselves more relevant beyond academia by writing for different audiences. How to Write Ethnographic Narratives is the basic source to learn the nuts and bolts of writing ethnography. It melds ethnography and basic fiction writing methodologies. Writing from a perspective that writing "rules" are guidelines only, Julia Offen presents the rules and their rationales, as well as active reflections upon the potential effects of alternatives a writer might choose. The book devotes a chapter each to the basic elements of writing ethnography: plot, characterization, setting, POV, voice, theme.