5 Tips for Writing Stellar Non-Fiction!

Okay, maybe not stellar, but definitely better…

Like most writers, I’m not just limited to fiction. In fact, doing so would probably do more harm than good and I don’t see the logic behind such limitations. Thus, I often finding myself writing copious amounts of non-fiction in the form of these blog posts, various articles, varying online content, letters and so forth.

Writing non-fiction can be very challenging, especially since there must be a good amount of truthfulness to your words. I’m sure you remember the trouble James Frey got into when it was revealed his book A Million Little Pieces turned out to be more fiction than fact. More than that, however, you still must engage your readers when writing a non-fiction piece, especially if the facts are widely known.

Writing an article or even a blog post can be daunting. Getting it wrong can mean everything to shame, embarrassment, and in very extreme cases a lawsuit or two. So, I thought it might be good to post a few "pointers" I have picked up over the years that have helped me overcome many obstacles in writing non-fiction.

1. Just start writing! Don’t worry about writing that fancy introduction (or lead, as they call it in journalism) when you first sit down to begin your non-fictional masterpiece. Often, it helps to just dive right into the topic at hand. Of all the essays I wrote in college, the best introductions I wrote were the ones I wrote last.

2. Outlines are your friend: Even if it’s a basic laundry-list outline, it will still be a big help. The purpose of an outline is not to make your life more miserable and add to your work load, rather, outlines help organize your thoughts, ideas, and facts of the piece you’re writing. The good thing about outlines is that they can be as basic or as complicated as you like.

3. Why is this important? Answering the "why" question will keep your writing from becoming too vague. It will also propel the reader forward. Don’t just state a fact – tell why that fact is important in the context of your article (or whatever it is you happen to be writing).

4. Never end by just rehashing what you’ve already said: If you just tack on a paragraph at the end of your piece that restates what you have already said, then you are insulting your readers by assuming they either didn’t read your article or didn’t understand it. The purpose of a conclusion is to draw the work to a close. It might help to ask yourself these questions when thinking about the conclusion: why is this significant? Why should the reader care? See, it all comes back to why!

5. Check your facts again and again: This applies to all non-fiction. Even if you’re writing a critical essay about that novel you read, make sure your get your facts straight (it’s your interpretation that will differ). Check your facts multiple times. Have someone else verify what you’ve written. In fact, have several people verify your work. Granted, mistakes happen, but that’s no excuse for sloppy fact-checking. If someone had checked James Frey’s facts before his book was published, it could’ve saved him a lot of trouble. A good rule of thumb: when it doubt, check it out!

These tips are just a basic "refresher" of some things to keep in mind when writing non-fiction. There are entire books devoted to this topic, and even the sub-topics of writing non-fiction. The best advice I can give, however, is to simply practice. That’s really all good writing is – the accumulation of lots of practice. Don’t take anything for granted. There is always something you can improve on with your writing.

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