National Novel Writing Month – Story-eyed Reviews

Are you a writer this month? Maybe participating in #NationalNovelWritingMonth? Or maybe you’re more of a reader, and you’re joining in on the Non-Fiction fun for #NonFictionNovember? Or hey! Maybe you’re both! And if that’s the case, then this article was written for you.

I love Non-Fiction. A good Non-Fiction book moves just as quickly and action-packed as a good Fiction novel, and a bad one can make you regret ever sitting down to read it. Or at least lead to a good nap. But there are some great things about good Non-Fiction that make it stand out from the rest.

Good Non-Fiction doesn’t need all of these things, per se, but every Non-Fiction book I’ve read and loved has been or had at least a handful of these attributes and they are part of what makes them unique and so, so readable.

Let’s do this.

Good Non-Fiction is accessible.

This one’s pretty straight-forward. Unless you’re writing for a specific audience of super geniuses, or just experts in a specific field you are also an expert in, Non-Fiction should be accessible to anyone who decides to pick it up. Put simply, make sure you think about your audience’s pre-existing level of knowledge about the subject you’re writing about and don’t over-complicate the way you speak about it. Most people respond most positively to a style that’s somewhere in between “instruction” and “casual conversation with a friend.” If your audience can’t make sense of what you’re saying, you’ve lost them before you can even teach them anything.

Good Non-Fiction finds the human element.

Regardless whether you’re writing a memoir or a history of the country or a scientific examination of the smallpox eradication, when you write, make sure that you are focusing first on the relatable, human experiences within your subjects. We learn and grow best when we feel and care about something, it motivates us and compels us to learn more: use this! Turn your numbers into people, homes, sister’s who still speak to you, but don’t just write about the numbers. We don’t feel empathy for numbers. Add warmth to your prose by focusing on your project’s “characters.” What are they thinking and feeling? What do you want your reader to think and feel about them? Make your reader feel something and they will absorb the ideas you’re also trying to get across.

Good Non-Fiction tells a story.

Like finding the human element, telling a story is an essential piece of reaching the reader that you want to inform. For the same reason we remember a song better than a random string of numbers (867-5309, ring any bells?) we remember things that happen in related sequences, ie. stories, better than we remember random information that is given to us. It’s biology! Telling a story through the information you’re trying to convey in your NF book also brings a myriad of other benefits to your writing: heart, empathy, greater understanding of the subject. Those who can master the use of storytelling in their technical, non-fiction writing will find it is to their enormous advantage. Plus, stories are just easier and more fun to read!

Good Non-Fiction is experienced.

You don’t have to be the world’s top expert with every certification to write good non-fiction, but you do need to hold some authority in order to garner trust with your reader. If you’ve sold millions of albums, people are going to want to read about your life in the music industry. If you’ve been working in a field your whole life, people will want to read about what that was like and what insider tricks you may know. Even if you’re just writing about yourself or something inspiring that happened to you, you are an expert on you and those experiences have given you a unique point of view that can be valuable to your reader. Whatever you’re writing about, make yourself an expert. Put in the work. Do the research. Make sure your research is correct and double-checked. And remember that authority doesn’t need to fit the traditional mold: if your life or work or experiences have given you knowledge that not everyone might have, remember that that can be enough. But keep your reader in mind. You want them to trust that you know what you’re talking about and that they can take that information out into the world with confidence.

Good Non-Fiction is inclusive.

None of us is an island and none of us can speak for every human experience on the planet; writing with these facts in mind can truly expand the relevancy of your non-fiction book. It can be easy, especially when you’re an expert in the topic you’re writing, to fall into a solely-instructive mode. Good non-fiction not only communicates what the author knows, but also what the author doesn’t know. One of my favorite non-fiction books takes a whole chapter to talk about emerging research in the field, unsubstantiated but possible theories, and differences in opinion within the field. Reading this chapter made me think of the author as someone who thought about every single facet of this topic and made a thoroughly informed, educated thesis from it. That is so impressive to me, and more importantly to most readers. Especially if you’re writing something social, but even in the sciences, taking other points of view or theories into account can impress upon your reader that you want them to be informed: not just persuaded to agree with you. Good research and good non-fiction doesn’t live in a vacuum. It is nuanced, multi-faced, and inclusive of all groups that are affected by a given topic.

Good Non-Fiction keeps it simple.

You should never dumb things down for your reader, but you should focus, clarify, and simplify every idea you want to communicate. Good Non-Fiction almost always does this to some degree. Even something as simple as using metaphors or examples can make a complicated topic seem much more manageable. This “keeping it simple” trick can even make its way into the structure of your book: clarifying what each chapter is about, making sure that each chapter is focused on its purpose, make sure that they go in the order that makes the most sense to teach your topic- and so much more. You don’t have to go out of your way, but really examining how a lay person would approach your book and making adjustments accordingly can make a world of difference to your readers.

Good Non-Fiction is is free of judgement.

Have you ever read smug Non-Fiction before? Where it feels like the author is condescending to you? Yeah, me too, and it is so annoying. If you want to communicate with someone, especially something technical or complex, you can’t judge your reader for not knowing what you’re trying to teach them– before you teach it to them. That’s why they’re supposed to buy your book, right? Share knowledge with joy, with excitement that someone else gets to learn it for the first time, and that excitement will infect your reader too. They’re here to learn and you have the privilege of getting to share something really cool: enjoy it, make the most of it, appreciate it. Readers can tell.

Good Non-Fiction asks more from the reader.

Lastly, good Non-Fiction asks the reader to do some of the work. As hard as you work to simplify your ideas and communicate clearly and with heart and enthusiasm, if your reader doesn’t have to participate in some part of the process it won’t stick with them the same way. So ask something of your reader. Raise the bar on what you expect from them. The best way I’ve found to do this is to literally ask questions. Make your reader think about the context of what you’re teaching them in their own lives, in the real world. Tell a story about something in your own life or the life of one of your characters that will reach out and grab the reader, something they can relate to. At the very least, good Non-Fiction asks its readers to decide what they think and feel, and any time you can give your reader such valuable introspection on a subject- you’ve succeeded. Bonus: they win too!

To check out some of my personal favorite Non-Fiction books, check out my list here!

Happy reading, friends! x

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Some of you may not know that today is, in fact, a very important day: It’s the start of National Novel Writing Month! Or NaNoWriMo to all of us “Wrimos” out here. I haven’t participated in years, but I used to religiously and this year I am going to take a crack at it again.

I have always loved to write. Ever since I was a kid, that was the dream job, the dream activity, the dream thing to be doing during class when I was supposed to be learning something else…you get it. Writing, as an art form, has always captured me, and this year I’d like to focus a little more on that magic again.

For any of you other writers out there, “Wrimos” or not, these tips are for you. x

**Read, Before You Write**

“Read, read, read. Read everything: trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentic and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” ― William Faulkner, author of The Sound and the Fury.

“If you want to be a writer you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King, author of The Shining.

Listen to the Stories People Care About

“Whenever I’m asked what advice I have for young writers, I always say that the first thing is to read, and to read a lot. The second thing is to write. And the third thing, which I think is absolutely vital, is to tell stories and listen closely to the stories you’re being told.” ― John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars.

Take a Map With You

“I don’t outline, because I don’t want to have to follow a plan. But I do need SOME sense of direction, so I use what I call my skeleton. It’s my first scene, climactic scene, last scene and first line. I don’t start until I have them in place. Often they will change over the course of a first draft, but it gets me there.” ― Sarah Dessen, author of The Truth About Forever.

Make Time for Your Writing

“Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.” ― Zadie Smith, author of White Teeth.

Just Write, No Tricks

“Let go of the idea that you can somehow outsmart a first draft. Because I have never met anybody who can.” ― Leigh Bardugo, author of Six of Crows.

“You can fix anything but a blank page.” ― Nora Roberts, author of more than 200 bestselling novels. (also, omfg wow.)

“Write fast, edit slow. Get your first draft out quickly. Don’t look back, don’t correct anything, just keep going. Even if it’s a terrible mess in the end, it’s done! And that’s the hardest part. You then have all the time in the world to make it better.” ― Lauren Gibaldi, author of The Night We Said Yes.

Write What’s True to You

“You know that old piece of advice: ‘Write what you know’? It doesn’t mean write about a young person who likes to write. It doesn’t mean write about your school, or your neighborhood, or your community. It means: write what you know is emotionally true. You can write about Mars. You can write about werewolves. You can write about medieval knights. You just have to understand the emotional truths of your story.” ― E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars.

Don’t Write “Alone”

“I’m always pretending that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.” ― James Patterson, author of Along Came a Spider.

“Once my characters start talking, then I know that I really know who they are. My favorite way to see if dialogue is authentic is to read it out loud and act out the characters. Luckily I’m alone at my desk (most of the time). If I’m writing in a café, I have to be very subtle and sort of mutter to myself.” ― Carolyn Mackler, author of Infinite in Between.

Enjoy the Process

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” ― Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Take Advice, but Trust Yourself

“Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” ― Neil Gaiman, co-author of Good Omens.

Learn to Let go

“It’s a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it…You have to let people see what you wrote.” ― Tina Fey, author of Bossypants.

Ignore All of These Tips

“Be skeptical of writing tips. There is no one right way to write a book. No one has ever had your voice before or had your story to tell, so find what works for you. Put one word after another, one scene after another; meet your word count or ignore a word count all together. Let your characters spark off each other or make them ignite (perhaps by following an outline or just adding dragons?). Give yourself permission to suck, but keep writing. The worst book you ever write will be better than the best book you never write. There really is no other magic than this: write the book you want to exist, the book that burns you up inside and that no one but you can write. Write one word at a time until you get the end. Then revise the hell out of it.” ― Alex London, author of Proxy

Happy reading and writing, all!